Concrete issue 246 26 10 2010

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Tuesday 26th October 2010 • Issue 246 • UEA's Independent Student Newspaper

NOT A CLEGG TO STAND ON Nick Clegg hints at a tuition fee cap as Norwich South MP Simon Wright faces pressure from students to honour his pre-election pledge to vote against an increase in fees. signed by many parliamentary candidates at the invitation of the News Editor National Union of Students, read: "I Nick Clegg has announced that pledge to vote against an increase tuition fee increases are unlikely to in fees in the next parliament and be unlimited, as initially suggested to pressure the government to introduce a fairer alternative". by the Browne Review.

The Deputy Prime Minister, who Former leader of the Liberal said in the run-up to the General Democrats, Sir Menzies Campbell, Election that the Liberal Democrats has said th?t his credibility would were committed to scrapping be "shot to pieces" if he did not tuition fees, confirmed that the honour the pledge he signed. When amount charged by universities asked by Concrete if this was a would be capped. sentiment he echoed, Mr Wright Speaking to Andrew Marr, Clegg said: "1 take the pledge very, very voiced his concerns, saying he was seriously. What I want to see from "uneasy" about the prospect of the discussions that go on over unlimited fees and said that the the next few weeks is how we can government were still considering take the Browne Report, how the its response to the Browne Review. government can look at what is fair David Willetts, the universities in it and develop that". minister, has also said that tuition This position was confirmed fees will definitely be capped.

by Mr Clegg, who said that the This announcement comes just government wanted to take the a week after Simon Wright, the MP "best" parts of the Browne Report to for Norwich South, visited UEA. make the system more "restrained".

The Liberal Democrat MP met with When asked about the fairness of students potentially paying officers from the Union of UEA unli mited tu itio n fees, Mr Wright Students to discuss the suggestions made by the Browne Review. emphas ised elements of the So far, Mr Wright has declined Browne Report that are seen to to say whether he will honour the. be more progressive, such as the pledge he made before the general · level at which graduates start election to vote against any increase repaying their loans. "I think that in fees. The statement, which was what we need to look at is the level

Davina Kesby

of earnings at which people have to start repaying. At t he moment it's just £15,000, that's not gone up for very many years now. What Lord Browne is proposing is that that moves up to £21,000, so that's clearly a step forward from where

row ne we are at the moment in terms of how the system works".

Universities have experienced further setbacks as Chancellor George Osborne announced a 40% cut in teaching budgets as part of the Comprehensive Spending

Review. The higher education budget wi ll be cut from £7.1bn to £4.2bn by 4014. Funding for arts and humanities will be hit hardest, as government support is being maintained for science and technology degrees.

NEWS: Crucial route into Norwich to be widened

NEWS: Popular restaurant COMMENT AND OPINION : The myth of goes up in flames modern multiculturalism?

FEATURES: Banksy meets the : SPORT: Meet UEA Korfball Simpsons :

The go-ahead is finally given to All's multi-million pound wi dening, at a cost of £134 million.

Page2

Italian restaurant Zizzis has suffered considerable da mage as a huge fire broke out this week.

Page3

Features discuss the appearance of popular street artist Banksy's work on The Simpsons.

Concrete Sport give you an introduction to one of Britain's fastest growing sports.

Page 14

Page 23

Comment and Opinion discuss the fa llout from Angela Merkel's controversial comments.

Page 11

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THE LONG AND WIDENING ROAD James Schofield

UEA's Independent Student Newspaper Co ncre te News paper Un ion House UEA Norwic h NR4 7Tj concrete.ed i to r @uea.ac.uk Editoria l: 01603 593 466 Adve rti s ing: 01603 592 507 Editor:

Da nny Collin s

Deputy Editor:

Ste ph Mc i<e nn a

Chief Copy Editor:

Mi a Wecke r

News Editors:

Dav in a I<esby Ed Leftw ich

Comment and Opinion Editor:

Emm a Pa rrott

International Editor:

Nishav itha Murthi

Featur es Editors:

Ad a m Fe nw ick Sama ntha Lewis

Turf Ed itor:

An na Tom son

Lifestyle Editor:

ja mes Di xon

Travel Editor:

Tom Hun t

Food Editor:

I<yl e Spe ncer

Sports Editors:

Ch ris King Rob Scha tte n

Chief Photogra ph e t·:

Greg Ma nn

De puty Chief Photographer:

La ura Smith

Advertising Manager:

jea n Will s

Distributor:

Ro ss Grant

News Repo rte r The propose d wid ening of th e s in gle-ca rri ageway secti on of th e All has fin a lly rece ived governm ent bac kin g, despite heavy s pe nding cuts else wh e re in th e pub lic sec tor.

The nin e-mi le st retch of the All betwee n Th etford a nd Ba rton Mill s is currently the wea k li nk in tra nsport betwee n No rwi ch a nd Lond o n, with th e lack of roo m for ove rta kin g ca us in g traffi c a nd di s rupti on to journ ey ti mes. Th e £134 mil lion projec t, having bee n con s idered fo r deca des, has fi nally rece ived the gree n li ght foll owin g press ure from MPs a nd the loca l press in Eas t Angli a.

·rh e sc he me has rece ived huge supp o rt from MPs a nd co un ci lm embCJ"s in th e Ea st of Engla nd . lt is claim ed th a t th e w id e ned s tretch of th e All wo uld be worlh £1.6 bn in tim e saved by q ui cke r journ eys, a nd wou ld crea te a "springboard to mo re inves tm e nt a nd ultim ate ly more jobs", acco rdin g to Norfo lk County Co uncil 's deputy lea de r, lan Mac kie.

Th e in ves tm e nt is see n as cru cial to helpin g th e East An gli a n eco nomy through tough eco no mi c tim es.

Th e be nefi ts to No rfolk have bee n emph as ise d by th e eco no mi c deve lopm e nt part ne rs hip Shap ing Norfolk's Future. Not only wi ll th e co nst ru ction of th e new s tretch of roa d prov id e jobs loca lly, but w ill also

News Reporter Th e Uni o n of UEA stud ents was thi s wee k exc ited to a nn oun ce som e of th e facts a nd fi gures from thi s yea r's Fres hers' Week.

UF./\ has a long hi story of hosti ng fa ntas tic eve nts fo r fres hers and returning stud ents alike dur ing the wee k, a nd th is yea r was no

exce ption wit h the likes of Pendu lum a nd Radio 1 D)'s Za ne Lowe and Greg ja mes all gracing th e LCR stage over th e co urse of th e week.

Unsurpris ingly, th ese ni ghts all rece ived huge dema nd with th e LCR pac ked with 1,7 00 stud e nts for th e Pendu lum DJ se t as well as Za ne Lowe. 1,9 00 attended the f-r es hers' Bas h whi ch fea tured Greg james.

Contributors: Ja mes Hu ghes, Susa nna Woo d, Cla ire Pri ce, Roxa nne P owe 1 ~ Jo natha n Brady, Rebecca La n cas te 1~ Rob ert Kee l e 1~ Ja mes Schofie ld, lsa be ll e Ca rty, Rac hae l Lu m, La ra ib Ali, Ja mes Di xo n, Joshua Reso un , Jess Coll ett, Ba rba ra Orth, Ga ry Ma tt, Emm a Webb , Alex Ross, Myles Smi th, Sa ra h Wa te rfi eld, Li sa Ste phe ns, Emm a Will ia mso n, Zo e Tibb les, Cha rlie Wa ll ace, Will Newto n, Je re my Dales, Ro byn Comfo rt, Lydi a McEvoy, Jo hn Simpso n Wedge, Meli ssa Sugrim , Joe Leve l!, Sc:'m To mkin so n, !a n Hobbs, Chri s Tea le, Ed Powe ll, Do mini c Smith, Geo rge Nea l, Ri cha rd Broo km a n, Olive r Pl a tt

Am e lia Edwa rd s, Sula Dea ne, Ha r ry Slate r, Susa n na Wood, Rac he l Ha ndfo rt h, George Hadjim ichae l, Elea nor Brow n, Je nny Bli ss.

~ ""

help to red uce accidents on th e A11. 1nd ee d, it has bee n es t imil ted that the eco no mic gai ns from the sc he me will o utweigh the cos t hy 20 to 1.

Ma rk !-l odges, th e chairm a n of Shaping

Notfo /k's Future, sai d: "The sc heme will redu ce jo urn ey lim es, impro ve co ngestion and cut acc ide nts. Th e be ndits for the Norfolk economy w ill be very s ign ifi canl".

FRESH FACTS AND FIGURES Rob ert Kee ler

Proofreaders:

. ,......

The All, which is due to be widened at a cost of £134 mill io n

Perh aps dry at ftrst but showers or I nger spell s of ram are h e- 1 through most o ne t wee k and into the weekend , tnterspersed \Vtth sunn. spells. Becomtn g cooler agatn . www .concreteweother .co. uk

H ow e v e 1~ the guest nights we re not the on ly ones wh ich we re a huge hi t with s tud ents.

Th e Return ers LCR, Now 90s, Fres hers Ice brea ker, Th e Fres hers T-Shirt Pa rty and POW! (w hi ch feat ured a DJ se t from jaguar Skills) all saw ove r 1,8 00 freshers a nd retu rners packing out th e LCR a nd Hi ve. ·rh ere we re a lso 500 peo pl e at th e LC R's Co medy night w hi ch featured upa nd-com ing comed ia n Sa ra h Milli ca n. With many great stude nt ni ghts a nd gigs from the li kes of )oo ls Holl an d, Klaxo ns a nd Foa ls sti ll to com e, it is ex pec ted tha t th e LCR and Hive will co ntinu e to pu ll in stud ents in these qu a nti ties for the rest of the uni ve rsity yea r. f- res hers' Wee k was also a huge success fo r ma ny of the Uni on's various stores wilh the Uni on Food Outl et a nd Paper Shop reporting that they so ld ove r 4,000 sa ndwiches, 3,400 choco late ba rs, 3,900 bags of cri sps a nd over 7,0 00 bottles of wate r a nd soft drinks.

In additi on to thi s, the Uni on has repo rted se llin g a pprox im ately 350 UEA hoo di es. Overa ll , th e UEA stores on The Stree t ex peri ence d hu ge levels of de mand during the wee k.

Stud e nts also made grea t use of other Uni o n se rvices, pa rticul ar ly th e Uni on Travel Shop whi ch reported se lling over 1,300 stude nt bus pass es.

On lh e s uccess of Fres hers' Wee k, To m Dolto n, Co mmu nicat io ns Offi ce r of the Uni on, had the follow ing to say: "The Uni o n th inks thi s in fo rm a ti o n highli ghts the exce ptio nal wo rk th al a ll the Uni on staff do durin g Fres hers' Week. We wo ul d like to ta ke thi s opp ortuni ty to tha nk each and eve ry staff memb e r fo r a ll the ir co ntributi o ns in th e run up and ove r Freshers' Week."

ISSUE 246

3

Tuesday 26th October

FURTHER LAPTOP ROBBERY IN THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE COMES TO LIGHT Yet another theft has been reported in the Unthank Road shopping area, after two laptops were reported stolen last fortnight.

A burglary occurred on the 23rd September on Gloucester Street. A silver laptop loaded with specialist software designed to aid those with hearing difficulties and jewellery of great sentimental value were taken during the robbery.

Two further robberies were committed on the 30th September and 7th October.

If you have any information please contact DC jane Woods on 0845 456 4567 or Crimestoppers

DEMOLITION CAMPAIGN 201 0 The NUS and the UCU have called a national demonstration in London on lOth November.

As the first national student demonstration called in our generation, students will get a chance to protest in the name of rising tensions surrounding higher education, specifically the huge cuts further and higher education announced by the government. The Union of UEA Students is among hundreds of student and staff unions up and down the country supporting this demonstration.

Free coaches have been organised to transport students to the demonstration.

The day will consist of a march from Westminster to Trafalgar Square, where the main demonstration is to be held. There is an expected turnout of 30,000 students and staff, enough people to fill the square. This is the first opportunity for many students to be involved in a national demonstration of this size. The Union is hoping to send a large group of students to support what is being viewed by many as one Qf the greatest threats to higher education for years.

POPULAR RESTAURANT GOES UP IN FLAMES James Hughes News Reporter A fire that broke 'out at a restaurant in one of Norwich's oldest and most frequented areas has passed without human casualty, although its impact on public resources has highlighted problems in public service funding.

The blaze that began at around midday on Tuesday 12th October at Zizzi Italian restaurant bellowed for hours despite the efforts of over SO of Norfolk's firefighters battling to extinguish it.

The inferno is believed to have originated in the restaurant's first floor kitchen but fortunately did not spread to neighbouring buildings in the same terrace. Norfolk County Counci l Fire and Rescue Service established that the inner roof structure of the Grade 11 listed building had perished; yet, the extent of the damage in the restaurant area was ultimately superficial. They did assure citizens of Norwich that "the building has been sured up" quelling fears that the building, an example of Norwich's heralded historic architecture, would collapse in the wake of the fire.

The black smoke and overpowering smell of the fire caused disruption to workers in and around Tombland, the site of the restaurant, as many were forced to evacuate their offices and shops as a

safety precaution.

Although there can be no formal conclusion as to how the fire started until the full inquest is completed, the official police statement has played down suggestions of arson and they are not treating the case with suspicion.

Those who are often diners at the restaurant chain should not worry for the long term ramifications of the fire on the future operation of the business. A statement on the Zizzi website says: "Obviously we're very disappointed but we're doing everything we can to restore a beautiful new Zizzi restaurant in Norwich."

The greatest disruption, however, will be endured by the fire services of Norwich and its surrounding suburbs at a time when recent cuts in funding for the public services has seen these stations fa ll on hard times.

The Chancellor's budget cuts, announced on Wednesday 20th October, have delivered a financial blow to local councils and thus the public services, which many believe to have been ill-funded prior to this.

With a 7.1% annual reduction in the budget for local governments, Norfolk County Council has been forced to cut an estimated £1.Sm from their fire service funding.

In nearby Essex, the financial

situation has become so dire that some fire services have opened up their doors to corporate advertising on their fire stations and vehicles in order to generate lost revenue. This could be a trend seen throughout East Anglia's fire departments should their economic woes continue.

Last Tuesday's fire has highlighted the need for a strong, united fire service which perhaps the cuts in their spending will compromise. FBU brigade chairman, Pete Greeves, wrote: "With these cuts we will be forced to unnecessarily risk our lives a lot more often to do what we joined to do; to save lives and help people."

BROWNE RECOMMENDS DEVASTATING CUTS Susanna Wood News Reporter The public sector has been dealt a heavy blow this week as the longawaited Comprehensive Spending Review was announced. This comes less than a fortnight after the publication of the Browne Review into how universities are funded, which suggested that universities should be able to set their own fees, but face a levy on amounts above £7,000.

The Spending Review, which was revealed by Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, on Wednesday (20th October), is proposing an £80 billion cut from public spending.

In what has been labelled the political event of the year, the results of the review will affect people in every walk of life, from high earning families who will no longer receive child benefit, to the 490,000 people who are likely to lose their jobs in

the public sector. Other areas that their university education for free are being announced so quickly after the are affected are the welfare sector, now saying that the next generation controversial Browne Review last which will receive cuts of a further will have to do without." week. "[It] is an underhand tactic £7 billion, and transport, where The Union of UEA Students gave to sweep attention away from the regulated rail fares will be able to rise Concrete this statement: "The cuts pressing issue of tuition fees and the to 3% above inflation. that the Comprehensive Spending astronomical amount of debt new For those working or studying Review suggests will cripple the students will face." in higher education, this spending higher education sector, one of The NUS is staging a National review is also giving an indication . the only growing industries in the . Demonstration in opposition to as to the future of universities in country". education cuts in central London England. In the face of cuts of £2.9 Tom Dolton, Communications on lOth November 2010. Tickets billion, the review is suggesting Officer for the Union, also expressed are now available from the UEA box the abolition of EMA (education concerns about the spending review office. maintenance allowance) and an increase in fees for adult learners, as well as the expected hike in tuition fees that the Browne Review In Golden Triangle, suggested last week.

2 Double, 1 Single Bedrooms.

The National Union of Students has once again reacted with anger to Sitting Room, Dining Room; Kitchen, BQthroom, ..-~=:::::::=::::~~ j what it terms as "a devastating blow Downstairs WC. Furnished or Unfurnished. to higher and further education."

"This is a spending review that £750 pcm. looks an entire generation in the eye and says 'you're on your own": Contact Sally on sallybl@btinternet.com said NUS President Aaron Porter. 01263 768337 or 07717027791 "Ministers who themselves received

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ISSUE 216

concrcte.news@uea.ac.uk

UEA TIMETABLE CHANGES Jonathan Brady News Repo r te r As students start the new academic year, many are familiarising themselves with the new timetable syste m that a ll ows for a 20 minute bre;1k at lunc htime.

The system is designed to give students up to 10 minutes before the end of each morning lecture to get from one bu il di ng to anothe1; with afternoon lectures starling at 10 past the hour. This creates a free window from 12:50-13:10 and gives students and Leaching staff a li ke the opportunity for a small 20 m inute break.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor Tom Ward thanked everyone for their patience and understanding with the new system and said he w~1s hopeful it would "pay dividends in the long run."

Those with considerable contact hours welcome the new system.

COPPAFEEL CANCER AWARENESS A nationwide campaign to increase awareness of breast examination among young women has come to lJ I~A. Coppafcel aims to encourage young women to regular ly check their breasts to reduce the incidence or late detection or misdiagnosed breast cancer.

The campaign is currently running a tU EA and wi ll conclude on Friday 29th October with Coppafccl Day. From 12pm unlil4pm, the llive will he a centre of boob hijacking.

In the evening, Mercy ni ghtclub will prese nt Coppafeel from 1 Opm, with free entry for peop le with a Cnppafeel sticker.

NORFOLK COW STOLEN A cow has been stolen from a pub in Norfolk, leaving its mot her standing alone.

The ca lf, who is ca ll ed Daisy and is made out of fibreglass, was taken from the Deers Leap pub in Thetford. Its mo t her, Dolly, is now stand in g a lo ne in t he garde n.

The theft took p lace betwee n 1am and 9am on the 20th Scptembe1; with police believing there arc mu ltiple thieves .

If yo u th in k yo u have see n this cow, or have any information regarding its whereabouts, please contact the local constabulary.

WORKSHOP EXTEND OPENING HOURS Claire Price News Reporter Popular student haunt The Workshop on Earl ham Road was last week given the go-ahead by Norwich Council to extend its business hours.

After two committee sessions lasting <lround six hours at a time, the Licensing Committee councillors granted permission for alcohol and food to be served until 1 0.30pm in th e garde n, whilst councillors sitting on the Planning Applications Committee gr~mted a trial period for alcohol and food to be served in the front area to the s<lme time.

Before this extension customers had only been able to eat and drink outside until the time of Bpm, after which they had to move indoors - a proce~s which owner Warren Bryant has bJ路aJHied "imp1路actical" as problems c1rose if the interior was already full.

Initial proposals made by the owner asked for permission to serve food and alcohol outdoors until the time of llpm, but various amendments were made in the face of some concerns about noise and parking. As a result, the time was reduced to 10.30pm <md a trial period was agreed to run from the 1st April to the 31st September

2011.

Owner Warren Bryant is pleased with the resu lt as he believes that the current situation is "archaic" and that a continental style of drinking is more civilised. lie also linds the time of the trial period ideal as it covers the mo nths w hen most peop le would want to be outside.

When interviewed, Warren l3ryant emphclsised that his main motivation for applying for an extension of the premises a nd planning licenses was not for profit as the seating increase is marginal, but rather for "the principle". He also stressed that just because his business sells alcoholic drinks it does not mean that they will experience the trouble sometimes seen at other establishments.

Although there were some voices of concern ra1sed before the committees about changing the licenses, there ~A ere also 26letters of support for the <lpplication. Regular customers also gave their support saying that The Workshop shou ld he able to serve food and drink outside to a later holll, adding that it would "be nice in [the I summer to drink a glass of wine outside".

The full results of 'the Council's decision will he offi cially published in the near future.

STUDENT UNION EVALUATION INITIATIVE Roxanne Power News Reporter The Union of UEA Students has been working towards a scheme designed to improve student services. The Student Union Eva luation Initiative (SUE!) is a quality assessment model that assists in improving the services and activ ities delivered to m em b ers o f Stude nts' Unions by in dicating areas for conti n uous improvement.

Over forty unions have already been awarded, w ith ma ny other u ni o n s work in g towa rd s recognition.

Tom Dolton, Communications Officer ot the Union, said: "The SUE I process is a great way for th e Uni o n to ret hi nk a n d eva lua te the services we provide . it he lps us consider how students are consulted when making any decisions. T h e Priority Campaign Po ll w hi ch e n ded o n Monday 11th was one idea which arose through some work on the SUF.I process.

Giving students the power to

decide upon their priorities is a good example or how democracy is fundamental to student Unions.

The SUEI process improves the Union for the benefit of all its members, in the coming months s t udents will start to sec the result of t h is".

Dolton went on to say that the scheme works because it is member focused and concentrates on ou tcomes. SUE I a lso looks at

the democrallc aspect of Unions as well as the changing membership of Unions.

According to the SUEI websile: "the basic philosophy of SUI~I is that a Union must satisfy the needs or its own members . it provides a framework for Unions of any size to work within the resources it has at its disposal to

its own students".

SUE I works in partnership with the NUS and is supported by the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Scottish Government The on ly Unions w ith the 5o ld SUEI award are the University of Leeds and the University of Sheffield. The Union of UEA

ensure that these arc targeted at properly identified outcomes for

Students is due lo he audited in Ap r il 201 1.

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FORMER UEA WRITER-INRESIDENCE DIES AT 49

I

Jonathan Brady News Reporter

Former UEA writer-in-residence, Bridget O'Connor, has died at the age of 49 after a battle with cancer.

The author and playwright was best known for her prizewinning comedy The Flags, as well as her collection of short stories and plays, for both radio and theatre.

Most recently she has been working on a film version of John Le Carre's Tinl<er, Tailor, So lider, Spy starr in g the likes of Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and BBC's Sherlock Holmes s tar Benedict Cumberbatch .

Filming for the adaptation has recently started in Budapest.

Director of the UK fi lm counci l, Tim Bevan, noted her approach to work as a "non-sentimenta l, unexpected, vi s ceral approach to each sce ne that made her and screenwriting exciting exceptional. Great movie writers are rare in this country and she was one of them."

Born in Harrow, north-west London, she was the second of Bridie and )im O'Connor's five children. She attended various Catholic schoo ls before reading English at Lancaster University.

After several years of writing whilst working in a building-site canteen and then in a bookshop, Bridget won the 1991 Time Out short story prize.

From 1996 to 1998 she was the Northern Arts literary fellow at both Newcastle and Durham University, where s he fell irt love with the writer Peter Straugha n, who later became her hu s ba nd a nd eo-writer. Stte was writer-inresidence at UEA in 2000.

Severa l of Bridget's stories have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4, as well as plays including Becoming the Rose - winner of the Arts Council's Write Out Loud award - The Centurions and States of Mind. She was commissioned along with her husband Peter to write films such as Sixty Six, s tarring Helena Bonham Carter, Mrs Ratc/iffe's Revolution and The Three Mu sketeers.

Her hu sba nd Peter and daughter Connie surv ive Bridget, who died in September.

She will be sad ly missed by a ll UEA staff and students who worked alongside her.

ISS UE 246

www.concrete-online.co.uk:

con crete.news@uea.ac.uk

PLANS FOR NORFOLK WIND FARM DELAYED

I

Rebecca Lancaster News Reporte r

Plans for a large wind farm that is clue to be built off the Norfolk coastlin e have been hindered due to a planned substation that is needed to transfer energy from the turbines to the National Grid.

This setback could cause a del ay of up to a year.

The Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm, which is thought to cost aro und 拢1.3 billion and would be situated off the north Norfo lk coast, will help reach t he gove rnment's target of prod ucing 20% of the UK' s e nergy from renewable so urces by 2020.

The pl a ns have been halted

by Breckland Council's decision to reject planning permission for a substation, which was to be built south of Little Dunham, situated 5 miles north east of Swaffham. The substation has caused much controversy amongst the residents of the

village who have raised concerns abo ut damage to the nat ura l beauty of their s urroundin gs, as well as the possibility of noi se pollution during constructio n.

This is despite Warwick Energy, the company behind the project, promising "new woodland and other habitat to screen the site covering nearly 20 acres."

There has also been dispute over the fact that the public were not properly i!lformed of the plans. Howeve1~ Warwick Energy claim this is not the case and that they held exhibitio ns in November 2009 at which they "had been very e ncouraged by the general leve l of local s upport for the project and this was confirmed from the questionnaire returns at the exhibitions where 69% of people supported the specific onshore proposals, 23 % were undecided and only 8% of people were against the proposals."

Warwick Energy also state d that the decision would be

appea led as Little Dunham was路 picked carefully from over 100 possible a ltern a tive s taking the environmental impact into. account. The effect of this setback will d e pend on the o ut come of the appeal.

The Coun c il cl .d. however, approve other aspects of th e proposal, including the

sa nctioning of the onshore cab le route that run s 45km from Weybourne Hope to th e substation .

Despite the s etback there is still hope that the project could be up and running by 2014 .

Neve rth e les s , the residents o f Little Dunh a m re main stea dfast in their pro test.

REPORT ON FIRST UNION COUNCIL

I

Davina Kesby News Editor

The first Union Council of term was held on Thursday 1st October in Lecture Th eatre 3.

As with every year, the first job of Council was to elect a chair to oversee the meetings for the remainder of the academic year.

Short s peeches were made, with the three experienced candidates putting forward their cases for election. Megan Evans, a final year American Studies student was elected chair, with Dunca n Smith, th e SC I faculty co nve no r, being elected deputy cha ir.

Council t he n e lected various me mbers to univers ity committees and to sub-commi ttees of the Student Officer Committee. The sub-committees included various planning groups for the Union campaigns for the forthcoming year, as chosen by students in the Priority Campaigns Poll.

Tom Dolton, Communications Officer reported on the actions of the Student Officer Committee in the time since the last Union Council.

Will Lacey, Environment Officer, a lso reported on what is currently being done to improve the Union's environmenta l credentials. A tea m from the Union staff cleared a nd collected waste left by first year

stud ents in ha lls. Kitchenware was cleaned a nd so ld to inte rn atio na l stud ents a nd freshers, with 拢1,500 being co ll ected.

Council then approved the constitutions of various new clubs and societies including Dodgeball, World Cinema, Italian, Kitesurfing, Mah )ong and the Book Group Society.

Dan Youmans, Community and Student Rights Office!~ proposed a motion in response to the coalition's proposal to reduce the levels of international stud ents in the UK. The motion ca ll ed o n the NUS to lau nch a national campaign to oppose the immigration cap o n international stud ent visas. The motion was passed with a large majority in favour.

Sam .Hilton, representative for Anarchist Society, proposed 路 a motion to affi li ate to Norfo/1< Coalition Against the Cuts (NCAC) .

After amendments from the Communications Officer, the motion was passed.

A proposal to introduce a Charity Week was passed, as were motions from the Faculty of Health Co nve nor Liz Biscoe about th e use of "wee k numbers" and a reevaluation of the role of facu lty co nve nors.

A motion to condemn the emp loym ent of Charles Clarke as a Visiting Professor fell, as did a

motion to withdraw representatives to the University d isc iplinary co mmittee, after co ns iderabl e debate on both matters.

The results of the Union's Priority Campaigns Poll were

published last week with four clear w inn ers. Fight Fees a nd Edt1cation cuts, I'm Hungry for Feedback, Graduation Relocation and Better Buses and Campus Car Parking will be the main focus for this yea1~

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INTERNATIONAL

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ISSUE 246 concr¡ete.r nternat ional<!lluea.,lC.uk

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Coping with Social lsol t1on lsabell e Carty International Wr iter As globalisation expands, students move further away from their homes and even their countries in search of higher education.

Thrown into a world of new cultures and customs, students are bound to feel pangs of homesickness, culture shock and in some cases they may experience communication difficulties.

These issues can affect international students no matter the length nf their stay or their ability to s peak the language. There will undoubtedly be certain colloquialisms and customs that they are unf~nniliar with.

International students arc less likely to

seek help with problems concerning social isolation. However, these problems can cause psychological stress which can have a negative effect on academic performance, so it is important for them to be addressed.

A study conducted by the University of New South Wales in 1991 looked into the lives of first year undergraduate international students. It found that these students experienced great restrictions to life outside of university. Common areas of difficulty were maintaining formal relationships, making friends and assertiveness.

Yet the world has since made great strides in technological advancement. The internet make-; it extremely easy (and cost effective) to get in contact with people all over the

world at any time. This i<; a good way for international students to combat some of their homesickness.

When it comes to making friends, there are societies and clubs that students can join which may help them feel closer to home.

They can sometimes meet peop le from the same countries or cities as them. The companionship makes it easier for students to come out of their shells and explore new cultures. This helps to boost co nfidence and build an understanding of the country that they are in.

For the most part, international students at university tend to have successful and positive experiences which the aid the process of cultural and psychological adjustment. This

leads to the development of cross-cultural skills which allow international students to immerse themselves in new cultures while remaining true to their own.

Poseidon's Wrath: Pakistan Experiencing Further Education Lara ib Ali In ter nationa l Writer Pakistan is one of t he many developing countries of the wor ld t hat su ffers from a continuous struggle for identity.

In recent times, it looked like Mother Nat u re had decided to take its toll. The devastating earthquake of 2005 that shook the country to its core was fo llowed by a series of overwhelming floods this i\ugusl.

The sca le of these floods have been declared the worst of their kind from both long and short tenn damages than the devastating tsunami or the c haotic earthquake of IIaiti. i\s t he P<lkistani economy is very much based around its agriculture, this comes as a fatal blow. /\round one in every eight Pakistanis are nffectecl in one wny or another by the floods, with ntlenst 21 million people losing their pmperties, livestock or jobs.

Those who were fortunnte enough to have survived these dreadful tides nre now

fnced with dea ling with the nftermat h of large losses, as we ll as the consequences of waterhorne diseases, the psychologica l trauma of losing loved ones and the simple fact th<llthe ir life would never be the same again.

In -;uch desperate times support is vital.

Fortunately, ce lebr ities like Angelina jolie have not been prevented from stepping in.

More important than her genero us personal donation was the fact that she helped bring the issue into the limelight, conveying the scale of the disaster to the world.

So, the question now arises as to what the fate of those affected will be. The thousands of hectares of affected soil would have to be treated extensively before use. The millions ofhomeless people will need food and shelter before long, as they look into the future with hopes of rebuilding their lives. In such critical times, it is necessary for the affected to receive adequate support physically and mentally from the right places.

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Racha e l Lum International Writer The UK welcomes a large number of s t udents annually. Th is Septemhe1; UEi\ S<lW the arriva l of around 2,500 students from outside the UK. This adds up to approxim<lte ly 15% of the UEi\ student popul<ltion.

Many students opt to pursue their further education abroad despite being aware that the road will not be an easy one. Prior to entry, there are application procedures, visas and fees to be concerned about. Upon arrival, students must ndnpt to a different system of education, cope with the new environment and the isolation from home. To top it all, most will find themselves entirely responsible for their studies, expenditures nnd wellbeing.

Nevertheless, international students continue to flock fnr from home for a variety of reasons. Academic-wise, some say that obtaining a degree from overseas opens a wider range of opportunities, while

strengthening fu t ure employab il ity. Some value the personal freedom and Lhe sense of responsib il ity that a foreign university brings about, a llowing character building and a sense of maturity.

Prima r ily, it is the experience of being in a different country that encourages them to go that extra mile. Knowledge is gained not only from hooks but also from the understanding of new cultures. Meeting locals and students from other countries, international students are exposed to various traditions and customs, allowing students to adopt <1 broader perspective, not to mention the new friendships fostered along the way.

When these internntional students graduate, some return home with a certificate in hand <1nd an enriched mind. Others are happy to continue their journey here. For many, it might not be apparent, but university is not just about the books and teaching, it's also about stepping out of the comfort zone to be enrolled in the 'University of Life'.

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The Browne Report: How will it affect you?

Lost week Lord Browne produced a report which outlined the future of universities in the UK. With this in mind, Concrete looks at the alternative aspects of the Browne Report and asks what key issues ore raised by it.

Simon Wright's U· Turn?

A degree: Priceless

James Dixon di sc usses th e dil emma faced by Si mo n

Joshua Resoun arg ues that d espite any po tential rise in tuiti on fees, no price con eve r be put on a degree.

W right os he chooses between loyalty to his party, and honouring th e NU S fees pledge.

Be fore finding them selves in a coalition government, th e Libe ra l De mocrats made a pl e dge to ab o li s h tuition fees for hi ghe r e du ca ti o n.

Nick Clegg used thi s pl e d ge as on e of the party's fl ags hip poli cies pri o r to the election, s tating "I be li e ve tuiti o n fees are wron g, I be li eve th ey need to be a bo li s he d". it see ms, h oweve 1~ that th is s hip has los t its sa ils, as Nick Clegg recently a nnoun ced th at h e was dropping th e pl ed ge in th e need to be 'rea li s ti c' durin g th ese fin a n cia ll y turbulent times. Th e m ove has bee n viewed as w ea k; o nly se rvin g to re info rce th e noti o n th a t the Libera l De mocrats s old th e ir po li tica l so ul in exc hange for gove rnm e nta l pow e r.

Simon Wri g ht, MP fo r No rwi ch So uth, ha d pre vi o us ly bac ked th e pl e dge to sc ra p tuiti o n fees, but in

a rece nt te levis ion inte rvi e w on Th e Politics Show East he see med to flound e r wh e n qu es tion ed ove r hi s curre nt s ta nce o n tuiti o n fees.

Wri g ht re fu sed to g ive a s trai g ht a ns w e r, in a ma nn e r unfortun ate ly commo n to unsettl ed po liti cia ns.

Wri g ht we nt o n to in s is t th at he nee d ed to co ns ult th e da ta fr o m t he rece n t Brow ne rep ort. Thi s o nly m a d e h im a ppea r cagey an d unwi ll ing to s pea k ope nly. As a n MP, Mr Wri ght has th e powe r to s ta nd up fo r w hat he, a nd pe rh aps m o re im po rta ntl y, t he publi c, be li eves in .

If Mr Wri g ht be li eved passio nate ly in th e pl e d ge to sc ra p t ui t io n fees th e n h e wo uld ha ve had no q ua lms in d ecla rin g hi s s u p port du ring th e inte rvi ew.

An exa mpl e of con s istency in yo ur be li e fs li es in Bo b Ru sse ll, th e Lib e ra l De m oc ra t MP for Co lc hes te r. lie s ign e d the Libe ral De mo crat's · pledge to sc rap tuition fees prior to th e e lection and has s ta ted th a t he p lans to s tand by it.

Wh e n politi cian s op e nl y a vo id diffi cult qu es tions ca uses th e e lec tora te to lose fa ith in th e m. Mr Wri ght's h o llo w a nsw e r indi ca tes th a t he is like ly to s id e w ith Nick Clegg a nd pa rty po li cy in a ll o wing th e Co nse rva tives to ra ise tuiti o n fees, se ndin g a co ld ice berg to wa rd s th e Lib e ra l De moc ra t's a ilin g vesse l.

• Unive rs iti es will no longer ha provid e a minimum bursary s tud e nts

• Stud e nts will no t have to rep ·r loa ns until th e ir reac h £ 21,000

• Once ea rnin gs reac h £21, 00 nte res t will be cha rged at th e f bor ro w ing from th e gove rn me n ·eh is currently 2.2%) a n infl at ion

• Ma inte na nce loa ns w ill no I mea ns tes ted.

In s tead, s tud e nts will be e ligibl e fo r a £ 3, 750lo a n

Th e Brown e Re port, publi s he d o n the 12th Octob e r 2 010, proposes to fund a me nta lly s ha ke up th e sys te m in high e r education Engl a nd . Na tura lly a ny thin g th a t invo lves hi g he r e du ca ti o n a nd th e gove rnm e nt is bound to crea te uproa r a m o ngs t s tud e nts, a nd th e Brow ne Repo rt is no exce pti o n.

H oweve 1~ thi s a nge r is mi s pl ace d .

The ma in ca use o f ange r is th at t he Browne Re p o rt w ill create a n el itist system th a t favo urs th e ri c h, w ho ca n a fford th e in creased tui tion fees. Th e Brow ne Repo r t does dea l w ith th is iss ue, a nd it offers a s impl e so lut ion - a g radu a te re pay m e nt p la n. Th e pl a n pro poses thi s: gra d uates wil l no t beg in re pay me nts un til th ey ea rn ove r £2 1,000 a yea r.. ll ow eve1; th e pu rp ose of th e Bro w ne Re po rt is no t to crea te a n e liti s t syste m, but m a ke hi ghe r edu ca ti o n a ffo rd a bl e a nd s us ta in a bl e for ge ne ra ti o ns to com e. Th e re m ova l of th e tuition fee cap ha s th e intention of plu gging th e fund in g gap whi ch ex is ts in the high e r e du ca ti o n sys te m. Yes, s tud e nts will have more d e bt, but ca n yo u rea lly put a price o n yo ur e du ca ti o n'?

Th e so le purpose of uni ve rs ity is to p rov ide st ud e nts w ith a n e du ca ti o n. Yo u ca nn o t put a pri ce o n t he be nefits of uni versi ty

- the d eg ree, th e fri e nd s, th e o pportuniti es; w e a tte nd univ e rs ity fo r th e ex pe ri e nce. Uni ve rs ity is th e ga te way be tw ee n furth e r edu ca tion a nd th e wi de r wo rld .

IIYes, students will have more debt, but can you really put a price on your education?"

No cos t, even if tui tion fees reac hed the leve ls w h ic h ex ist in th e Uni ted State ($40,0 0 0 o n ave rage), wo u ld s to p me from go in g to uni ve rs ity. If, as a s tud e nt, yo u h ave th e goal of gradu a tin g fr o m uni ve rs ity w ith as littl e d e bt as poss ibl e, th e n yo u need to a s k yo urse lf why yo u a re he re.

If, h o w eve 1~ you a J"e a ttend ing uni ve rs ity fo r th e d eg ree, for th e fr ie nd s a nd fell' th e o pportuniti es, th e con sequ e nces of th e Brown e Re po rt will no t a ffec t yo u.

Th e cuJTe nt cos t o f tuition fees: £3,225. Th e ex pec te d cos t o f tui t io n fees if th e G ip is re m oved : £5,0 00 . Th e cos t o f g ra du <ltin g from uni ve rs ity with th e qu a lifi ca tions a nd sk ill s to d o w ha t yo u love: pr ice less.

What's the problem ~ith education, education, education? )ess Collett Opinions Write r I'm going to say th e unthink a bl e, a s tatem e nt th a t no o ne eve r d a res to write, o r say, o r e ve n drea m a bo ut in th e Briti s h edu ca ti o n sys te m : th e re is no thin g wro ng with th e Briti s h e du ca tion sys te m. Th e re. I sa id it.

Ye t ea ch s uccess ive gove rnm e nt of th e las t thirty yea rs has bee n d e termin ed to re m ove pro bl e ms with th e s chool sys te m in thi s

co u ntry a nd g ive edu ca t ion th e ir ow n di s tin ctiv e s ta mp o f ac hi eve m e nt.

To ny Bl a ir's Ne w La bour m a nifes to was hea de d with th e ba ttl e cry o f 'edu ca ti o n, edu ca ti o n, e d uca tion', a pro mi se th a t th e curre nt coa li t io n gove rnm e nt has s ubse qu e ntly d ecla red a tre m e nd o us fa ilure (exc use my para ph ras ing).

Wild acc usa ti o ns of lesse ning aca de mi c s ta nd a rd s a nd cla ims th a t exa ms a re ge tt ing eas ie r have foll owed, a nd a re co ns id e red a g rea t so urce o f m e rrim e nt in th e m edi a .

In res po nse to thi s, th e cu rri culu m has bee n refoc used o n rea din g, writing a nd Briti s h hi s to ry, a nd th e ca p may be re moved from s tud e nt unive rs ity fees. Th e probl e m w ith 'edu ca tion, e du cati o n, e du ca ti o n' will be co mpl e te ly e radi ca ted a nd we s ho uld a ll th a nk Ca m e ron a nd Clegg fo r thi s wo nd e rfu l o ppo rtuni ty.

Pe rs on a lly, I find this a ll ra th e r offe ns ive. Afte r a ll, everyo ne curre ntly in th e unive rs ity sys te m has bee n bro ught up in a La bo ur

e du ca ti on sys te m an d s in ce th e re ha ve neve r bee n mo re po te nt ia l s tud e nts in th e hi s to ry of e ve ry th ing, th a t's a pre tty so un d d efe nce. Exa ms we re ce rta inly not 'easy'; I wo rk e d fl a t o ut to pass my exa m s, a nd fee l ins ul te d each tim e a news pa pe r o r co m e d ian ma kes a qui ck jo ke abo ut acade mi c s ta nd a rd s.

Why ca n't they acce pt th a t chi ldre n m ay s imply be ge ttin g s ma rte r? 0 1~ God fo rbid, tha t th e ca us ti c Ne w La bo ur gover nm e nt did a pre tty good jo b with improvin g

ed uca ti o n a nd e nco urag in g a c rea ti ve a nd inn ova ti ve a tm os ph e re?

I fa il to see w he re a m a jo r probl e m is with ho w I was ta ught. I fa il to see th e b e nefits of e ffec tiv e ly re m ov ing a rt a nd mu s ic fro m th e curri culum . I fa il to see how bud ge t cutb ac ks co uld poss ibly m o ti va te m e, o th e r s tud e nts, a nd teache rs to improve.

I lo w w ill lea rnin g be e nco urage d w he n it's co ns ta ntl y ra mm e d d ow n o ur throa ts t ha t "w e is s too pid cus of scoo l a nd wil neva ge t nowh e re?"

ISSUE 246

Tuesday 26th October

The Modern Myth of Multiculturalism After German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, declares that multiculturalism has "utterly failed", Barbara Orth examines w hether such an outlandish cla im can, in fact, be true. 路 Barbara Orth Opinions Writer In a speech last week, German chancellor Angela Merkel told an audience that a "multicultural approach, sayin& that we simply live side-by-side and live happily with each other has failed. Utterly failed:' Her comments were an attempt to moderate the heated immigration debate in Germany that has been going on since last summer. A debate was sparked by (now ex-) central banker Thilo Sarazzin's highly controversial book in which he accused Muslim immigrants of lowering the intelligence of German society.

A recent poll indicated one third of the German population believed the country was "overrun by foreigners': It also showed that 55% of Germans believed Arabs to be "unpleasant people" - immigration, of course, being a favourite topic for pub politics. We heard Bavarian premier Seehofer calling for a halt to Arabic and Turkish immigration, stating that "multiculturalism is dead': Now, first of all, the phrase "overrun by foreigners" already

headlined European newspapers in the early 20th century. This shows that the media are both uncreative and wrong in their hysteria. We are still here, we are not overrun and enjoy all the effects of globalization of which multiculturalism is one aspect If you get the munchies after a long

"Let's hope Merkel's comments will lead to a fair debate on new

immigration

policies." night out with Russian vodka you can choose between Italian pizza, India curry, Turkish kebab and English fish and chips - multiculturalism at its best On a more serious note multiculturalism also means that we now see mosques and synagogues next to churches as well as women wearing saris on the tube.

Unfortunately, however, this colourful diversity has not only

brought us great food but also many problems, namely when the integration of immigrants fails.

Europeans are afraid to lose their cultural identity. to 'become strangers in their own countries'. These fears are mostly caused by cultural misunderstanding and prejudice circulating in the media.

I agree with Merkel, multiculturalism in the form that it has been practiced in many European countries so far, has not worked out - I do, however, reject her conclusion.

The concept has not failed, but European governments have failed at issuing the right integration policies.

In the post-war economic boom West Germany took in "guest workers;' who were expected to leave after a few years. Thus they were neither encouraged to learn the language nor to get to know the German people; a utilitarian approach that many Western 'European countries took as well. In denying the fact that people were notjustguestworkers but hereto stay, Europeans deprived them of the motivation to integrate themselves.

This has led to the problem of parallel societies that we have nowadays.

This being said, is the~e even

an alternative to multiculturalism?

The antonym of multiculturalism is l)ationalism - and I don't have to explain where this concept and its extremes have led Europe and the whole world less than a century ago.

So there can be and there should be no doubt that nationalism is clearly not what we want Thus, we need to rethink our model of multiculturalism and improve its shortcomings where necessary.

Let's hope Merkel's comments will lead to a fair debate on new

immigration policies. believe multiculturalism is the only way of achieving a peaceful society. a society in which we can all indeed live side-byside and live happily with each other.

The European integration process has shown the whole world that we Europeans have learned from the past and that we can now live peacefully together . Immigrants must be willing to accept our culture and we must be willing to welcome theirs so that we can all live Europe's motto of bein_g "united in diversity':

Above: Angela Merkel speaking to Democratic Union Party thi_s__w c:_;;; e.;.; ek"--~--

Facebook, Farmville and Fraud: should we be worried?

With Facebook recently passing the 500 million members mark, Gory Mott raises concerns about the wealth of information that it holds on all of its users GaryMott Opinions Writer Facebook, the social networking giant has again become embroiled in controversy concerning the way in which the website manages the data of its users. In a nutshell, some of the companies behind Facebook applications have been distributing users' IDs to third parties, including advertisers who are known to collect information on people's online activities.

For many users of Facebook, the personal ID attached to them will only reveal limited information, such as their name and friends list However; for those users with low privacy settings, a third party might be able to access both photos and

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personal information.

With applications such as Farmville attracting as many as 59 million of Facebook's 500 million users, it is obviously a serious concern that the social network would allow its affiliates to handle user's personal information so haphazardly. As a user of Facebook myself, I stand with the millions of other people who are concerned

about the practices of the, arguably, mbnopol istic social network.

However, I would urge fellow users of Facebook to view the latest development in . the website's ongoing privacy issues as part of a greater picture. Indeed, as the coalition govermnent releases its new national security strategy, which highlights the threat of cyber-crime, we are reminded that there are larger issues at stake than the mishandling of one's name or personal photographs.

Furthermore, I would suggest that high profile, relatively minor controversies concerning the internet and people's personal information are beneficial in the long run. It is interesting that many people who would be sceptical of

providing their personal information to a surveyor on the phone or on their doorstep, are at the same time comfortable with posting that same infor mation onto social networking websites

"It is obviously a serious concern that t he social network would alllow it's affiliates to handle user's information so haphazardly."

Here, intentionally or unintentionally the information might be accessible by others around the world.

In this age of technology where our virtual activities on the internet are increasingly becoming integrated into our physical lives, it must be imperative that the public are sceptical about the security of their information online. I dread to imagine the potential ramifications of people's personal documents and photographs being leaked to. third parties from the rapidly growing 'cloud'.

Therefore, as consumers of the internet, we should take this opportunity, not only to query the intentions of Facebook specifically, but also to seriously question the viability of the internet's services at large to facilitate our lives safely and securely.

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Just Flipping Google ltl

The copy-right approach?

Adorn Fenwick looks at the controversial new government act that targets copyright offenders, and investigates the leg a I alternatives. it is an inevitable part of student life, watching the latest American TV shows shortly after broadcast, downloading films and music, and sharing files between friends. The legality of it all has always been somewhat disputed.

The horror stories of random people being sued for thousands of pounds

for copyright infringement are not a regular occorrence, but a recently introduced law could change all that.

The Digital Economy Act 2010 was introduced this year on the 8th June by lord Peter Mandelson. Its aim is to prevent copyright related offences on the Internet. You may not feel as though you are doing anything wrong when you watch the latest US Family Guy episode on Megavideo or download the latest Tinie Tempah album via torrents, but this new government act will be targeting the worst of these offenders.

So how does it work? Well, it is all very complicated. Copyright holders will potentially be able to find out who is accessing their works by logging their lP address (the unique code assigned to every computer).

These rights-holders can then contact the Internet service providers (such

as Virgin and BT) of specific users, and request a list detailing the lP addresses of users who downloaded their copyrighted material. In an extreme example, this could consist of one person downloading an episode of The Slmpsons, having their lP address logged by the rights-holder Twentieth Century Fox, and resulting in that user's Internet service provider

sharing information about the user's download habits before making it a legal ma~er with the individual.

Of course, this can have numerous problems, one of which is that, because the Internet is so vast, would it be physically possible to track every download offence? Furthermore, would everyone be potentially sued by rights-holders, or just repeat offenders who download large amounts of material?

Another particularly strange part of the act is the threshold limit which determines whether or not an individual can be targeted with legal action. Ofcom, the Office of Communications, have set this, but it is not readily available. Furthermore, certain websites that offer vast amounts of material can be blocked

by the government, though this is an ongoing issue relating to freedom of expression and censorship.

The Digital Economy Act is nothing new and not exclusive to the UK. In a recent court case, an American student was fined $675,000 for illegally down loading thirty music files (around $22,500 per SJng). Joel Tenenbaum has been re::>eatedly served with court ordered fines regarding his use of 'online media distribution systems' since the age of sixteen. He has been fined numerous times by several big record labels including Sony BMG and Warner Bros tv'usic.

But what does this tell us about the internets potential for widespread

generates profits from playing advert$ during users playlists and also selling premium advert-free accounts. lt has around seven million members and is growing rapidly, despite the fact that it limits the number of new users that can join its free service.

Services such as Spotify allow people to access music on line for free without breaking the law, so could this be the future for other form s of media such as TV shows, films, and even books?

In the case of music videos, this is already happening. A new company called Vevo (part-owned by several big global record labels) has recently been established that releases major recording artists' videos on YouTube.

In the case of TV shows, BBC iPiayer, 4oD and other similar on-demand services already allow people to watch content legally and for free, making a profit from advertising or through the license fee.

NIEGA

BONY abuse? We've all seen the adverts in the cinemc: ordering us to not record and distribute their films, but is criminal prosecution the right approach?

Alternative methods would be more welcome, and one such successful exanple is Spotify, a legal music streaming programme that

most popular American TV dramas ever, Lost achieved ratings of upwards of 15 million people per episode in the US. In an attempt to hold on to ratings, Sky1 (who were broadcasting the series in the UK) aired the episode at exactly the same time as in America. lt may have been in the early hours of the morning, but the episode received a significantly large audience. Other shows have been following a similar format. Desperate Housewives episodes used to be aired in the UK a few months after they were originally broadcast in America. Now they are aired after only a few weeks to combat the problem of people down loading them after they air in the US, resulting in less viewers tuning in to the UK broadcast, leading to a loss of advertising revenue . .

Essentially, the power lies with the consumers. They have a choice in how they consume material. But is there an incentive for people to legally download this material? Around two years· ago, iTunes UK _ changed their

13

Tuesday 26th October

As the world wide web continues to imprint itself on our daily lives, Emma these advances for better or for worse? ' The Internet, an impossibly massive source of information, the foundation of long-distance family life and relationships, the only sure-fire way to get anything practical done without spending the best years of your life on hold to a call centre. Got a question? Google it. Are the rumours true? Facebook it . Got something inappropriate to share with the world? Twitter it. Useful, resourceful, and endless, it certainly is. But how much is this wealth of knowledge really helping us?

On the surface, there are infinite advantages of using the Internet in our day-to-day lives. As our modern world becomes increasingly environmentally conscious, services such as online banking and downloading PDF files, significa ntly reduces the amount of paper used in offices and homes. Instead of the inconvenience of a packed Sainsbury's on a Saturday, or the town centre rammed with angry shoppers the last trading weekend before Christmas,

probably on Wikipedia. The Internet gives everyone a·ccess to scientific discoveries, art, history, poetry, biographies on anyone who has ever lived and it has never been easier to trace your family tree with the information available online.

Social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, along with the beauty of webcams and free communication programmes like Skype, mean that all the stress of staying in touch has vanished. With our ever-shrinking world thanks to advanced transportation links, it is no trouble maintaining · contact with retired parents in Italy, old school friends in Australia and a spouse away on business in the USA. However, the honeymoon period with Internet culture may well

BlVlG

But it is American television shows and films that are the real problems faced by the entertainment industry.

Hundreds of copies of TV shows and films are uploaded merely hours after broadcast to an international audience. How can this be combatted in a similar manner? The final episode of Lost is one example. One of the

pricing s!ructure offering most tracks for 99p, compared to 79p before. lt seems that the people who legally download material are being punished to compensate for the people who choose to download illegally. But will the new Digital Economy Act change all this, and were you even aware of it in the first place?

we can do everything from our weekly food shop and clothes shopping to charity donations and eBay trading without leaving the house.

In addition, the Internet as a research tool is arguably the most extensive source of information available. There really is a site for everything, and if there isn't, it's

be over, as scientists are starting to uncover unforeseen risks to health and social skills as a result of overexposure to technology and the Internet in particular. People who are constantly distracted by their buzzing mobile phones, streams of emails and instant chat are less likely to be able to concentrate on individual tasks and

make errors performing simple tasks during the day.

The ability to research and analyse information is being lost to the exceptional lack of effort required to type 'Shakespeare' into Google and watch a wealth of knowledge appear before our very eyes. Albeit, the information is there but studies have shown people remember half as much from scouring the Internet than they do reading and physically searching for the facts themselves.

Great aspects of culture will suffer

as a result; museums and age-old libraries will become obsolete, which will in turn impact considerably on tourism and the general richness of history and tradition. Children who spend hours every day playing 13ames online are missing important social interaction with others, and some have been reported to display withdrawal symptoms like those of alcoholics or drug users: cases of 'the shakes' have been known to occur, as well as responding with rage and violence when asked to switch off the computer. Capio Nightingale hospital in central London now offers rehabilitation treatment for

Webb asks:

technology addicts; many of the patients are children between the ages of 12 and 17.

Facebook and Twitter will soon have a lot to answer for in terms of depleted social skills, if they don't already. People spend half as much time together now that they can chat on Facebook, meaning we miss out on opportunities for essential human companionship and physical interaction. it's not even necessary to telephone friends to have a conversation about your new 'ot her

half'- just changing your relationship status will do. If that wasn't depressing enough, Facebook and MySpace (and the like) add yet another outlet for cyber bullying, as well as the countless arguments which break out between previously good friends over a casually spiteful 'Tweet'.

The extensive level of personal information and photographs that are easily accessible on Facebook make identity theft even more likely, and girls and young women are especially at risk for picking up dangerous 'cyber-stalkers' with so many personal photographs of themselves at easy reach for strangers.

Public concern over the impact of technology on employment has been debated since the notion of robotics became possible, but few consider the impact of how their own personal use of the Internet can

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seriously influence their ability to. gain employment at all - and how easy it is to lose current employment due to indiscretions on social networking sites. Apparently, the six degrees of s-eparation mean we are lin ked to anyone in no more than six people who on your Facebook friend list is

actually married to your boss, whom your Facebook status is currently denouncing as a 'lazy, incompetent [censored]'? Possibly the same person who took huge offence to your current relationship with her ex (which she is only aware of, naturally, because you changed your Facebook relationship status) and takes it upon herself to have you sacked for gross misconduct? lt happens, and it could easily happen to anyone having a bad day. lt is looking increasingly like we can all look forward to a future where eight-year-olds no longer bring home adorable 'Please Come to My Party!' invitations, but simply RSVP to the Face book event instead. it may be true that we might all be less informed if it wasn't for the enormous resource that is the Internet, and our socfal groups may well be growing for all the right reasons, but perhaps the Internet should be accompanied by the same safety label which comes with all our other favourite recreational drugs beware, excessive consumption can seriously damage your health!

Jo Davey's top 10 must-see internet gems Dedicated to beat-the-clock quizzes such as "Name that famous moustache': Sporcle is addictive and educational.

I've seen entire households gathered around a laptop desperately trying to name the countries in Europe or the top 100 albums ever. Now an iPhone app, there's simply no excuse to find out just how little you really know.

Ever wondered where people find that new hilarious website or video? Do they spend hours trawling You tube?

No, they Stumble upon it.. Download the toolbar, pick your interests and get going. Press the button and Stumble randomly finds. You give it a thumbs up or thumbs down, and it adjusts your interests accordingly.

If you're having one of those days, it's always reassuring to know that other people know exactly how you feel.

You'll suddenly reali se it could be a lot worse. Laughing at other people's misfortunes may not be very nice, but it really will brighten your day. On a similar theme, www.mylifeisaverage. corn will show you how bizarre life can be.

It takes a lot of courage to go on either of these two, courage I haven't quite found yet. One click and you're Skyping a stranger you've never seen before, half way across the world, dressed as Darth Vader. Another click, and who knows where you might be, and what you might be looking at. Frankly, not for the fainthearted.

I drunkenly bumped into this man a while back, and despite his protestations, I had no idea who he was. If, like me, you haven't been living on earth for the last year, you might be forgiven for missing the sensation that was Gap Yah. A side-splitting satire, now with a sequel, for anyone who's ever been or known a gap year student.

Whilst Gap Yah owned last year, this new video is set to take over the title.

This clip mocks everything about new age 'cool: whether it be the man cleavage or loafers with no socks.

Watch it, and the world suddenly becomes a 'Where's Wally' for Richard Heads. Pure genius.

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Heart-warming and heart-breaking, PostSecret is for anyone who's ever had a secret. Anonymous postcards, beautifully decorated, litter the site, each with a completely truthful and never before ·shared secret. From unsolved crimes to meat-cheating vegans, the PostSecret world cannot help but rock yours.

Absolute lifesavers for the starving and the sober. Not only filled with delicious recipes for drink and dinner, both of these sites allow you "o type in whatever ingredients you h= w e lying around your kitchen, and it will show you whatever cuisine and cocktails you can make.

Most of us have seen the odd photo of our parents from days gone by, tucked in the back of a photo album where no one will notice brown flairs and bad hair. Most of us put them back where they belong, hoping they never surface again. Some of us, however, put them on the internet. Enjoy.

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Ever looked at that can of Red Bull and wondered just how many you'd need to drink to kill you? Well, look no further! A ridiculous website where you select your favourite caffei nated drink, tell them your weight, and find out exactly how much you'd need to soda-pop your clogs.

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D'oh I Banby let loose in Springfield After graffiti artist Banksy shot a bu llet through FOX's Sunday night line-up,路 Alex Ross explores what happens w hen politics and popular cu lture converge.

D Sandwiched between Danny Elfman's famously jovial theme tune over The Simpsons intro scene and the opening credits of one of the most well-known television shows of all t ime, American viewers were exposed to the dark world of Britain's most elusive street artist. The music and tone turns to that of Schindler's List, with the graphic depiction of a Korean sweatshop, with kittens minced for dolls, pandas whipped to work harder and a dying unicorn being used as a holepunch for DVDs. We're left with the image of the famous Twentieth Century Fox searchlight statue, an image almost entirely untouched s ince hs creation, surrounded by barbed wire and lit in sepia. It is typical of Banksy - just when we forget about him for a while he surprises us by leaving his work somewhere entirely unexpected though nobody imagined it would surface in Springfield.

As expected, our American brethren have taken great interest in Banksy's now infamous 'couch gag'. But with the controversial

..

that he would work to make families "more like the Waltons and less like The Simpsons". But since its first few seasons, the Springfield natives have settled in. Both America and the world have caught up with t he family and all of a sudden modern life, with all its divorce and conspiracy, make the animated .comedy look subdued a nd almost conventionaL Speaking to Concrete, Jonathan Gray, author of 'Watching with the Simpsons', said the show's longevity, along with its mellowing over the years, could be the reason for such a great reaction to the Banksy incident: "The Simpsons have been so unobjectionable for so long that when something like this comes along, it's almost out of place ... and because of this, people feel that it comes more from the heart".

What is surprising (and in many ways brilliant) is that these shows have very few restrictions on what they can broadcast.

a new show today, it would be the most successful one around".

Ratings are the priority in the television industry, and if these shows continue to engage us to the extent that we're willing to turn on to watch them, they can say what they like.

Lois Griffin jumping in to bed with

Contracts have been drawn up that

is typical of Banksy just when we forget about him for a while he surprises us by leaving his work somewhere entirely unexpected though nobody imagined it would surface in Springfield. ((

Bill Clinton ('1\pparently, there's the side of Bill Clinton the world knows, and then there's the dark, sex crazed side only I know!") or the brilliantly titled South Park episode "Osama bin Laden has Farty Pants".

When The Simpsons first came to our screens in the late 1980s it was, like these shows, the Antichrist to right wing conservatives, used as a scapegoat for any of society's problems.

George Bush Sr. famously said

state that their networks must either broadcast their material or cance l the show altogether there can be no tampering or nit picking; and no station in their right mind would cancel shows that s till have high ratings: "If you gave Rupert Murdoch the choice between making a profit and spr eading right-wing politics, he'd undoubtedly side with the former", said Professor Gray, "ratings for The Simpsons are such that if it were broadcast as

So how much difference can incidents like this really make?

Will we all boycott Simpson's merchandise on the basis of the fantasy drawings of a man (allegedly) from Bristol? It seems unJikely. But as with all such media-politi-cal controversies - Kanye West declaring that "George Bush does not care about black people", Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing in the Name' going to Christmas .number one we're led to ask questio ns. In this

content of some of the most highly rated shows in America, Family Guy and South Park for example, we're left to wonder why, even with the added celebrity circumstances, this 30 second clip has caused such furore. Family Guy is FOX's biggest animated s how this year, with Season 9 currently in full flow, and South Park has remained ever present on both sides of the Atlantic for well over a decade. Viewers of either of these shows are more than aware of their constant political boundary pushing- whether it be

l(lt

case, it's whet her or not working conditions are suitable behind the scenes of a happy primetime TV show, or even who is in control of broadcasting the show. For Kanye West fans it was whether or not the Republican response to Hurricane Katrina was effective.

For Rage Against The Machine fans it was whether or not we s hould continue to hold such a relaxed view towards the record industry. Whatever answers we get, these questions show that, _in spite of crit icisms to the contrary, free speech in the entertainment industry is in relatively rude health- though it would be foolish to claim that there is no room for improvement - and this has a profound effect on our political decisions.

The relationship between entertainment and politics may well be a volatile one, and it can appear that it's often at breaking point. But it only serves to inspire debate. Networks are more than aware that doing something as dramatic as removing a show from air would effectively amount to shooting themselves in the foot, and this gives the writers and producers of shows like The Simpsons a great deal of power.

If great power really does necessitate great responsibility, then the most responsible thing for the writers of these shows to do is be as reckless and controversial as possible. Then at least questions will continue to be asked.

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ISSUE 246

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Tuesday 26th October

To Bank or Not To Bank?

At the last Union Council meeting of the previous academic year a highly controversial motion was passed in which the Union of UEA Students agreed to stop banking with NatWest if they did not stop their unethical investments by the end of 2011.

NatWest and its sister bank RBS are currently helping to fund the tar sands oil extraction in Canada, a hugely damaging oil mining project taking up a land area the size of Britain and causing wide-scale destruction to the natural and human environment alike. The commitment to switch banks is likely to cost the Union a considerable amount of money and the issue has caused much debate among the student body.

This month the motion will be brought before the Board of Trustees, who will have a final say in the decision, and it seems the perfect time to reassess the arguments for and against the boycott.

In the question of ethics over money, where do you stand?

"Yes, let's boycott!"

Changing the bank the Union uses from RBS-NatWest to another, more ethical bank such as the Co-op will stop UEA students playing a role in the destruction of a globally important biome and the ensuing runaway climate change.

RBS-NatWest banks are known for funding coal, gas and oil exploration projects and they invest heavily in the Canadian oil sands. If the energy inefficient mining project in Alberta, Canada continues at the same rate, the emissions from the extraction combined with the future use of the oil is likely to put atmospheric carbon

dioxide levels above the safe limit and cause runaway climate change. The extraction of oil sands also impacts heavily on the health of local indigenous people and high levels of cancers have been found around the main site areas. it's important to point out that this motion goes beyond the activities of our Union; encouraging RBS/Natwest to pull out of the Tar Sands and invest more ethically is part of a national campaign supported by numerous not-for-profit organisations such as Greenpeace, the World Development Movement, People & Planet and the UK Tar Sands Network. NUS, which also currently banks with NatWest, has recently made a commitment to shift to the more ethical Co-operative bank and several other student unions across

the country have already successfully boycotted RBS/Natwest without spending huge amounts of money.

Granted, the proposal is a costly one and is by no means a perfect solution. However, this should not stop us from doing the best we can, and this is one step we can take to lessen our impact on others. Our integrity as a credible and ethical student union is great, and this motion has provoked heated debates amongst the online community, which only goes to show how much students do care.

Do we really want to be complicit in environmental destruction through our negligence?

Sarah Waterfield

"No, it's unrealistic" Ethical banking is good in principle, and surely as a Student Union we should seek to be as environmentally friendly and as ethical as possible .

The issue arises, however, when you start to look at the fundamentals of the proposal.

Ethical banking will cost our Union an additional £25,000 per year, money, which can be better spent elsewhere in the budget . That money could provide nearly double the current training and coaching for our sports clubs . it would allow us to put seven times the amount of money into campaigns as we did in 2009 and send six times as many delegates to conferences .

it would allow us to buy and run another two mini-buses, or take almost £10 off the cost of Sports Association Membership. Compare this to our bank charges in 2009, a meagre £3,993, meaning we would be spending nearly eight times on banking as before.

The long and the short of it is that £25,000 is a lot of money.

And for what benefit? Currently the Union banks with NatWest, a subsidiary of RBS. The total turnover of RBS was £34 billion in 2009. Our banking fees are small in comparison to the total RBS turnover, so our Union withdrawing its funds and boycotting the bank will not have any impact on its unethical practices.

If the pu rported 90% of FTSE 100 companies who bank with RBS were going to stand with us in this fight, then maybe, just maybe we could win . However, with our Union having only a re latively small value to RBS, we will not get RBS to change its ways .

When this was discussed at Union Council, a suggestion was made to use £25,poo from the environmental and ethral budgets to pay for this .

This ide was met with no response from the 'green movement'. it seems to me a little hypocritical for the lobby to request this change, but then not be prepared to spend its own budget on what is an ethical measure. You can't have your ethical cake and eat it.

MylesSmith

What do YOU think? Email concrete. turf@uea .ac.u k

Concrete Houses for Norfolk Hedgehogs Anna Tomson Turf Editor UEA's favourite student paper has recently gained a troupe of rather prickly customers; old copies of Concrete are being donated to four hedgehog hospitals around Norfolk to provide bedding for the spiky community.

"We treat about 500-600 poorly or injured hedgehogs a year," said a spokesperson for the hedgehog

hospitals. "Often they arrive very bedraggled and need sprucing up, medical attention and feeding before they can be successfully released back into the wild . There is always a need for newsprint which is used for bedding and cleaning".

Autumn is a particularly dangerous time if you're a hedgehog as many are injured in bonfires and by lawn mowers and strimmers .

Gardeners are being urged to set up bonfires only a few hours before burning to prevent hedgehogs from

(flook before you strim to avoid any prickly disasters." moving in, and to ' look before you strim!' to avoid any prickly disasters.

Thanks go to Concrete and UEA for their help with this most essential source of paper!

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Facebook's abreast with a serious issue Concrete looks a t the power of socia l networking to influence real life matters Li sa Stephens Lifestyle writer You m<~y h<1ve noticed many ol you r female dcqu.Iint.Inces in the . last month posting conspicuously raunchy sldtuses on Facehook; <1n example of wl11ch Is the 'l1kes it on the .. ' u·end. This 1s in fact one of many publicity stunts .111d drives organi'>ed for the October ll1·edst Clllcer Awareness month; and just to clarify, it refers not to one's intim<~le 'extra curricula 1·' preferences hut the place where a woman likes to place her purse. 13reasl Cancer AwarL'ness month promotes the importance of women a nd men both showing support to cancer victims dS well as regularly checking their own bodies for potential early signs of the disease in <l strikingly positive m<lllnl'l".

One in nine womL'll will he d1agnosed with hrc;1st c;lnn·r .1l

some point in their life, hut m<Jny women view the threat as a r<~re phenomenon unlikely to dfil>ct them. it may also surprise you l.1 d to lcdrn thdt, contr;1ry to popular helil'f, hre<Jst cancer c<ln he didgnosed 111 men as well as women, with Zlround :women diagnosed each yL·ar.

Local nightclub Mercy \\'ill he hosting <1 'Coppafeel' evening on the 29th October in the VIP Lounge, coinciding with the spirit of the month. Mercy was approached by a UEA student e<Jger to 1<1ke up the cause and have shown a willingness that ought to he applauded. Those of you who he;ul out to Mercy this Thu1·sday night· will he greeted with the likes ol booh shdped cupcakes as p.1rt of the clubs effort to communicate breast L.lncer ilWill"l'nL'ss. The concept of the <l\V<lrL·ness month c,lll only he L'ncour<lged <lnd hopefully its presenn· \vill h<JVL' .1 positi\'l imp<il't

Litestyle writer

on catching future cdses. it is worrying, howeve1: that ,111 issue like breast cancer h;ls to he promoted through sexu;li suggestions to generate the interest needed from the public to make an impact. llsing sex to gr<~h .Jltention is a clever ruse by the marketing tL'dlll~ involved, L";peLI,IIIy \\ 1th younger audiences lwi ng t;l rgctcd.

Hy dtt.JLhing a scxu<JI 11.1ture to

a serious issue the information rommunic1tcd m~1y bL' subject to the S<lme liberal throwaway attitudt• that 1s often practiccd with sex in our modern society. Let's hope the current Facebook fad and Thur~d.1y's fun h,1ve <1 b1g enough impression that wh.1t we learn isn't :1s quickly forgotten ~ls F1·iday's Sl'lllill<lrs COUI"ll'W of the USU<ll Mercy h<lllgovL•r.

of university life• Without the assistance that she m•edcd for her worsclllng Londition, th1s student was forced to t.1ke a year out of her higher education studie<;. Through the dis<~hility register, she was able to return and re<>umc ill'r placL' <lt UEA with all of the relevant help given ;i<; .1 result of ill'r 'NL•eds Assessment' for the Dis<lhled Students' Allowance, meaning that she could continue with her studies without the l11nits imposed on hn during her first yedr.

Another student who W<lS willing to give some details about her experiences so far 111 her first

ye<lr ,ll lJEA is soon to take an <ISSL'Ssmcnt to deter-mine whether or not she h<lS dyslexia.

She spoke of the dlflicultics she has experienced with note-taking in lectures, speaking in seminar groups and meeting new people since .JITiving ,1t lJEA, due to hL•r speclf1c learning difficulties. One of the most poign.1nt th111gs th;lt the first student mentioned W<lS th,1t: "help 1s there lfyou ask for it".

This thought ddin1tely applies for those students still suffering in silence at lJEA. Advice and guidance is available at the Dean of Students' Oft1ce.

Lifestyle explores a si de of university li fe that is often overlooked but is, nevertheless, promi nen t Zo e T ibbl es

There are over 10 million dis<Jhlcd people in 13ritain today, meaning th;~t mo1·c th<lll 1/6 of the total population in llritain is disabled.

Increasingly, universities dl"l' <ICCL'pting <1pplic<Jtions lmm disabled students under the lk.. lhil1ty Discrimination Act ol 2005 which promotes equality ol opportunity for· dis;1hlcd people, diHI the University of l~asl Anglia is no difTei·L·nl. As a result, the <~lready multi-cultural and multil'lhnic society of lJJ~A has also become multi-ability, meaning th;ll UEA is an even more vibrant dlld interl'sting pi,ICL' to lw lor students.

Speaking to people With v.1rious dis,1bilitics, it is clt•,!r that LJEA attempts to combat the dillicultJes of university life for disabled students depending on their specific needs. For students

who suffer from mobilityrelated dis.Jbilitics, gmund floor accommodation and lifts arc provided, though the 1960s design of the University mcdns that unfortunately there arc still some 1·estrictions. For students w1th a mental disability, coun~L·IIing, medication and 24-hour .Jdv1ce services c~rL' provided. A SL'cond year student who has a physicd dis<~bility with cognitive side effects, agreed to sped k to Concrete.

This student endured her first year

"More than 1/6 of the tota l popu lation in Britain is disabled" without asking for Zlny fin<lnci,d or physical ~upport for her dis.Jbility, a condition called M.l·: (or C:hron1c Fatigue Syndrome), which sometimes renders her llllllWhile. lJnahlc to continue with the strain

Depression pressure Emma Willi am son

Student's lifestyle labels: disability

Lifestyle writer

ISSUE L·lh eo ncrl'le .I i lest yl eQ1: llt'<LlC.ll k

Whilst many students cmhran• university life, to others it' can be a daunting ,uHI isolating expnicnce.

Changes in lifestyle, loneliness and deadlines can all contribute to the decline in mental health th,lt 2S 0'o of students exper-ience. Depression .1t university is increasingly common in students, hut is often overshadowed by the ch,ws university life provides.

Many students, p;lrticui<lrly those in their first year of undcrgradu,ltL' studies, suffer in silence. The constant stream of new laces can prove to he too much for some students, particularly those who arc predisposed to mental illness .111d <lllX iL•ty. Suddenly expectations of university being the hest yc<~rs of your lite a1-c sh;~ttered, ,lfld suffl>rers .JrL' kft f"cl•ling disillusioned ,md lost. it L,lll ill' difficult to distingui\h hetwecn <1 p~1ssing lo\\ mood diHf .Jctual depression, hut either \\' lV such issues need to be addressed hei(Jrl' they \\'Orsen.

Those who, find themselves struggling at lJEA do, however, have a variety of resources .1t their dispos.d, c1tering for those who fear they m.1y he entering a downwards spiral as well as those who fee l completely out of control.

A good way of preventing h~ul mental he,dth in general is to stay busy ;uul stay socially ;~ctive, be it through clubs and societies or just spending time with f1,1tm,1tcs and friends. UJ·:A's very own Nightline, who can be contacted in person, vi;l em,lil or over the phone, is <~vailabiL• 21\ hours <l d.1y to imparti<~ ll y and anonymously discuss any worries students mdy have. If, however, your problems <~ppear to be of a more serious nature, perhaps spr-e;aling into substance abuse or suicidal fceilllgs. don't he .Jfl"<lid to m<lkc an appointment with .1 gcner~1l practitiOner at the university medical centre. No m,lltcr how alone you may feel, every student has their own support network.

Rcga rd less of background, depression can affect anybody. lly taking the step to address pmblems, and active ly trying to solve them, sufferers of mental illness ran, <lnd will, take positive strides forward.

ISSUE 246

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Tuesday 26th October

Utah's Grand Arches The natural wonders of the United States aren't just confined to the G rand Canyon and Yellowstone, as Will Newton found out when he visited some lesser known Notio nal Parks in Utah .

A lot of people might say that no trip to the United States is complete without a trip to the Grand Canyon.

Concrete disagrees. In our opinion, no trip is, has been, or will ever be thorough without visiting The Arches National Park in Utah.

It is home to over two thousand natural sandstone arches, laid down by sea and sculpted by wind, and now available for your pleasure and perusal. The landscape is precious and unique; all sorts of rules are in place to protect the rare plants and animals, and so sticking to the path is a must because, well, park rangers carry guns in America and they'll do anything to protect their black crust micro-organisms and colourful cacti.

The linear approach to exploration in no way impedes the opportunities for fun. Indeed there are many chances to climb, hike, sit, chat, ponder, reflect and fool around.

The park is three hundred and ten square kilometres in size and is crammed full ofarchesand monolithic pillars which guard the plains, frowning with a steady, unchanging gaze at streams of eager tourists passing below. The most famous of all the landmarks is Delicate Arch, so famous in fact that it has become the symbol of Utah and appears on the state licence plates, as well as providing a backdrop for numerous Westerns. We trekked across rock and dune to see it, jumping down gulleys and screeing up slopes, but were a little disappointed with the reality of it. It's a perfect arch, of that there can be no doubt, but it's almost too perfect and as a resu lt looks a little manmade, a fitting testament to the majesty and magnificence of

nature, and the skilful hands of the Old Man Wind, but we felt a little put out all the same. Luckily, our collective mojo wasn't punctured by this minor disappointment because it seems that the virtues of Delicate Arch are promoted only so the rest of the park remains secret.

"... park rangers carry guns in America and they'll

do

anything

to protect their black crust Isms

micro-organand

colourful

cacti."

We did the naughty thing and went a-wandering. proving that sometimes crime does pay, and subsequently seeing things up-close that your average tourist would not have. The heights and drops are uniquely weathered. No two are the same, and yet they're all clearly part of the same family. Martian reds rest easily with minty greens, giving the whole area the overall feel of aged bronze, which in some ways may understate its golden value, but it's a subtlety that we can all learn from.

Its brilliance is unostentatious and never in your face, unlike its Arizonan contemporaries.

The North and South Windows are like the eyes of God - a true Eden lies behind them. In a park full of people, we couldn't help but be struck dumb by the comforting

silence of the place, even though sizeable crowds were just metres away on the other side of the arches.

It would have been so easy to stay there all day, meditating in the quiet with the wind as our only company.

If you're wondering where to stay, the town of Moab might just be the best located in all of America.

It nestles between The Arches and Canyonlands national parks and also borders Dead Horse Point state park. At a glance it might appear to be just one of thousands of American highway towns which exist only to service passing traffic; avenues of gas stations and motels but very little in the way of shops and housing. The first impression shouldn't be your last, however, because the town is very well equipped for exploring the parks, as well as the vast tracts of wilderness which make up much of Utah. With Moab as a base, visitors can hike, climb, drive across country, sky-dive, raft, photograph and base jump, which makes it a perfect spot for any adrenaline junkies out there, doubly so since it happens to be in one of the most gorgeous parts of the world.

The Lore of the New Forest Tom Hunt Travel Editor The New Forest in Hampshire is not as new as its name suggests. Created in the wake of the Norman Conquest for the king to hunt in at his own leisure, it is no longer a strictly royal retreat.

Situated between Salisbury and Portsmouth, it is a popular location for those seeking a short break at any time of the year. Offering up dense tracts of thousand-year-old forest, the whole area is England's newest National Park. As such, it caters for local wildlife and tourists alike, being dotted with camping grounds, hotels and pubs.

Winding through the woods, the little lanes are best travelled by bike, on foot, or on horseback, as they regularly become congested - not with everyday traffic, but with groups of wild ponies, trotting along at their own pace. Thousands of ponies live in the New Forest and can roam freely, but feeding them is forbidden and can even land you a criminal record.

That, and a tendency to kick. means it's best to keep your distance.

Nevertheless, it is worth navigating the native fauna to submerge yourself in the forest's shady heart of

ancient, twisted oaks and quiet, rural tracks, where some of its secrets can be sought out. Among those to be stumbled on are the Rufus Stone, where William 11 was supposedly killed in a freak hunting accident, allowing his brother to seize the crown, and the resting place of the original Alice, inspiration of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland tale, who is buried in the town of Lyndhurst.

Whether you're floating along the river Avon at Fordingbridge, or tramping through the New Forest, this national park holds some of the best that England has to offer.

Top Travel Tips: Marrakesh Charlie Wallace Travel writer Marrakesh brims with a pervasive sense of chaos, a plethora of sights and sounds, smell and colour, giving it a vibrancy difficult to find in the sterile ordered cities of the west.

Its popularity with tourists breeds heavy competition amongst tradesmen and vendors for tourists' money. When you want to buy anything do not be afraid to barter.

They know visitors come to spend and can triple their prices for outsiders (currently one hundred Moroccan dirhams equals eight pounds). They are astute and will try every trick imaginable, but hold your ground. When the deal has been done they relax and become more amiable, and you discover how friendly they really are.

However, keep your wits about you; clever ruses abound. A common ploy involves a stranger assuring you that the road ahead is closed, offering to guide you around the diversion. This isn't always true.

What he'll likely do is take you on a longer route via his friend's shop where you will be persuaded to

make a purchase, each helping the other. Your volunteer guide will assure you that he offers his services for free, but will expect a tip, so arrive in Morocco with a good dose of common sense and some spare change.

The cultural differences in Marrakesh should be acknowledged .

For instance, in some quarters a female presence is not considered appropriate unless accompanied by a male. It is advisable to respect the local customs in order to better ingratiate yourself within the city and not cause offence. Make sure to be aware of what is and what is not considered polite before you arrive.

By deflecting any unwanted attention in these ways, you will be able to experience the best that Marrakesh provides.

For more on Morocco turn the page 18

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A Taste of Morocco the scents of M a rrakesh Jeremy Dales trave ls to N or th Afr ica to expe ri ence the sig hts , sounds a nd sce nts o f the me lod ic , mystic Mmoccan ca p ita l, Marrakesh

Write for Concrete .

Concrete is UEA's ind ependent student newspaper. We're always lo ok in g out for any talent that the students of UEA have to offer.

Whether yo u fancy yo urse lf as an investigative journalist for News, a cartoonist for Comment and Opinion, or you want to interview up-and-coming hands for Music, we want to hear from you 1 Get in touch with us by emai lin g Danny, our editor, on concre te.ed itor@uea.ac.u k.

If you want to take a more direct a ppro ac h, you ca n find th' emai l ad dresses for the different sectio ns at the top of the pages in both Concrete and Venue .

Yo u ca n also join our Facebook group to keep up with a ll of the latest news fr o m the society. Search for Concrete - UEA's I nd epe nd e nl St ud e nt Newspaper.

If yo u' re not a me mb e r of the socie ty, it costs just £4 to join. You ca n co nta ct Davina, our President, on D. l<esby@uea. ac. uk .

We hope you enjoy this issue of Co ncre te and hope to see you at th e National Demo on the 1Oth November in London. Tickets ca n be bought at the box office for £5, w hi c h is refunded on th e coach.

The m<1in square in Marrakesh is called Djemaa cl Fna - "Plilce of the Dead " - due to the habit of a previous sultan of impaling the heads of his victims on spikes around the walls, but there could hardly be a more inappropriate title tod ;1y.

The squilre throngs with life late into the night, the atmosphere <IS raucous and exotic as il medi eval fete. Snake charmers and storytellers, musicians, herbalists, toothpullers, ilcrohilts and drummers all draw crowds of people standing in small groups around the performers. In the early eve ning, il S the minaret of Koutouhia Mosque becomes a silhouette against the sky, food stalls set out rows of tables and benches, and hert' you will find stall number one, "Chez 1\icha".

zipped around the juice stalls, a furious row flare d up between some s nake charme rs and a group of monkey handlers, Gnaoua dancers clattered alter tourists with co lou rful Glps outstretched for tips, shoeshine boys cl<1cked their brushes together and dived at the feet of likely candidates, and veiled Berher ladie s p;lintcd li"<Hiition <ll trib<ll symbo ls in henna onto th e hands of blond e girl s tottering und er large hackpacks.

From the dMkn ess cdme the deep boom of a bass drum , and six musicians ca me into view, the bass drum thumping out a rhythm which one by one they all picked up on . 1\ crowd WilS gathering, and il small cup wa s h,11Hled around, into which everyone placed a five dirham coin. The drummer on the

Aicha herself is the matriarch, sta nd ing beneath the lights on a box amidst clouds of steam as she lad les spoo nfu ls of co usco us into howls wh ich arc di spen sed around the tables by th e Wiliters. it WilS Ramada n, il nd the place was packed with loc<lls slurping bowls of hariril so up as they broke th e ir filst, eating for th e first time since sunrise. The second call to prayer began, first com ing from the mosque just in front of the stillls, soon joined by another mosque on th e opposite side of the squilre. Then a third began from l<outou bia, the tenor voice of the muezzin there soaring above the other two, welling upwards in ascending sca les of longing. lt seemed everyone in the square was touched by it, and when the call finally e nded and the clatter of life resumed, the amplified notes sti ll hung motionless in the air above the city before gradually filding into memory.

The main course arrived: vegetable tagine. Aicha's tagine contained a selection of vegetables - carrots, potato, pumpkin, chickpeils- in a stock flavoured with the spi ce mixture known as Ras el llanout, which ciln contain forty-five different spices, including rose petals. All around the crowds wandered by: ho1·se-drawn carts trotted past taking people home for dinnc1~ motor scooters

en d, a boy no more than thirteen years old, got up and began to dance. lie had hare feet and a bright red swea ter, a nd he ju mp ed and whirled in the centre of th e circle as everyone clappe d illo ng. li e joined both hi s ha nd s together above his head and vibrated his entire body like a 1·uhh er hilnd , il nd th e three teenage girls in headscarves standi ng at the fmnt cove red their mouth s a nd giggled.

Grildu<llly the melody changed, moving into a min or key full of /\rabic quartertones, il hilunting tunc that spoke of longing and lo ss. The faces rou nd the circle were lit by the flickering firelight, eyes g.1zing inwards, eac h of them absorbed in the music. Th e lead drummer started to sing, and one by one th e people joined in, their vo ices rising and falling in time ilS the chorus echoed round the Djemaa cl f na.

Retraction Concrete would like to apologise to Mr Duncan Smith and Mr Tom Cannon for any confusion ca used on page 13 of Features in the 12/10/2010 iss ue of the paper.

The article referrin g to th e Labour Party wa s in fact written by Mr Smith, and the Conservative article by Mr Cannon .

Concrete apologises for any offence this mistake may have ca use d.

PO BOX 410, NORWICII, NORFOLK, NIH7TJ 01603 593466 Conc re te is publi s hed by UUEAS Concrete Society©2 010 Concrete.ISSN 135 1-2773 Le tte rs should be addressed for th e attention of th e Editor, D<lnny Col lin s.

Le tte rs mu s t in clud e co ntact d eta ils, but we will co ns id e r a no nymo us publi ca ti on. We rese rve the right to edit for le ngth a nd clarity as necessary.

Opinions ex pressed are not necessarily those of th e Publi s her or Editor.

No part of thi s news pa per mc1y be reproduced through any means without the express pe rmi ss ion of th e Editor, Danny Coil ins. Printed

by Archant.

ISSUE 246

Tuesday 26th October

Quick Chow Mein This recipe is perfect for when you have very little time to prepare a meal. Just grab the ingredients and within five minutes you will be eating a d~licious chicken chow mein.

You will need: • • • • • • •

Chow mein Egg noodles Sliced onions Beansprouts Soy sauce Carrot Cabbage

Method: • Cut the onion into strips and shred the cabbage and carrot • Heat a teaspoon of oil in a wokjlarge pan until it is just beginning to smoke, then add the vegetables. Remember to keep them moving in the wok • After one minute add the noodles to the pan, and keep it moving.

• Add the soy sauce and cook for a further 3/4 minutes • Serve and enjoy!

Ginger Chicken Udon

Perfect Potato Wedges I Robyn Comfort

Food Writer

(serves 2) You will need : • • • •

Six medium sized potatoes Sunflower or olive oil Seasoning Shallots and cherry tomatoes (optional)

Method : • Wash the potatoes and cut them lengthways, so you get about six segments from each potato.

• Parboil them in water: have the lid on the pan unti l they are nearly soft, then drain and let steam escape.

• Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4-6 (depending on strength of oven).

• Pour oil onto the potatoes and tray. Make sure potatoes are oily either way.

• Add seasoning (but not the salt).

• Roast in oven for about 40 minutes. Turn them once or twice; only add salt towards the end (too early and they will go soggy, and be steamed, not roasted).

• About halfway through, add the shallots and tomatoes.

Dig out the ketchup. You could also turn this 'takeaway recipe' into something more classy and use the wedges as part of a full meal.

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FREE HOME DELIVERY on orders over £10 within 5 miles

I

Lydia McEvoy Food Writer

You will need: • • • • • • • • • •

One red onion Chicken thighs or breast Two or three fresh chilies Mangetout Spring onion Fresh root ginger Udon noodles (available in the UFO) Two eggs (whisked) Coriander Sweet Chilli sauce

• In a wok or large frying pan fry up the chopped red on ion in a little oil, then brown off the sliced chicken.

• After the onions have softened and the· chicken is white all the way through, add in the finely chopped mangetout, spring onions and chilies.

• After the veg has softened, grate in a handful of ginger and throw in the noodles (You do not have to boil them first).

• After two minutes of the noodles frying, pour in the whisked egg and quickly stir to ensure the egg sticks to the noodles and veg rather than burning the bottom of the pan.

• To garnish - before serving throw on a handful of fresh coriander and sweet chilli sauce and grated ginger to your taste.

Special Offer Meal for Two Every Sunday to Thursday 2 Papadum, 1 Onion Bahji, 1 Chicken Rogon, 1 Chic en Bhuna, 2 Pulao . Rice, 1 Nan Bread Only£10.95 FREE DELIVERY FOR STUDENTS

Special Offers Every We nesday 1. Papadum. Onion Bhaji, Chicken Kurma, Pulao Rice & Onion Salad 2. Papadum. Onion Bhaji. Meat Curry.

Pulao Rice & Onion Salad 3 . Papadum, Onion Bhaji. Chicken Tikka Masala. ·Pulao Rice & Onion Salad 4 . Papadum. Onion Bhaji. Meat Rogon.

Nan & Onion Salad 5. Papadum. Onion Bhaji, Chicken Balti.

Nan & Onion Salad 6. Papadum. Onion Bhaji. Vegetabl Bal i, Nan & Onion Salad

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Make Me a Sandwich!

I Kyle Spencer

Food Editor

For this issue's 'Make me a Sandwich', Concrete wou ld li ke to introduce you to what is sure to become your new favourite cheese, halloumi. Halloumi has a higher melting point than most other cheeses, meaning it is

suitable fo r grilling and frying.

This leads us nicely on to this issue's idea, the frie d halloumi s andwich!

Fry your halloumi on a medium heat for about a minute each side, then add to the bread along with your favourite salad accompaniments, top with another slice of bread, and presto, another tasty sandwich for you to enjoy!

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ISSUE 2•\6

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concrete.editorial@uea.,tc.uk

ERASMUS STUDENT NETWORK

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Melissa Sugrim ESN Pres id e nt Co ncrete wou ld like to introduce yo u to a relative ly new society here at UEA . If you are looking for some u niqu e ex peri e nces, fu n soc ia ls, bri ll iant memories and the chance to meet some wonde rfu l people, join F. rasm us' The Erasmus Student Network (ES N) is a gro up for all Eras mus students past p resent and future, as wel l as t hose w ho a rc interes ted in Europe and its diverse cultures, politics, C.'ttisines, and languages .

The ESN is o ne of the biggest student associations in Europe, fo un de d in 1989 for suppo rti ng and develop ing student exchange. it is curre ntly prese nt in 34 co un tri es, and is constantly deve loping and expand ing, just like the society here at UEA. To fill your experience at university with great memories w hatever year you arc or cour<;e you attend, the ESN is here to orga nise a variety ol activities designed to fit your needs.

I ~SN are a society run by lJEA studen ts who h<tve all come back from a year abroad and arc

•

looki ng forward to making the mos t o ut of th eir fin al year w ith you as possib le. Working primarily through socials (including cultural eve nts, trips a nd part ies), they aim to successfully integrate the inco mi ng Eras mu s s tuden ts wi th students from home. Activities for t he near fut ure inc lude a games night with poo l, snooker, darts, poke r and Wii competitions, quasa r~ a th eatre trip, bowling and ice-skating, as well as already hav in g had a s und ay roas t, a salsa night and a Europc<~n thcmcd pub cr<1wi' After Christmas they will a lso have opportunities to go boating on the Broads and partake in tr ips around Brita in (and perhaps abroad too).

The soc ie ty also prov ides further chances to make friends through its 'Buddy Sc heme', which partners ESN students with likeminded UEA students, particularly those who s hare an i ntcrcst in language and/or cultural exchange.

Fo r al l the non-native Englis h speakers, ESN arc there to help in any way they can: with the academic year well under way, work can sometimes begin to pile

up and feel overwhelming, but wh<1tevcr yo u r subject, Er;tsmus are here to he lp and arc more than happy to meet up with you for a chat. There is never any need to feel shy- having been abroad last year themse lves, the society know exactly how it feels to he in your pos ition! Fur thermore, if there is anything you have alw;tys wanted to do or anywhere you have w<1nted to go during your stay in England, get in touch and ESN will do their best to arrange it for you.

If you would lik e to find out more abo ut ESN at UF.J\, then vis it the Face book site ESN @ UEA 2010- 1 1, or altcrn;llive ly, drop them an emai l at ESNe<1stanglia@ gmail.com. Addttionally, if you would relish the opportunity to not only meet enthusiastic st udents bu t he lp to sh<lJlC the ilctivities <tvililahl' to them within the society, get in touch about becoming <t member of committee and ESN will find an exciting role for you.

This is a diverse group for all students, so come along <1nd join in with this fantastic European society at UEA. If you want to start your Erasmus year early (or extend the one you've just left), meet some Europea ns, discover more about Europe a nd/or enhance your la nguage abi lit ies in w hi cheve r language(s) it is you study, then ESN is the place for you'

CREATIVE WRITING SOCIETY John Simpson Wedge Creative Writing Society As the host of a mind-bogglingly vast number of activities each year, it can sometimes he difficult to summarise what the Creative Writing society 'do', or how they contribute so successfullv towards the students experience at lJ EA. To begin with, however, the society runs two writing workshops each week, normally on Wednesday and Friday afternoons fro m 3-S.pm. These sessions <trc designed to help writers expand their work tn new ways, and tackle their own personal writing demons. Each workshop looks at a different theme or topic aJHI covers everything from sctti ng to sonnets, and atmosphere to the over-use of alliteration.

Workshops <1re run by society members for society members, and anyone can suggest a topic for discussion. In addition, feedback workshops arc hl' ld four times a semester to give students d chance to receive comment upon their work, either for cl<tsscs or their own personal projects.

Workshops dr·_c held 1~1 a relaxed, friendly and non-judgemcnt<tl environment and generally end up in the p u b by the e nd of t he evening!

As well as holding their own socia ls, Creative Writing society

also have an event~ arm: !lEA Open Mic. Every month a spoken wonl open mic night t'> hosted at the Gr<1d bar, presen ting budding pcrlormers and veterans ,tiike with a great opportunity to take to the microphone and flex their vocal muscles. Everyone is invrtcd, and if performing isn't your thing then you're more than welcome to spend the nig ht watching and supporting some of the hest student members of Norwich's spoken word scene. Creative

"Eac h .workshop looks at a differe nt th e me or topic a nd covers everything from se ttin g to sonn e ts" Writing events also extend into the city, where regular performers Ciln he found at showc<~se gigs held by the society at the Birdcage.

Whether you're a poel or prose writer, a published author or someone who has never yet put pen to paper, you'll find the Creative Writing society a fantdstic pl<tce to pick up new skills, make great friends and have an a ll rou nd good t ime' To fi nd out more check out the Facchook page UEA Creat ive Writing Soc iety, or cmail at ueacws@gmail.com.

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ISSUE 246

SPORT 21

www.concrete-online.co.uk

Tuesday 26th October

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UEABC Boathouse The view from the ·nfield CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE It is a massive building project which promises to include more space for boats and equipment. The project officially began on the 18th October, with work on the first stage due to be completed in early spring next year. The new boathouses are · being built in accordance with Sport England's target of encouraging an extra one million people to participate in sport across the country by 2012/13.

UEABC women's captain

of an

Sports Correspondent Joe Levell presents an insider account Catharine Bruce commented: "This development honestly could not have come at a better time for the club, up until now we have been severely limited in our ability to train effectively on land". The development of the boathouse has coincided with a drive by UEABC to increase participation and their competitive profile. This year promises to be an exciting adventure on the sporting calendar for UEABC and ensures it a very bright future.

Whilst on my year abroad in Los Angeles I was determined to try as many traditional American activities as possible. Being a huge sports fan, the chance to watch LA Dodgers was not one I was ever going to turn down.

Baseball is arguably the biggest sport in LA. enough to inspire an intense 10 minute long discussion about who will win the playoffs before we started class. It is similarly popular to football in Britain everyone seems to know the critical details of every player from every team.

At LA Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamond backs- the last of the season at the Dodgers Stadium - it didn't seem that either side particularly cared about the result. As a result the atmosphere was lacking and there were quite a few empty seats, although this might also have something to do with the fact they play in a stadium with a capacity of 50,000!

was that the supporters' chants were quite simplistic. Being a Norwich City season ticket holder, I have become accustomed to football songs that have a degree of originality and banter to them. Baseball chants seemed very mundane by comparison - the rhythmic hand clappi11g and 'Let's Go, Dodgers!' shouts lacked the inspirational feel you get at Carrow

"Baseball is a uni quely American experience and can be quite intense" Road.

Enthusiastic support from the crowd came solely from a female fan who seemed to be under the influence of something - understandably she had to have two security guards sat with her at all times!

The game takes a significant amount of time to complete - about

American baseball game

3 hours - which isn't surprising if baseball is considered to be the American equivalent to cricket!

However, a lot of time was spent on breaks between innings, which were probably designed as much for TV ~ advertisements as they were for the players.

The aim is for each team to score as many runs as possible in nine innings with the teams swapping between batting and pitching after three players are out. It is played similarly to rounders so I felt like I knew what was going on.

My primary.ini:erest was in seeing a home run, and I was lucky enough to get two, which was pleasing as I am unlikely to be going to a game again!

Baseball is a uniquely American experience and definitely something that I can tick off my To Do List.' It can ,.. be quite intense and exciting at times, as every game can theoretically be decided on the last innings. If you have never been I would recommend going whenever you can - you never know you might catch a home run hit!

LA Dodgers celebrate a victory (left); their last triumph in the World Series came in 1988.

Dodgers infielder )amey Carroll (right)

Murray sets sights on a Maior I

Sam Tomkinson Sports Correspondent

British Number One Andy Murray once again proved his class and ability to beat the best in the world with a convincing victory over Roger Federer at the Shanghai Masters.

Murray's demolition of the 16-time Grand Slam w i n n e r in straight sets (6-2, 6-3), has undoubtedly raised expectations amongst fans impatient to see Murray rid himself of one of the most unwanted records in sport. Pundits are already raising the prospect of Murray claiming

victory in the Finals next month and potentially winning his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.

On the of

s u c h expectations do not seem unfounded.

Murray banished memories of premature exit from the US Open last month by breaking Federer's serve in the first game, and combining his

characteristically solid defensive play with a series of audacious returns and spectacular winners.

It took just one and a half hours for Murray to claim his second title of the year and reaffjrm his recently questioned position as a Grand Slam contender.

Such a performance will surely leave both Murray and his fans confident in Australia, on Scot's the m o s t successful surface.

However despite the hype and media frenzy surrounding Britain's most prodigious talent, it is hard

to escape the feeling that Murray has been here before and failed to deliver. In the lead-up to the US Open in 2008 Murray was in scintillating and unstoppable form, winning at Cincinnati and establishing himself as a deserved bookies' favourite. He proceeded to breeze into the second week, despatching World Number One Rafael Nadal in a mesmerising display, before losing to Roger Federer in straight sets. A similar fate beckoned for Murray in this year's Australian Open.

Media and public pressure undoubtedly places an inordinate weight of expectation on the 23-year old, who himself doubted whether or not he would be able to win a Major earlier this year. However it certainly appears that such an

imperious performance at Shanghai has instilled a new sense of belief in Murray, who may be about to prove the doubters wrong.

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BUCSr

Its

WEDNESDAY 20TH OCTOBER 2010

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la n Hobbs Sports Correspondent

Norwich City s howed no signs of losing momentum as they took on league leaders QPR at Loftu s Road.

After a foul on Grant Ho lt in the first half, Wes Hoolahan had a chan ce to co nve rt hi s third pena lty in as many ga mes and give the Canaries a sho ck lead; however, it wasn't to be as he dragged hi s shot wide of th e post.

After a n entertaining co ntest th e game e nded 0-0, e nding Norwich's remarkable run of scoring in 32 away games on the trot.

Three days later th e Canaries' good run ground to a ha lt a 2-1 loss at hom e to stru ggling Crystal Pa lace. Both Palace goa ls ca me from crosses provid ed by former Tractor Boy Owen Garvan a nd City boss Pau l La mbe rt will not have bee n please d with the defending from hi s ma kes hift back four.

Norwi ch had chance to re-discove r

th eir winnin g ways at home to manage rless Middl esb rou gh.

Norwi ch reco rd ed a 1-0 victory thanks to a ta p-in from Canadian summer signin g Simeon ]ackso n, who is rea lly sta rting to find hi s fee t in th e Championship.

Ipsw ich Town loo ked to co ntinu e th eir impress ive sta rt to the seaso n agai nst Cove ntry City, but got off to the wo rst possible sta rt wh en Clive Pl att sco red from close range.

Lucas ]utki ew icz th en doubled their lead from the spo t. ]ason Sco tl a nd " pegged th e Sky Blues bac k immediately with a sub lim e finish, but Ipswich were find an un expected 2-1 defeat.

Ro y '; l<eane's

Chris Teale Sports Corres pond e nt

With such a la rge numb er of th e more internation ally recogni sed ath letes mi ss ing from thi s Commonwealth Games, and all the criti cisms of the India n organisers before th e Games began, it was no su rpri se that so me were un certain about the sta nda rd

of this, the 19 th Com monwea lth Games. /\ny doubts were quickly put to rest in the stunning opening ceremony, w hich disp layed both India's ri ch hi story a nd its pr·esentday culture. Th ere was more criti cis m, howeve r; of the th ousa nd s of empty seats in th e sta dia a round De lhi in the ea rl y days of the Games, a nd of th e faulty sca les at th e boxing

Golden boy: Dai Greene brought joy to Welsh athletics fans in 400m hu rdles

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Tow n hoped to change their lu ck when they made the trip to face Nottingha m Forest. Forest started brightly a nd a well worked move e nd ed with a neat finish from David McGo ldri ck. Th e home s id e sea led th e win when th e in-form Lewis McGugan s mas hed in a fantastic free -kick from 35 yards. After a n impressive sta rt to the seaso n, th e Tractor Boys have now slipp ed into the bottom half of the table.

Rugby Bedford Men's I UEA Men's I

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Fencing Warwick Men's I UEA Men's I

UEA Men's If Nottingham VI

15 5

Tennis Bedfo rd Men's I UEA Men's I

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Leicester Women's I UEA Women's I

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Football UEA Me n's 11 Coventry Men's Il l

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Oxford Women's I UEA Women's I

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Hockey Linco ln Women's I UEA Women's I

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Lacrosse UEA Women's I Northampton I

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Notts Trent Men's I UEA Men's I

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Ne tball UEA I Leicester I

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Lincoln I UEA 11

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13 At UEA this Wednes day: UEA Panthers entertain Notts Trent Women's 1st, 2.40pm; Hockey Men's and Wome n's l sts play back-to-back at As tro Pitch 2 starting at lpm; UEA Go lf tee off their BUCS campaign against Lincoln at Ba rnh am Broom.

Delhi •• A Games to remember I

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s id e looked to bounce back away to Watford . Ipsw ich do min ated th e early exc hanges but two goa ls in three minutes gave ·th e sid e in yellow a 2- 0 ha lf- tim e lead. 1\ looring hea der from Dav id No rri s turn ed out to on ly be a co nso lati on goa l as th ey aga in lost 2- 1.

Basketball Bedford Women's I 53 UEA Panthers Women's I 36

we igh-i n that mea nt the eve nt was delaye d for a day. lloweve r, the crowds grew, and there were so me stunnin g pe rform ances from a number of famous na mes. l{ebecca /\dlington overcame an a ppa rently co nta min ated sw imming pool to win go ld for England in the 40 0m an d BOOm freestyle, repeating her ac hi eve ments at th e Beijing Olympics. Th ere were no such problems in the diving pool, h oweve r~ for 16-year-old ·ro m Daley, who won two go ld medals and demonstrated his enormous potential for London 20 12.

Veteran sprinter Mark Lewis· Prancis produced another highlight on the athl etics track. overcom ing hi s startin g blocks slipping to cla im silve r in the lOOm. He then showed enormous heart and power in the 4x1 OOm relay by running clown hot favourites Jamaica to cla im England a hard-ea rn ed go ld medal.

Elsewhere, Australia once again demonstrated th eir Com monwea lth

sporting dominance as they fin ished top of the meda l table for the sixth co nsec utive Games, while all the oth er hom e natio ns sec ured ve ry respectab le positions in the meda l tabl e. For Wal es, Dai Greene was the hero once again as he added to hi s go ld at th e European Champ ionships with first place in th e 400m hurdles.

Hosts Indi a made a n incredibl e improvement in th ei r medal haul from the previous Games, fini sh ing second in the medal table wi th 101 ove rall. Probably the most memorable performance by the host nation was in th e much-criticised JN Stadium, the home of the athl etics.

"Hosts India mad e an incredible improvemen t, finishing second in the medal table " In an electrifyi ng and deafening atmos ph ere, th e Indian wome n's

4x400m relay team came home to take a shock go ld, del ighting the thousands of spectators that fi ll ed the stands on the ninth clay of the Ga mes.

In all , the 19th Co mm onwea lth Games were not without their problems, but that almost seemed to add to their a ppea l. What rema in s to he seen now is if the 2014 Co mm onwea lth Games in Glasgow ca n li ve up to Delhi's high standards.

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ISSUE 246

SPORT 23

www.concrete-online.co.uk

Tuesday 26th October

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So You Think You Know Korfball?

Nigeria battles to clean up sport

Sports Correspondent Ed Powell introduces one of UEA's less well-known but more successful sports clubs

Nigeria has stolen sporting headlines for all the wrong reasons this month, at the Commonwealth games as well as in the football world.

Three members of the Nigerian athletics team failed drugs tests as they were disqualified from the games in Delhi, India. Oludamola .Osayemi, who had won the women's lOOm gold medal after Australia's Sally Pearson was disqualified for a false start, was the first Nigerian whose 'B' sample tested positive for methylhexaneamine. England's Katherine Endacott received a silver medal due to Osayemi's exclusion.

Further misery was to be heaped upon the African nation. England gained another silver medal in the women's 4x100m as Nigerian sprinter Folashade Abugan was found to be taking the same banned substance, disqualifying the Nigerian quartet Runner Samuel Okon was also guilty _,. of taking the sample substance. The 24 year old failed to make the podium, but the incident still led to great concern as to why athletes of the same nation were found to be taking the same drugs.

Meanwhile, FIFA have suspended the Nigerian national side from all international competitions. This came after the government's minister of sport interfered with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), wishing to restart the league while ignoring last season's regulations. The Nigeria Sports Commission also forced Musu Amudu, the NFF's general secretary, â&#x20AC;˘ to resign, an action which was not welcomed by FIFA. This comes shortly after it was revealed that a Nigerian FIFA official, Amos Adamu, was allegedly trying to sell his 2018 World Cup bid.

Freshers and newcomers to university sport will likely have no idea what kortball is. It's the world's only competitive mixed team sport, and is best described as a cross between netball and basketball. Two teams of eight

play against each other, four men and two women. If that sounds intimidating, don't worry! Men can only defend against men and women against women, so any masculine pride at stake should remain undamaged.

All-action: UEA Korfball training sessions are fun-filled and eventful occasions

Alonso takes titleadvantage Fernando Alonso moved one step closer to seizing an unlikely third Formula 1 World Championship at Yeongam, South Korea, mastering some treacherous conditions and capitalising on his rivals' errors.

After heavy rain delayed the race for over an hour, championship leader Mark Webber came unstuck on the slippery surface of the brand new Yeongam circuit, spinning into a wall on lap 17. His Red Bull teammate Sebastien Vettel led the race

from the start until just nine laps from the end, when his car's Renault powerplant disintegrated.

McLaren struggled for pace all weekend, and a strategic gamble from reigning World Champion )enson Button compounded his misery as he failed to finish in the points.

Lewis Hamilton finished second but rarely matched Alonso's pace.

Having been 50 points back over the summer break, Alonso now leads the standings by 14 points.

It's also a very fast and fun game which gets .everyone involved attackers and defenders constantly switch over to keep it fresh and to ensure everyone has a chance to do everything. The rules state that you can't run with the ball, but don't expect not to work up a sweat. You have to keep moving to find space for those all important goals.

The UEA Kortball Club had a very good season last year, with the second team winning the second league national finals, and the first team making the national finals and "playing crackingly", according to this year's president Ashley Camies, "but unfortunately the top spot wasn't ours".

Now a new season has arrived, and once again the club is aiming high. "This year we are aiming to do the very best we can. We have the southerns tournament coming up very soon at UEA so hopefully the firsts will get one of the top places making Nationals happen," Ashley

added.

Newcomers to the club- or the sport- should never be discouraged from joining by UEA Korball's pedigree, though. The club lost a lot of players this summer and have already been surprised by the influx of new people and are always looking for more to bolster

"Korfball is a very fast and fun game which gets everyone involved" their BUCS and local league teams.

Ashley says that ''I'm looking forward to acting as president for the coming year and watching all the new players develop and learn the brilliant sport that is kortball!"

UEA Kortball encourage any interested students to join them.

The club trains Wednesday evenings, 5-7 pm, in the main sports hall.

Hoc key 0 ff f 0 a fl yer I

George Neal Sports Correspondent

Leicester Men's 11 UEA Men's I

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UEA Men's Hockey 1st XI began this year's BUCS season with a long journey west to claim a convincing 3-1 victory against Leicester 2nd XI. Having finished second last year, only losing out to a Lincoln side who won every game, UEA went into the clash with genuine hopes of promotion.

Leicester, having narrowly avoided relegation in a parallel division, had rather different ambitions.

With this in mind, a loss so early in the season could have seriously hampered UEA's quest to climb the league ladder.

The pattern of the match was clearly set out after the opening ten minutes. UEA dominated possession and generally had the ball in the opposition half, created well sustained pressure, despite being unable to produce the final ball or touch to open the scoring.

Meanwhile, Leicester defended tenaciously, often having up to eight of their own players well inside their own 25.

Home breakaways disrupted the pattern of UEA pressure and posed genuine dangers, given the speed of the Leicester forwards and UEA's naturally high defensive line whilst play was deep in the opposition half.

Perhaps typically, it was Leicester who scored first.

Following the break-down of a UEA attack, a quickly hit clearance forward found its man, with some skill and a pass in to space behind the UEA back four reaching a forward runner who took the ball into the 'D' and scored the one on one.

"The result will hope-

I

fully be the first step on

the way to promotion"

UEA's response was to keep piling on the pressure, and after several more near misses another piercing run from UEA playmaker Tom Fanger finally paid dividends.

The ensuing melee in the 'D', as both sides scrambled to gain control of the ball, saw it fall kindly for Fanger, who guided a flick through the crowd and past the keeper to make it 1-1 at half

time.

Before UEA could work at carving out a second half lead, captain and keeper Tom Palmer, who made a handful of important saves throughout the game, was called into action straight away as Leicester won a series of short corners. Once the UEA defence had weathered the storm the game's equilibrium was restored, with Leicester continually being pushed back. The pressure finally told 15 minutes into the second-half when some slick passing in the UEA midfield saw an unmarked Rob Turn bull given a clear sight of goal.

His first time finish was Turnbull's first strike in BUCS, and gave UEA a lead they would not relinquish.

A couple of yellow cards caused both teams to be a man down in the latter stages of the game.

Amidst these incidents, the third and final UEA goal was scored. A short corner, one of many in the game, finally paid off. Will Oates deflected the ball home to put daylight between the two sides, and lead UEA to a fine 3-1 victory.

Tom Palmer summed up the UEA attitude after the game, describing the result as "hopefully the first step on the road to promotion."

Nigeria captain joseph Yobo (above) has appealed to the NFF to make the suspension placed on the national side as short as possible. He told the BBC: "The players are in shock just like the millions of passionate football fans here and we can only hope they resolve this crisis for the progress of the country. Football is a powerful force [here]; it unites the country so we shouldn't let it separate us as a strong nation."

Dominic Smith

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NIGERIA

BASEBALL

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Joe Leve ll offers an outsider's perspective on watching baseball in the United States

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Oliver Platt Sports Correspondent

UEA Panthers

63

Oxford Brookes 11

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A s tro ng firs t ha lf sa w UE/\'s men's basketb a ll first tea m emerge as co mfortab le winn e rs in th e ir 201 0-11 seaso n opene r aga inst the visiting Oxford Brookes.

UEA were qui ck oul o f the blo c ks, rac ing into a 22- 12 lea d by the e nd of th e fir s t qu a rter thanks to a watertight defence that s tifl ed th e Bro okes a ttack a nd a n influenti a l d is pl ay by po int guard We i Ye. Brookes s tru ggle d Lo sel up a ny sort o f o ffence early o n, w ith UEA co ns ta ntly breaking up pl ays a nd for·c in g turnov e rs a t ce ntre co urt. Th at allowed the hom e side to co unt e r -attack wi th spee d a nd es ta b lis h an ear ly advantage .

Mo s t importantly, UE/\ p laye d on their own terms an d a l th e ir own pa ce, with Ye a llo wed pl e nty of time to set up a nd d iclale th e

offence. In contras t, Brookes point guard Oily Ford's pa ss in g a nd dribb lin g w as constantly comp romised by UEA' s assert ive defenc e.

After a slower s tart to th e second qu a rter, UEA s ta rt ed to pull away aga in wit h centre Greg Smart exce ll e nt at both ends of the court.

Smart blocke d shots, d o min a ted rebound s o n offence and d e fe nce and was clini ca l from close range with a team-l ea ding 21 po ints.

By th e ha lfway point UEA d ese rvedly led 42-26, larg e ly th a nks Lo s up e ri o r co mmitm en t a nd a willingness to work ha rd in th e ir ow n half of Lh c court as we ll as t h e oppos ition's. Th a t co mmitm e nt was p e rsonified by fo rwa rd /\bi Shogbeni, who bravely drov e to t he n et time a nd Lim e aga in a nd ended Lh e ga m e with 1 2 po ints, seco nd only to Sm ;1rl a mong UEA scorers.

Brookes were mu c h-improved in th e third a nd fourth quarters but it wa s too littl e, too late, as UEA s aw th e ga m e oul without any

<l<J

TENNIS

HOCKEY

Sam Tomkinson asks: does Andy MutTay's Shanghai t1·iumph see him on course for a Grand Slam title?

UEA Men's lsts are off to a great s tart in the new BUCS season, writes George Neal

Ill

Sharp shooter: UEA forward Ben Zimp el (left) knocks down a thre e- pointer as UEA win their opening game rea l t hreat o f a co m eback from the home w ith some impressive three by his pl aye rs in a performance vis itors. Dwight Dun ston replaced point shooting, racking up nine that bodes well for the seaso n Ye a l po int g ua rd for mu ch of p oi nts in tolid. a h ead. the seco nd half a nd continued Head coach George FraserNext up for UEA is a trip to to o rc hes trate th e o ffe nce, while Barker will be pleased w it h the Camb rid ge fo r the o p en in g away forward Ben Zimp e l h e lpe d UEA ap pli cat ion, s pirit a nd s kill s hown ga m e of th e seaso n .

BADMINTON UPSET THE ODDS I

Richard Brookman Sports Co rres pond e n t

UEA Men's I Birmingham Men's 11

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Th e first BU CS m e n's badminton fixtu re of the 2010/11 season p rov id e d firework s as UE/\ trounced the Univers ity of Birmingh a m, winning seven matc hes o ut of a possible e ig ht.

Th ere was a pa lpable a ir of anticipation courtside fo r the a r riva l of a we ll -drill ed a nd co nfid e nt Birmingh a m o utfit, and it appeared that UEA would s tru ggle to match the qua li ty of t h e visiti ng s qu a d. But a fin e performance from th e hos ts saw roles reversed.

Th e fixture, which was divided into fou r doubl es m a tches and fo u r s in g les m atc hes, how e ver, went without a hitch with UEA o nly losing one game in a tightly foug ht con tes t be tw ee n UEA's Michae l Wood a nd Birmingham's ja m es Tay lor. UEA, who were cap ta in ed

by Be n lli cke n, ra rely looked as if th e ir a bilities were being s tr etc hed and p laye d so me hi g h quality, proficie nt badminton against potentia lly tri cky opposi ti on.

In the singles m a tc hes, UEA's youngest pl aye r Alexander Won g

wo n both of hi s m atc hes without dropping a ga m e. Playing with a gr·eat de a l of s tyle nncl fl ai r, Wong proved that he will ce rtai nly b e one to watch for th e rest of the seaso n.

Bot h doubl es pa irings fa ir e d eq ua lly we ll . Chris Piff and je re my jo hn so n a lso secure d doubl e victories in their matches and eve n imp ressed th e Birm in g ha m coac h wit h the quality of thei r teamwork a nd communication on co urt.

Captain Be n Hi cken and Matt ll ay nes a lso won bot h o f th e ir· matches in two albe it closer con tests. Both co ntes ts went to a d ec isive third ga me, but the pair both showe d s te rn reso lve and s tea dy n erve Lo win as Birmingham's day went from bad to worse. The te a m's n ex t fixt ur e is a n away match aga in st lea gue lea ders Loughboroug h .

Ney, home for UEABC

I

Matt Scrafton Spo rts Corres pondent

Membe rs of the UEA Boal Club wi ll soon be able to tak e adva ntage of a £1 m sta te-of-the-art boathouse.

The exciting venture is located b y th e river in Whitling ham, a re mote vill age o n th e o uts kirts of Norwich.

UE/\BC will be o ne of the partners using the Whitlingham boathouse, a long w ith seve ra l ot her clubs from in a nd a round the No rw ich a rea .

INSIDE Turn to page 21 for the full story and the thoughts of UEABC women's captain, Catharine Bruce