Concrete issue 248 23 11 2010

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Tuesday 23rd November 2010 • Issue 248 • UEA's Independent Student Newspaper

UEA·PROTESTER ARR STED • UEA stude'nt arrested as fifty-two thousand students take to London's streets in protest at higher education spending cuts.

• NUS launch 'Right to Recall' campaign as they name Norwich South MP Simon Wright as their second priority target.

Danny Collins Editor A UEA student was among 64 arrested during the NUS Demo in London earlier this month, Concrete can reveal.

The unnamed second year was detained by police following the occupation and vandalism of the Conservative party headquarters

at Millbank, Westminster by a group of protesters.

A UEA alumnus was also arrested after gaining entry to the roof of the building, from which a fire extinguisher was later thrown into the crowd below by an Anglia Ruskin University student. Both individuals have been bailed until February, pending further investigation.

The rioting at Millbank came

after the peaceful march of over 50,000 students through Westminster, who were protesting at the proposed rise in tuition fees.

Violence erupted around the Tory HQ after a small minority of students, thought to number in the hundreds, entered the building and proceeded to smash windows and furniture . The cost of the damage is estimated to run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

NUS President, Aaron Porter, was quick to condemn the violence, saying: "This was not part of our plan. This action was by others who have come out a~d used this opportunity to hijack a peaceful protest."

Earlier in the day, Porter had announced that MP for Norwich South, Simon Wright, was second only to Nick Clegg on the_list of Liberal Democrat MPs that the

NUS would target if they did not honour their pre-election tuition fee pledge.

Such a stance will concern Wright, who only gained a 310 vote majority in the three-way swing seat, and will be eager to appease the 20,000 students who reside in his constituency.

For full coverage of the National Demo turn to pages 2-4 and 10.

2

09:30

NUS press conference predicts " A spike in numbers" from the expected 24,000 protesters

UEA buses arrive at Embankment and students head to Horse Guards Parade

52,000 PROTESTERS MARCH James Schofield News Reporter November lOth saw the largest student demonstration in decades, with National Union of Students officials estimating that 52,000 protesters marched through the streets of Westm inster in opposition to the proposed raise of th e cap on tuiti on fees. Despite violence after the march, th e demonstration itself was peaceful. good-natured and had a friendly a nd vibrant a tmos ph ere.

The march was orga nised protest against the to gover nm e nt's planned cuts on higher education, including a dramatic rise in tuition fees.

In a ddition to the rise in costs

Students gather nea r Trafalgar Square

for u ni versity degrees, the coalition plans to cut funding for arts, humaniti es and the socia l sciences, an action that Aaron Porter, Pres id e nt of the NUS, has labe ll ed a "direct assau lt on further and higher ed ucation".

The anger stems from th e violation of the pree lection pledge of the Liberal Democrats, mos t notab ly Deputy Prim e Mini ster Nick Clegg and Norwich South MP Si mon Wright, to oppose any rise in univers ity tuition fees, a pledge that both have seemingly performed a U-turn on.

Around 350 students from the University of East Anglia attended the d emonstration. The NUS had ex pected an attendance

of 24,000, yet a n apparent s urge in interest durin g the 48 hours prior to the march more than d oub led this number. Th e Metropolitan Police have been criticised fo r not an ticipating the volume of protesters, yet defended th eir preparations by arguing that th ey developed a res ponse plan "to a peaceful protest".

The march began just before midday, with a para de of students crowdi ng the length of Whitehall.

A host of placards could be seen throughout the d emonstration, ex pressing disgust and anger at th e government cuts, and the cha nting that was heard throughout the marc h became parti cularly audible as the crowd passed by the

Houses of Pa rli a men t, where the House of Commons was in session.

The injustice was a ptly ex p ressed by Charlie, a stu dent fr om t he University of Brighton, who felt that the cuts would "a ffect students for generations to come, and increase the inequality gap in the country."

The chaotic scenes at Millbank later in th e day starkly contrasted the peaceful and smooth flow of the act ua l. ma rch. Although the Metropolitan Po lice have not yet separated the arrests made at the demonstration and t hose made at the Mi llba nk Towe r~ a po li ce source com me nted that he was "not aware" of any arrests made other than at Millbank.

SIMON WRIGHT 11 PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER TWO'' Susanna Wood News Reporter The Nationa l Union of Stude nts is set to target

Norwich South MP Simon Wright for hi s amb iguous s tan ce on tuition fees.

Spea kin g to thi s reporter at the beginning

Sunny spells; scattered Sunny spells and isolated showers. Chilly breeze. showers . Cold and windy .

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8Jtter1y cold with further sleet and snow at times. interspersed with sunny spells and hard ovem1ght frosts . Tummg a little milder, and perhaps dner towards next weekend.

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www .concn:fewcothcr . co . u~

of last fortnight's march, NUS President, Aaron Porter, expressed how he was "overwhelmed by the response to these unprecedented cuts." When asked about Simon Wright, he responded that, for the NUS, Wright is "public enemy number two", displaying "utter hypocrisy" regarding the tuition fee pledge.

Si m on Wright, along with 56 other e lected Liberal Democrat MPs, signed NUS's 'Votes for Students' pledge prior to last May's election, promising to vote against a fees hike if it was put to a referendum in government.

Since entering into a coalition government with the Conservative party, many prominent Lib Dems have publicly stated their intention to vote for a risp in tuition fees, using the worsening economic state of th e country as justification.

Simon Wright has not made his position clear.

In a press release regarding the new

Aaron Porter, speaks to Susanna campaign, Aaron Porter explained the NUS's plan of action: "We wi ll he asking voters to pledge not to vote for any MP who breaks their pledge and votes for higher university tuition fees. We will be working to gather sign<Jtures and demonstrate to MPs that broken promises will not be tolerated by voters and the:>: will be held to account at the ballot box."

Simon Wright won his se<Jt from Labour candidate Charles Cbrke by a narrow majority, and as Norwich South is an area densely

populated by students, the NUS claims that the Lib Dem stance on tuition fees was what won the vote for Wright. Porter added: "Simon Wright won his seat because he made a pledge to vote against higher tuition fees; he will lose his seat if he votes for them." A 'Right to Recall' Ml>s who failed to live up to their election promises was part of the Liberal Democrat election campaign, and has now been adopted by NUS. The Union of UEA Students cannot actively

participate in a campaign to remove an MP due to its status as a charity. ll owever~ th e Union is endorsing students taking an active role in making MPs <Jware of their discontent.

Communicat ions Officer of the Union, Tom Dolton, said: "Democracy is a key principle in our society; if you are elected on a stance, it undermines the whole concept if you do a U-turn and break your promise."

Find out more about the NUS campaign at www. righttorecall.co.u k.

ISSUE 248

3

Tuesday 23rd November

12:30

An estimated 52,000 begin marching in protest at education cuts and fee hikes

UEA protesters pass the Houses of Parliament, where Clegg faces embarrassing PM's Questions

13:30

UEA students pass Millbank Tower when splinter protest breaks into Tory HQ

DEMO TURNS TO RIOT I

Stacey Knapp News Reporter

The term 'Demolition' seemed to have been taken literally by some at the National Demo. A riot broke out en-route back from the rally at 3:20 pm, with activists storming 30 Millbank Tower and Conservative party HQ for campaigns, occupying it for over two hours before riot police regained control.

Millbank and the surrounding buildings were quickly evacuated of all Tory personnel as instructed by MI5, which subsequently went on lockdown in anticipation of further riots. The phone network in the immediate vicinity was also shut down. Prior to this, the activists destroyed much of the building, tearing down the lobby windows using furniture and placard posts, which they set ablaze, applying expletive graffiti and leaving a trail of destruction through the tower; leading to the roof.

Dozens of computers were damaged and entire floors flooded following the destruction of a fire hose. On the roof, students persisted in causing mayhem, brandishing two

anarchist banners and spraying the contents of four fire extinguishers into the air before proceeding to throw newspaper; toilet roll, eggs and a bowler hat off of the roof into the crowd.

The support of student protesters in the courtyard and their reaction to the occupation quickly shifted when an individual threw a fire extinguisher from the eighth-storey roof, followed by multiple bottles and shattered glass from the broken windows, provoking the chant "stop throwing shit," echoing from the crowd below.

At least three flares were released from within the crowd and two fires were started, raising tensions as riot police were preparing to take back the building. The riot was finally brought under control at 8:30 pm as the police cordoned off the area and controlled the students, making 57 arrests and the searching, photographing and then releasing a further 250 people.

It has been reported that the scale of damage caused by the activists could amount to a figure in excess of ÂŁ1 million.

Consensual justification for

the ensuing violence presents "the student movement as continuously and vastly ignored by the government," stating that, "any social reform movement obviously finds its end in violence as it is the only way to bring the issue to attention. Direct action is now a viable route for the student movement and so the means justifies the ends."

However, not everyone shares this view, with the Police Federation Vice-Chairman, Simon Reed, warning that violent activism is a "dangerous game for students as well as the police," and that "universities have a role to play in disciplining those students who have abused the privilege of an education".

Annie Ogden, Head of Communications at UEA, stated: "many students will naturally have strong views about the likelihood of changes to fees and to the funding structure, and the University rightfully acknowledges the students' right tq a peaceful protest".

Ogden also echoed the ViceChairman's words in recognising, "the clearly outlined regulations relating to student behaviour and conduct".

MILLBANK ARRESTS RISE TO SIXTY James Dixon News Reporter The 'Demolition' student protest has been well documented, with papers such as The Daily Mail quick to condemn the violence, choosing to blame the violent scenes on and non-students 'anarchists' who had hijacked the event. 64 arrests have been made since the protest, revealing the majority to be considerably normal students. UEA bore representation amongst the arrested as one current student and one ex-student found themselves arrested.

Concrete sought to explore what led these people to involve themselves in the events at Mill bank and thus spoke with the arrested protesters tied to UEA. One of them proclaimed that curiosity rather than violent intent was what drove him to enter the building originally and that, whilst he felt an air of peer pressure from friends, the decision was made autonomously.

A basement door on the side of

the building had been previously forced open, allowing access to an elevator which he took straight to the roof of 30 Millbank. After surveying the baying crowd below, he attempted to leave the building via a staircase. There did not appear to be a heavy protester presence in the building whilst he was leaving, however; signs of interior damage were visible.

Upon reaching the ground floor of the building he found himself detained by the police "for his own safety" due to the volley of projectiles being hurled from the building. It soon became apparent, however, that this was a pretence for the containment of people who were potentially responsible for damage to the building.

The other UEA protester was also detained inside the building by a stairwell he was attempting to climb. "Two police officers chased me down whilst shouting 'where are you going, you little c*nt'. They dragged me to a doorway which they physically kicked me through.

In the foyer cordon, I witnessed police striking protestors with their batons despite seemingly little provocation."

One of the UEA protesters described the arrest: He was taken to the respective police station with four others, where he was interviewed and told he had been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and trespass, requiring the police to seize all his exterior clothing for evidence. He was given new clothing and placed in an outside holding cell resembling a large metal cage for three hours.

At 3.30am, he was released on bail with a court appearance pending in February. When asked if he regretted his involvement, he replied: "No, it was worth it".

The violence can be seen as symbolic of student frustration over tuition fees. Whether this is acceptable is open to debate.

What is certain is that, along with a number of windows, public perceptions of an apathetic student body were shattered on 10/11/10.

protester throws a chair through the window ofMillbank Tower

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I~ITIC>I~ 14:oo

ISSUE 248

conc rete. news@uea.ac. uk

Speeches mad e by TU C, UCU and NUS representative s outs ide Tote Britain

15:30

Protes ters clash wi th riot po lice as NUS condemns the M illbank vio lence

17:30

UEA buse s leave Embankment fo r Norwich

WRIGHT ADMITS TO 11 POLITICAL PROBLEM" Simon Partridge Ne w s Re p orte r No rw ich South MP Sim o n Wr ight has to ld UEA s tud e nts th a t he is still und ec id ed on the coa litio n's pla ns to ra ise th e tuiti o n fees ca p to £9.000 a yea r.

Spea kin g to fo ur UE/\ s tu de nts o n th e d ay o f th e Na ti o na l Uni o n of Students' Lo nd o n d e m o ns tration, Wri g ht sta ted tha t he sy mp a thi sed with th e NUS' pos itio n, but th a t he was ye t to ma ke a dec is io n.

Wri g ht is und e r press ure from stu d ents in No rw ich, hav ing bee n ta rge te d by NU S Pres id e nt /\ a ro n 'd eca p itat io n s tra tegy', Po rte r' s w hi c h a ims to ma ke use of th e coa liti o n's reca ll e lectio n po licy to re m ove vuln e rab le Libe ra l De moc ra t MPs in a reas with hi g h s tud e nt pop ul a t io ns.

Wr ig ht was e lec te d in May hav ing s ig ned th e pl e dge to no t vo te

fo r a ny rise in tuitio n fees. Des pi te thi s, he ex pl a in e d his be lie f th a t th e Brown e Rev iew's pro posa ls we re fa ire r t han t he cu rre nt syste m, s ta tin g th a t: "th e re's a stro ng cle m e nt of prog ressive ness in these proposa ls". Wri g ht di d ta ke on boa rd th e co nce rn s o f thi I'd yea r PSI stude nt Oli ver Pass, w ho po inted o ut tha t the £9,000 fee is still a d eterre nt to poo rer stu d e nts, no ma tter how it is to be pa id back. 1\ rece nt po ll by lps os MOH.! s hows th a t a ri se to £7 ,000 a year wo ul d deter two thirds of s tud e nts from a di sadva ntage d backgro un d fro m p u rs ui ng a deg ree.

With rega rd to th e NU S pl ed ge t hat he s ig ned be fo re th e e lec tion, Wri ght sa id: "as a Me mb e r of Pa rlia me nt, I acce pt th at I s igned th e pl ed ge a nd th a t it is a political pro bl e m for me".

Of a ll th e MPs tha t have bee n ta rge te d by th e NU S, Wri ght is ·in th e most cl a nger o f los ing hi s sea t

over tu itio n fees, defe ndin g a s lig ht m ajo ri ty o f 3 10. Des p ite g rowin g press ure, Mr. Wri g ht s tud e nt wo ul d no t g ive a d efini te a nswer to qu es ti o ns of how he wo ul d vo te, say ing th a t he wo uld have to spen d tim e co ns id e rin g th e proposa ls.

In a s urpri s ing adm iss io n, Wrigh t sa id t ha t, in an idea l wo rl d, he wo ul d s u p po rt fr ee ed uca ti on, bu t th at t he cu rren t fin a ncia l clima te wo uld no t make th a t a rea li s ti c goa l, a ddin g th at "uni ve rs iti es have to take so me of t he burden o f th ese cuts". He t he n we nt o n to expla in t he di fficul ty of kee ping prc-elec ti o n ma nifes to pro mises in a coa liti o n gove rnm e nt, m a kin g a dis tin cti o n betwee n Libera l Democra t po li cy an d coa li t io n po li cy. Accordin g to W rig ht, any ph as ing o ut of tu iti o n fees is s ome thin g th e Libe ra l De m ocrats "ca nn ot de live r" clu e to th e pa rty bein g th e juni o r pa rt ne r in th e curre nt gove rnm e nt.

Stud ents ma rch past the Houses of Pa rli a me nt during th e National Demo

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? David Murphy News Re p o rte r Th e NUS, th e Un ion o f UEA Stu d en ts a nd in d e pe nd e nt s tu de n t gro up s ha ve la id o ut th e ir p la ns fo r lobbyin g th e go ve rnm e nt in th e co min g w ee ks.

Afte r th e na tionwid e imp act o f th e Nat iona l De m o o n Nove mb e r 1Oth, s tud e nt bodi es a re furth e r ing its effects in th e h o p e o f press urin g MPs. Th e cha nts o f "C u t Bac k! Fig h t Bac k 1" th at ra ng a r o und Millb a nk may have fa ll e n s il e nt, bu t for m a ny s tud e nts th a t fi g ht b ac k has o n ly ju s t b eg un .

Al o ngs id e t he ' Ri g ht to Reca ll ' ca mp a ig n, w hi ch cou ld see MPs re m oved if e no ug h of t heir co nstitue nts fe lt ba dl y le t d ow n by th e m, NU S a re ge ttin g be hin d severa l o th e r m oveme nts. All of thi s is in a n effo r t to preve n t t h e !lo use o f Co mm o ns fro m vo t ing in favo ur o f Lo rd Brow nc's p ro p osa ls r ega rdin g fundin g fo r e du ca ti o n ex p ec te d to ta ke pl ace w ithin th e n ex t m o n t h.

Th ey ha ve in s ti gated

"Edu ca ti o n Wr ite Off", a sc he m e in w hi c h st ud e nt uni o ns e nco urage th eir membe r s to w r ite di rect ly to t h e ir MPs. Th e ir key ta rgets a re th ose po liti c ia ns w h o p ledged to vo te aga in s t a ri se in tuiti o n fees a nd cuts to h ig he r e du ca t io n. NU S b e lieve m a ny o f th ese MPs w ill go bac k o n th J:! ir pl edge w h ic h, fo r t he li kes of Sim o n Wri g ht MP in Norwi c h So uth, be n e fit e d th e ir ca mp a ig ns a nd poss ib ly e ve n w o n th e m th e ir sea ts.

Wri g ht wo n hi s sea t o n a na r ro w 3 10 vo te majo rity, so he is e vid e ntl y a hi g h pri o rity ta rge t fo r th e Na ti o na l Uni o n o f Stud e nts a nd th e ir cam p aig n. Mr W r igh t is yet to d ec lare h is vo tin g inte nti o n.

T he sc h e m e was in s pi re d by Ed inbur g h Uni ve rs ity Stud e nts' Assoc ia ti o n whi ch, in o n ly t wo clays, got 1000 o f th ei r s tud e nts to wr ite to Lib e ra l De m oc rat MP, Mike Croc ka rt. Like a ll Lib De m MPs, Mr Croc ka r t p le d ged aga in s t th e p ro p osed c ha nges. Howeve r, s in ce h is e lec ti o n h e has refuse d to co nfirm w h e th e r he w ill fo ll ow thro ug h w it h hi s pro mise.

Th e Un io n o f UEA Stud e nts has p ut its full s u p port be hind two "Act ivist Development Days", w hi c h a im to d eve lop t h e sk ill s of stu d e nt act ivis ts fr om across th e co un t ry. Th e e ve nts ta ke p lace o n Thurs d ay Dece mb e r 9 th a t Le iceste r Unive rs ity Stud e nts' Uni o n a nd Mo nd ay Dece m ber 13 th a t th e Lo nd o n Sch oo l o f Eco n o mi cs.

Th e Uni on fee ls th ese d ays wi ll he lp e du ca te m o r e s tud e nts o n ho w to e ffec ti ve ly s upp o rt a ll o f its ca mp a ig n s now a nd in th e future. g ro ups of In de p e nd e nt s tud e nts a re o rga ni s ing th e ir own eve nts to s h ow th e ir o pp os iti o n to t h e p ro p osed c hanges. A Face b oo k eve nt ca ll e d " Day o f Ac ti o n : Fi g ht Fees a nd Cu ts" has. bee n se t up pro p os ing a m ass d e m o ns tra t io n in Th e Squ a re on th e 24th Nove mb e r, wi t h a v ig il to "m o urn th e d ea th of educat io n".

Wh ile it is imp oss ibl e to see a t thi s m o m e nt ho w MPs w ill vo te, w e ca n be ce rta in th a t s tud e nts ac r oss th e co untry w ill m a ke t h e ir op ini o ns h ea rd until th e n a nd pro ba bly we ll a ft er.

6

NEWS

ISSUE 248

www.concrete-online.co.uk

UEA RESEARCH ASSISTANT DIES Fio na Wa tts, a research ass ista nt in t he UEA Schoo l o f Me di cin e, passed away o n Nove mbe r 9 th a t th e age o f 54. She ha d bee n ba tt ling ca nce r fo r fi ve yea rs.

To co mm e m o ra te he r li fe a nd co ntr ibuti o ns, UEA w ill lowe r th e Unive rs ity fl ag o n Nove mber 23 rd, w ith her fun era l se rvice tak in g p lace o n th e sa m e date.

Watts w as previ o us ly a nurse before s he atte nd ed UEA in 1998. In 2 001, s he obta in ed h e r BSc (H o ns) d eg ree in Psychosocia l Stud ies.

A yea r after her grad ua ti o n, s he re turn ed to th e unive rs ity as a m e mbe r of th e resea rch tea m. Sin ce t he n, s he ha d d edi cated mu ch of h er e ffo r ts to resea rch in t he In stitu te of Hea lth.

In 2 002, s he jo in ed th e Ce ntre o f ln ter profess io na l Po li cy a nd Practice in th e Schoo l of Med ici ne, Health Policy a nd Practice a t UEA. She a nd he r co ll eag ues were invo lved in the d evelo pm e nt o f the lnte rpro fess io na l Lea rnin g (IPL) p rogra mm e. Wa tts co ll a borated w ith clini ca l tea ms to ho n e th e ir inter profess io na l s kill s, whi ch wo uld he lp to improve th e we lfare of th e ir p ati e nts.

He r dea th is a hu ge loss for both the people s he kn ew a nd to t he Unive rs ity.

Rachael Lum

co ncre te. news@ uc;Lac. uk

UEA TUITION FEES DEBATE I

Sam Lewis News Re p o r ter

T he Gree n Pa r ty's Adrian Ramsay spo ke out aga inst t he rise in tui t ion fees durin g a d e ba te last Tu esday.

Norw ich So u th pa rli ame nta ry ca ndid a te, Ra msay, a nd for m e r La bo u r No rwi ch No r t h MP, fa n Gib son, ex pressed th e ir o utrage at th e coa liti o n's pl a ns to ra di ca lly t ra ns fo rm hi gher ed u ca ti on fu nd ing.

Mr Ra msay expl a in ed how he was pa rt of the first ca mp a ign aga ins t top- up fees as a UEA p o liti cs stud e nt in 2004. Now as th e Dep uty Lea d e r of t he Gree n Party, hi s pa rty ca mpa igns fo r th e a bolition of t uitio n fees.

He outlin ed his view that unive rs ity edu ca ti o n s hould be fund ed e ith er by a n increased rate of in co m e tax fo r t he hi gh es t ea rn e rs, o r by a new bu s in ess edu catio n tax on t he top 4% of bus in ess es w ho be nefit fro m g ra du ate e mpl oyees.

He we nt o n to asse rt t ha t th e prop osa ls outlin ed in t he Brown e Re port w o uld see a m ove towa rd s a ma rket ised sys te m, w hi ch wo uld restri ct th ose fr om poo re r bac kgroun ds fro m obta ining a d egree.

Mr Ra msay stressed: "Hig he r edu catio n s ho uld be a publi c

se r vice free a t th e p oin t o f d e live ry, a nd access ib le to a ll."

Durin g th e tim e o f th e Ge n era l Electio n, Mr Ra m say, a lo ng w it h Sim on Wri ght, s ign ed th e UEA Uni o n's pl e dge to vote aga in s t re m ovin g t he cap o n tu it io n fees.

With pl a ns by th e Na ti o na l Uni o n of Stud e nts to s tage a refe re ndum reca ll aga in st th e Li be ra l De m ocra t MP, he sa id : "Wha t w e d o he re in No rw ich is o f great na ti o na l re leva nce ... we s ho uld h old th ose individua l MPs to acco unt, a nd cha ll e nge the m to t hin k tw ice a bo ut th e impli ca ti o ns of t he ir decisio n s."

Dr Gibso n a lso to ld th e a udi e nce how hi s wo und s a re s till fres h o n th e issu e, as th e parlia m e nta ry revo lt he led ove r th e in trod ucti o n of to p-up fees was lost by jus t fi ve votes . He sa id th e s itu a ti o n is no d iffere nt thi s ti m e a ro un d a nd urged stud e nts to co ntinu e puttin g p ress ure on t he go ve rnm e n t.

"Good lu ck to stude nts, kee p fighting o n. So m etimes you lose by five vo t es, but so m etim es yo u ca n w in as we ll."

If yo u a re inte res ted in s how ing yo ur s u ppo rt aga ins t t he go ve rnm e nt's cuts, the re w ill be a ra lly h e ld by No rfolk Coa liti o n Aga in st t he Cuts o n Saturday Dece mbe r 4th a t midday in Cha pe lfi e ld Ga rd e ns .

Su sa nna Wood Deputy leader of the Green Party, Adrian Ramsay, speaks to UEA students

LIVEWIRE UNSIGNED 201 0 UEA BAR STAFF TAKE TO NURSING STUDENT WINS Joshua Resoun t he w inn e rs.

THE SKIES FOR CHARITY Uns ig ned has go n e fro m News Re p o r te r PRIZE s tre ngth to s t re ngth in rece nt invol ved a nd h e re w e a re ! It's g rea t Lisa Brand

I

A Ph D n u rs ing s tud e nt fro m UEA wo n a pres ti gio us Nurs ing in Practice a w ard thi s week.

Sh e il a Ha rdy ga in ed the pri ze for he r w o rk to brea k th e co nn ect ion b etwee n m e n ta l illn ess a nd ph ys ica l pro bl e m s includin g ob es ity, di a be tes a nd hea rt p ro bl e m s. She rece ived th e Me nta l Hea lth whi ch In cl ud es Substa nce Abu se awa rd beca use of he r in vo lve m e nt w ith th e No rth a mpton Phys ica l Health a nd We ll- be ing Pro ject (Phy We ll) .

Her work w as pra ised by judges, wh o sa id: "Yo u have b ro ught inspira ti o na l id eas into y o ur da ily prac ti ces a nd s tood o ut a mon g th e r es t."

Lydia Chwarszczynski

Live wi re Un s ig ned 2010 takes pl ace o n Fri day December 3rd, startin g at ? pm in th e Blu e Ba r.

Un s ig ned is a battle of th e ba nd s w hi ch pits fi ve uns igned ba nd s aga ins t eac h oth e r fo r th e to p pri ze of two days stud io reco rd in g tim e at Purpl e Studi os.

Th e re is a lso a runn e r -up p ri ze o f a s up port s lo t at a g ig tak ing place at No rwi ch Arts Ce ntre . Th e fi ve ba nds this year a re: t he Fu zz, the Ma na li shi s, t he Bra nstow n Ba nd, th e Dirty Tri cks a nd Inlay. A pa nel of ju dges w ill d ec id e on th e ni ght whi ch ba nd is to be crown ed

yea rs, w ith Li vew ire Un s ign ed 20 09 rece iv ing a no m ina ti o n fo r 'B es t Live Broad cast' a t th e Stud e nt Rad io Awa rds w hi ch took p lace in Nove mber.

Davicl Mayes, o rga ni se r o f th e 20 09 even t, w h e n asked why peo pl e s hould a tte nd Un s ign ed 201 0, re pli e d: "Peo pl e s ho uld turn u p beca use it is a grea t cha nce to catch s ome brillia nt a nd crimina lly un der ra ted so ngw rite rs fo r free w ith cheap booze. Also, it's a Fr id ay, so th e X Facto r ca n't be used as a n exc use 1" Uns ign ed has th e purp ose of providing a ni ght o f fr ee live mus ic, a ll owi ng music ia ns a pla tfo rm in whi ch to win studio re cording tim e, whil e givin g those a tte ndin g th e ni ght a cha nce to see up- a nd -co ming a cts fro m across the country.

I

News Re p o rte r

Las t yea r th ey ra n th e Race fo r Life a nd t hi s year t he UEA Ba r Staff are, o n ce aga in , ta kin g on a cha ll e nge to ra ise m o ney fo r ch a rity. Thi s yea r~ th ey' ll be ta kin g to th e s ki es fo r a s po t o f s kydivin g.

T hi r ty-seve n ba r s taff m embers will be do in g th e jump w ith t he hop e o f ra is in g ÂŁ11 ,000 fo r Th e East Anglia Air Am b ul a nce Chari ty.

Co ri e Eldre d, w h o is o rga ni s ing th e eve nt with co ll eag ue Lisa Bra nd, sa id: "Th e Eas t An gli a Am b ul a n ce d o s u ch grea t w o rk in Norfo lk a nd th e s urroundin g areas so it's rea lly ni ce t o s upp o rt a cha rity th a t does so mu ch for th e loca l community.

"We jus t ca me up with th e idea o n e d ay at w o rk, sa w that loa d s of peo pl e were interes te d in ge tting

to have so m uch s u p po rt fr o m a ll th e Bar Staff a nd it s h o uld b e a g rea t d ay ".

Eel Leftw ic h, a m e mb e r of th e tea m, sa id : "We' re a ll in cr edibl y exc ite d to b e in vo lve d in ra is in g mo n ey for s uch a grea t ca use.

So m e o f us a re a bit n e rv o us a b o ut jumping o ut of a n ae ro pl a n e, but I' m s ure it will b e g rea t fun !"

Th e jump will ta ke pl ace in Ap r il a nd in th e mea ntim e th ey w ill be hos tin g num e ro u s fundra is ing e ve nts, including a live mu s ic ni ght a nd a Va le ntin e's s p ee d da tin g eve nt, as w e ll as pre pa rin g them se lves for th e dare d ev il ex p e ri e n ce.

To s upport th e tea m, vi s it th e ir Fa ce bo ok group o r d o n a te o n th e ir jus t g iving page a t www.ju s tg iving. co m/UEABarStaffSkydive.

8

r--~-~~---...,.===========~~~~=====================-----------------------. ISSUE

248

concrete .news@ uea.ac. u k

UEA LAUNCH FACE BOOK PAGE UE/\ have rece ntly la unched th eir offi cial Facebook page. Th e page w ill be ma intai ned a nd managed by the Mar ketin g and Co mmuni ca ti o ns Divi s io n.

Th e move w ill be see n as a step forward in the commun ica ti on betwee n stud ents a nd th e University, as we ll as bei ng ab le to attract members of staff, future stude nts a nd a lumn i.

Stude nts ca n check key da tes and important deadlines, details of scho la rship a nno un ce men ts, up dates of th e league ta bl e positions and NSS information. The page also includes con tact deta il s a nd in cl ud es li nks to fu1路th cr use ful UEA Pacebook pages.

The page is a lready a huge s uccess with 1,954 stud e nts who have 'liked' it in the first fortnight.

Suzy Cook, !lead of Marketi ng and Ad mi ss ions, sa id : "T he a im of the officia l page is to high light o ur key activ ities, including our press coverage and research news, open days and pub lic lectu res, and ai ms to engage with a wide audience".

CLIMATEGATE: ONE YEAR ON Becky Hazlewood News Re porter 1\ yea r has passed s in ce UEA sudde nly became the focus of globa l attention in the clim ate scanda l tha t shocked th e world.

UEA was accused of having "threatened the fut ure of the planet" when the rri va tc ema il s of Professo r Phil )ones, scientist at the Climatic Resea rch Unit (CRU), were hacked a nd leaked onto th e in te rne t in November last year.

Students who were studying Enviro nme nta l Science co urses Z~t UEA sudden ly felt that the qua lity and prestige of their degrees were in jeo r ardy, as the integrity of CRU came under attack from all d ireclions.

The personal emails were used by sceptics to suggest that the scientists were manipulating their data to enhance the case for human ;:JCt ivi li es be ing the cause of climate change. 1\fter a year of turmoil for )ones and the staff at CRU, everything

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see ms to have fi na lly settled down.

Professo r Mike ll ulme, lecturer in Environme nta l Sciences at UEA, beli eves: "The eve nts of the pas t year have fin ally buried th e notion that scientific predictions abo ut fut ure clim ate change ca n be ce rtain or precise enough to force global policy-making."

Th e li fe of r esearc h e 1~ Phi I )ones, took an unexpected and nasty turn for the worse following the event. He came unde r vicious attack, rece ivin g over 400 abusive emails, some of which contained suggestions he shou ld comm it s ui cide. Worst of all, perhaps, were the criticisms of the media and US po li ticians, including the li kes ofSa rah Pa lin, who accused Professor )ones of faking his research. )ones ste pped down from his post as head of CRU wh il e investigations into the a llegations took place. The inq uiry, carried out

by Sir Mu i1- Russell earlier this year, found there to be no reason to doubt the integrity or honesty of the CRU

te;:J m.

Showing resilience and determination, )ones has emerged fro m the trauma unscat hed ZJn d has just completed his 34th year working at CRU. lie continues to work wi th th e Met Office on glob;:J \ temperature records and his work is likely to contribute to the next Internationa l Pa nel on Climate Change report in 2013. "lt's a relief [that] the uncertainties have bee n cleared

and UEA ca n keep its name as a world class research centre for Environmental Sciences," said one ENV stud en t. "it's just sad peop le had to try and make ;:J mess of the climate change negotiations. People chose not to be li eve in cl ima te change because it's easier for them not to come to terms with the reality, but that's stu pid, because if we don't do something about it, global warming will bring much harder changes to our lives".

Lydi a Chwar-szczynski

MEDIABALL

2010 Concrete, Livew ire l 350 and Livcw ire TV arc rroucl to p rese nt the first ever ann ua l Mcdi;:JBal l.

Taking place on Wednesday, Dece mb er 1st in th e Sa in sbu ry 's Centre, UE/\'s media societies promise a night of festive fun for a ll. With ti ckets pri ce d at just 拢15, including a hot buffet, the night is sure to be one of the biggest in your soc ia l ca le nd ar. /\ s we ll as th e meal a ne\ some ser ious dancing, there will be a mystery gift for all atten decs.

The night wi ll start at ?pm, and you can dance the night away un til mid night, whe n we will hea d into town for what is sure to be an infamous a fte rpa rty.

Suits a nd dresses- or w hateve r fo r ma l wear you fancy - are an abso lute necessi ty, so get your glad rags on a nd ki ck off t he fes ti ve seaso n in some serious sty le.

Tickets w ill be on sa le every day in th e Hi ve from 12-2, or in the Co ncrete o ffi ce from 9a m until 6pm. This eve nt is guestlist onl y, so ma ke su re yo u get a ti cket !

Davi na Kes by

UNION UNVEIL STUDENT EXPERIENCE REPORT Tim Bates News Re porter To m Wa rd , the Pro Vi ce-C ha nce ll or, official ly received his copy of the 2010 UE/\ Student Ex pc1路ience Report last wee k, mar kin g the first anniversary since the report was fi rst published.

Th e re port, whic h uti lizes the da ta of sources such as the Nationa l Student Su rvey and th e Pos tgra du ate Resea rch Survey, provides the University management with advice on eve rythin g aca de mi c, from how funds should he handled, to how to improve the q ual ity of feedback give n for wo rk rece ived .

On rece iving the rcrort from the Academic Officer of the Uni o n of UE/\ Stud e nts, Rac hc l 1-l andforth, Mr Ward said : "T his is the nex t step in a g reat ann ual eve nt, w hi ch refl ects t he ve ry goo d pract ica l re lations hip we have wit h the students here."

Th e 36- pagc re port addresses eac h major aca de mi c co ncern of the mode rn stu de nt populace in deta il , di sc uss in g s uch ho t to ri cs as th e rece nt Comprehens ive Spe ndi ng Rev iew 's effect o n

higher education funding, with a mixtu re of ge nera l s tu dent trends in opinion, data from various surveys, and pe rsona l com ments from membe rs of t he St ude nt Union, along with a conc ise set of simple recomme ndations at the end of eac h sectio n.

Among the potent ially contmversial of these recommendatio ns is the desire for sweeping structural changes both in the funding a nd academic support sect ions in orde r to provide students taking certain courses with more practical skills to fig ht une m ployment. lt also proroses the dismissal of certain University pract ices a \together, s uch as t he po li cy of ho ld ing some exams on Saturdays. lt h igh lights weaknesses, suc h as the clarity of fee d bac k g ive n on wo r k, wit h on ly 59% of UEA students stating Lhat the feedbac k given helps th e m to ' un de rs ta nd thin gs th ey did not unde rstand'. Howcve1~ it also highlig hted key areas of imp rove me nt, s uch as th e rece nt ly restructured library.

The report's co nclusion de tails t he sta tu s of th e Uni on of UEA Studen ts itse lf, detai ling both its successes, such as t he - campa ign

to create ;:J po ll ing st;:Jtion that students could use on campus d ur ing the last Ge nera l Elec t io n, and the creation of the Un ion Website, as we ll as significa nt pl a ns for thi s co min g yea r, includ ing the lobby of loca l MPs to fig ht the rising costs of tuition fees.

How ma ny of this report's gu ide lines and reco mm endatio ns

the University w il l be able to follow is uncertain . Mr Ward W;:JS optimis tic th a t t he re port wo uld only help the experience for all UEA students and postgi-aduates: "T here are thin gs we agree abo ut, thi ngs we disagree about, but the importa nt th ing is that we are all dete rmin ed to im prove t he ove ral l experience of t he students".

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ISS UE 248

10

con cre te.opinion @uea.ac. uk

The Debate: Violent protests In li g ht o f the violence at lost week 's NUS Demol iti o n protests, Co ncrete looks at the reas o ning behind bo th vio lent a nd peace ful pro tests a nd asks wh eth er pea ceful is always pre fe rab l e ~

FOR Barba ra Or th Th e re is no need to des cribe th e sce ne a t 30 Mi ll bank o n Nove mbe r 1Oth again - th e photos dominated eve ry fr o nt page.

Unfortuna te ly, many d e nounce d th e pea ce ful d e mo as a vio le nt protes t - whi ch it was n't. I w as th e re, a nd be li eve m e, I have s topp ed counting ho w ma ny pe op le have asked m e if I w as "o ne o f th e peo pl e who s to rm e d th e Tory hea dqu a rte rs". it a nnoys me th a t a fe w used th e ma rch to go c razy. it di scredited th e e ntire demon s tra tion in the m edi a a nd ga ve con se rva tives a n exc use to di s mi ss our d e mo ns tration as a gathe ring of rad ica ls. Tha n ks guys, you rea lly he lped . Not. mos t of us Th o ugh in te nd ed nor ne ither a pprec iated vio lence a nd va nda lis m, it wo ul d he fa lse to claim t hat it wa s on ly ra ndom peop le looking fo r a good fi g ht w ho w e re ca us ing

troub le . In my opini o n, it is th e po lice th a t a rc la rgely to bl a me for th e da mage ca used. Is it rea lly s o ha rd to a nti cipate riots if yo u pe rmit a protes t ma rch aga in s t Dc m -Co ns crva ti ve a Lih gove rnm e nt to go pas t th e To ry hea dqu a rte rs?

Ma ny peo pl e, e nrage d by th e poss ibility of tripl ed tuiti o n fe es, fe lt mocked by thi s p os h, po lis hed, a nd s hiny building. it is a sy mbol n ot o nly of cons erva tiv e po liti cs, hut of th e neo lib e ra li s m th a t fin a lly res u lted in mass ive h o use hold d e fi cits ; it re prese nts a ll th e inju stice we ma rched aga in s t. it is outrage ou s to futur e ma ke ge n e r a ti o n s pay for a finan c ial c ri s is t hey didn't ca use, whi le t he offe nd e rs s till cas h in th e ir r id i c ul ou s bonu ses .

So don 't ge l me wron g

wh e n I ca ll th e p eo pl e wh o s to nn ed To ry hea dqu a rte rs ' idi ots'; I d o und e rs ta nd a nd s ha re th e ir a nge r. Ho w ev e r~ thro win g fire ex tin g ui s he rs off ro o ftop s, ri s kin g th e lives of your fe ll ow proteste rs, is no t o nly d a nge ro us a nd s tupid, but al so unlikely to cha nge po li cies.

Yes, po liti cia ns have to kn ow we w ill fig ht ba ck. But I thin k th e SO, 00 0 s tud e nts th a t cha nted : "You cut bac k, w e fight bac k! " we re fa r m o re impress ive a nd e ffecti ve in de li ve rin g thi s message th a n th e a na rchi s t flag o n top o f th e Millba nk To w e r was.

jack Brind ed l<e n Li vings to ne o nce sa id: "If vo tin g cha nged a nythin g they 'd abo li s h it." Mu ch th e sa me ca n be sa id o f peaceful pro test. Th e o nly reaso n it is co ns id e red mo re ' legitimate' tha n d irect act io n is beca use it's less o f a nu isa nce to the esta bli s h me nl. two mill ion Wh e n marc hed peacefully aga ins t th e Iraq wa r; th e the nLabo ur gove rnm e nt s mil ed

to itse lf. it re ma in ed safe in the know ledge its five-yea r di ctators hip was secure, a nd that ultim a te ly th ey co uld ig no re th e publi c's impo te nt rage. Doc um e nted civili a n d ea ths in Iraq now s ta nd a t rou ghly 100,0 00.

No doubt gove rnm e n ts of yes te ryea r wo ul d a lso ha ve bee n mo re co nte nt if th e Suffrage ttes had never s mas hed w ind ows, or if t he poll- tax ri ots had neve r kicked off, ye t if th ey hadn 't then our soc ie ty wo uld ne ver have prog ressed.

I think it's also esse nti a l to poi nt out t he inco rrect use of t he wo rd 'vio l ence'.

Smashi ng a window is s u r路ely an <Jet o f va n da l i~m ra th e r th a n vi ole nce, so why is t he press so kee n to prese nt s uch a n ac t as be ing e quiva lent to assa ult'?

B as t i o n s of inform ed

d e moc ra tic socie ty s uch as Th e Telegraph, Th e Sun and Th e Daily Mail - al o ng w ith th e ir milli o na ire ow ne rs did th e ir utmos t to cla im a s po ntan eou s ex press io n of s tud e nt a nge r and di scredited th e move me nt as ill egitim a te.

But, co in cid e nta lly, th e sa m e jo urn alis ts seem ed w ith th e un co nce rn ed legitim acy of th e gove rnm e nt impl e m e ntin g slas h-a nd b u rn poli cies - a gove rnm e nt w ith we ll und e r SO% of th e po pul a ti o n be h ind it. bee n ig nored Hav in g ove r th e iss ue of tuiti o n fees fo r th e past twe lve yea rs (a nd now cuts to edu ca tion a nd p ubli c se rvices to boo t) a nd co ntinu a lly betrayed by ma in s trea m poli t ics, s tude nts we re left w ith li tt le cho ice bu t to resort to cl i rect ac ti o n for th e ir vo ice to be heard .

This is by no m ea ns a s ta rt ling new d eve lo pme nt, no r o ne a ny s tud ent a t Mi llba nk to o k li ghtly. In the face of Tory a ttac ks o n t he ir future a nd fundin g, s uch rea ct ions a rc those of se lfdefe nce, and on e a s izeabl e g roup chose to parti cipate in.

Violence and vandalism: what was the point?

So , why did this particular protes t turn violen t2 Concrete investigates , asking the question: why do good protes ts turn bad2

Joshua Resoun

Las t w ee k, thous and s of s tud e nts chanted "To ry sc um" in the courtya rd o f Millba nk 30 th e building which houses th e Con se rva tiv e Pa rty Hea dqu a rte rs - as ro ug hly 2SO s tudents sto rm ed and occ upi e d Tory HQ. Although a ve ry s mall minority took pa rt in th e vio len ce, or va nda li s m as it s hou ld mo re r ig h tly be cal led, tho usa nds s till gat hered a nd

c ha nted o utsi d e Tory II Q. T hose w ho too k pa rt in t he van d a li s m a rgue th a t it was a last resor t.

IL is tr ue th a t th e a ntifees m o ve m e nt has bee n p ro tes ting peace ful ly fo r tw e lve yea rs no w. If a ll e lse fa il s, ca n vi o le nce, va nd a li s m, ri o tin g, wh a te ve r yo u wo uld like Lo ca ll it, be ju s tifi e d ?

A s ma ll min o ri ty o f s tud e nts be li eved it co ul d .

In my o pini o n, m ass ri o ts fr o m opportunity, com e ra th e r th a n a 'l as t res ort' s ituati o n or th e 'bra in less d es t ru ction o f pro pe rty'.

Th e o pp o rt uni ty o n th e Nove mbe r l Oth p rese nted itself, a nd th ose ind ivi du a ls w ho fee l as s tro ngly as th ey d o too k a dva ntage of th a t o pp o rtunity.

Th e e m o ti o ns in volved in th e d e m o ns tra ti o n run d ee p ; it a ffects many: tho se wh o ho p e to a tte nd unive rs ity in th e futu re, p a r e nts, e mpl oye rs a nd tax paye rs.

On ce th a t e m o tion is a dd ed to th e o pp o rtunity th a t th e prese nte d, d e mon s tra ti o n th e eve nts whi ch too k p lace w e r e in evita bl e .

Howe ve r, fo r ma ny p eo pl e, viol e nce is o nly a las t

resor t. T he r iotin g of th e like I saw at Mill ba n k 30 was, for m any indi vidu a ls, th e ma te r i<J ii sa li o n o f a be li ef th a t d irect ac ti o n is no w th e o nl y o pti o n left ope n to th e m. If d e m oc ra cy is see n to have fa il ed, wh a t e lse is th e re left to pro test aga in s t th e gove rnm e nt? is Thi s be li e f und e rsta nd a bl e. In 200 3, whil e in o pp os iti o n, th e Co nserva ti ve par ty vo ted aga inst th e pl a nn e d increa se in tuiti o n fees; now in pow e r~ th ey' re in s ti ga tin g it. Th e Labo ur pa rty initi a te d not only th e Brown e Revi e w,

b ut introd uced Lur t ro n fees. Pe rh a ps, howeve r, it is t he ac ti o ns of th e Libe ral De m oc ra ts th at have pu s he d to be lieve th a t peo pl e v io le n ce is th e o nl y o pti o n le ft.

Ma ny co ns titu e n cies wh ic h e lecte d l.ib c ra l De mo c rat MPs - in clud ing Sim o n Wri g ht in No rwi c h So uth - a re co ns titu e ncies with a la rge stud e nt vo te. ll av in g s ig ne d th e NU S pl ed ge to vo te aga in s t a ny plann e d ri se in tuiti o n fees, Lib e ra l De moc ra t M Ps ha ve now - in s om e cases at leas t -b ac ktra cked o n th a t p ledge.

If t hose yo u d e m ocratie<il ly vote for b e tray yo u t im e a nd t im e aga in, a nd if Lh e peace ful a nti -fees m ove m e nt -whi ch has ex is ted fo r twe lve yea rs - fa il s to b e h ea rd , th e n it w o uld see m that v io le nce is un a vo id a bl e . it is clea r, th e n, th a t wh a t you nee d for v io le n ce to occ ur is very s imp le.

On ce yo u mi x e n o ugh d ee p -sea ted e moti o n w ith a n o pp o rtunity to prese nt a clea r m essage, a nd a gr o up o f individu a ls th a t be li eve vi o le nce is th e o nly o ption le ft fo r th e m, a riot b ecom es in evita bl e .

I ISSUE 248

11

Tuesday 23rd November

GeHi-ng your head around student fees In the wake of even more changes to the way student fees wi ll soon be paid, Concrete fol lows up on an article from last issue · to see what these changes really mean.

Joe Lack

+

It is now clear that higherearning graduates will end up paying back more interest on loans than lower-earning graduates. This much is fair.

However, students from wealthy homes who pay fees up front will avoid debt and the interest on it. · This will give them advantages over students who took out loans, for instance when being considered for a mortgage.

Plans for an early loan repayment penalty are still in place. All earners, no matter what their income or whether they went w university or not, wili contribute through taxes.

Grants remain confusing. lt the government wants to save students from looking elsewhere to cover Jiving expenses, it should introduce a region-sensitive maintenance loan truly sufficient to cover rent and living costs, for all students.

Loan and grant combinations vary, and are not always enough. The highest grant available will be £3250 per year; not enough for rent and food in some areas of student accommodation, which will force students back to parents, into work or taking out a loan they were designed to be spared!

Additionally, there is resentment among higherearning families, who see that children of theirs who have taken out a loan with no grant will face greater debts in comparison to those who receive a full grant.

The government admits that "in general, the money raised from tuition fees will simply replace major cuts to teaching budgets". if government money is simply being swapped for student money, this will not contribute to improvem~nts.

This can only shorten the time before the annual 'hard cap' of £6000 or the more likely figure of £9000 will be raised again through competition, perhaps higher for science courses than arts

courses. Students should not be paying universities to keep technologically updated, but rather .for accommodation and services like te?ching.

As long as all university places are filled, there will be no inequalities of funding arising from some courses filling up and others not.

However, there is potential under the proposals for universities to ' charge a range·offees. Setting cheaper fees would be popular, but would risk either running up debts or appearing as poor relations of higher-charging universities.

Bursaries are the best way to attract debtwary poorer students.

Scholarships tend to favour the rich, bur it remains w be seen how many of these there will be.

Short ot tree education, the above inequalities must be remedied, or a graduate introduced.

Non· tax specialist graduate positions must be opened up to nongraduates to ease pressure on places.

That life-changing notification ••• Ever get the feeling the people you talk to would rather be elsewhere, say, on Facebook? ·Do you live your life in fear of the dreaded LCR tag notification? Concrete looks at our obsession with the social network site .

Carl Silverstone Every photo taken at the LCR is followed by a scramble of hands for the camera everyone knows: what goes on camera, goes on FB. The photo of you with huge sweat patches, the evidence that you did get with the single ugliest person at UEA, or the snap of you on the toilet, taken over the wall

with your pants down, are all certainties for a tag.

You're having a chat with someone in the Union or on the steps in the square, only for them to whip their phone out and tap away?

They're on FB news feed on their phone, casually checking if there's anything else more interesting going on than what you're saying.

You're not sufficiently entertaining them. They will look at you and back to the phone, whilst half-

heartedly trying to maintain the conversation.

"If you should ever meet them normally, you better pretend convincingly that you don't even know their name" Facebook is more addictive than crack for the 16 to 25-year-olds. It should be banned. But then again,

what else are you going to do on a Sunday? And how are you going to procrastinate in the library? There's no other way to stalk that person you're obsessed with, but have never even spoken to. If you should ever meet them normally, you better pretend convincingly that you don't even know their name, let alone where they ate breakfast on their family holiday in Tenerife last year - some info you picked up while stalking every single

one of their photo albums.

And, of course, we've got Face book chat, because MSN Messenger is a dinosaur.

So, you decide to strike up a conversation with someone you'd like to 'poke'.

You've opened with, "Hi, how are you". The originality of that sentence is beautiful.

You're a genius. But wait, shit, it's not being delivered.

That little bar is rolling as it tries to send. Should I send it again? No, just wait, sit it out. It finally gets delivered.

But wait, it's been sent three times. How keen do you look now? The green dot goes to the grey half-moon circle.

Ah man. They're not even on their computer. They must have really valued that dialogue. just sign out. This chat session is over.

The notification that would change your life remains elusive. What that notification would be? I have no idea, but you'll keep on looking.

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ISSUE 248 Tuesday 23rd November

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concrete.features@uea.ac.uk

Concrete Drugs Survey 20 10: The Results It's that time again. For the second consecutive year Concrete has asked you, the UEA students, about your opinions on drugs. This year's survey covers many different areas such as drugs on campus, legal highs and alcohol - no surprises to find out the majority of students consume

more than ten units of alcohol per week. The survey was taken by both undergraduates and postgraduates with the majority aged between 2122. Many thanks to all of you that took part. Keep your eyes peeled for the Concrete Sex Survey coming in the New Year.

'

WHY TAKE DRUGS? Do you think that taking drugs is socially acceptable among young people?

Yes (26.1%) No (22%) In most social groups (37.7%)

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Do you think that the media encourages drug-taking?

Yes (20.3%) N/A (4.3%)

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EFFECTS OF DRUG TAKING

LEGAL HIGHS

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)'es (39.9%)

Has anything bad happened to you or a friend after taking drugs?

Would you say that you have ever been addicted to any illegal drugs?

Y• (~t~)

Yes (41.2%)

Yes (6%)

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What have you done whilst using illegal drugs?

Has your personality changed after taking drugs?

If you've taken drugs, do you regret it?

Yes (17.6%)

Yes (10.9%)

N/A(29.1)

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Have you bad any medical problems as a result of drug use?

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Yes(3t.M6)

If so, where did you take them?

Party (21.70.16) Festival (19.6%) House (18.8%) Club (8.7%) Other (5.1 %)

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No(44.7%) Unsure (17.7%)

N/A(23.8%)

If you've taken illegal drugs, bow did they compare?

Better (7.5%) Worse (18.8%) About the same (12.8%)

I

N/A(9.4%)

. . . . . (52."')

Yes (4%) Been to a seminar (13.5%) Operated heavy machinery (2%) Driven a car (12.2%) N/A(62.2%)

Have you ever taken a legal blgb?

No(18.~)

Do you consider legal highs to be less physically dangerous than Ulegal drugs?

Yes (15.2%) N/A(24.6%)

Haw)W takea drup willlearUEA1

Yei (SUI%)

Ifyes, what problems were they? *Hospitalised for a day due to legal high mephedrone". *My genitalia became inflamed, and came out in pink rashes. my testicles grew about four times their normal size. It was agony".

No (48.2%) Have )'OU ewr.._GIIt•llnllll d. . . . .

UEA? Yel (f\1.4%)

64.5°/o of students would not have come to UEA if the campus was (dry'

liMe you ever IOid drup7 Yes (11.6,.)

No (88.41Ma)

No (37.6%)

Why do you think most people take drugs?

If so, Where?

Halls {35.5%) Union Bar (11.3'Mt)

Pressure from friends (37.7%) Pressure from the media (2.9%) Boredom (34.8%) t Ill I • ' " l

DRUG USE AT UEA

LCR (t 2.8%) hrty~

ALCOHOL

Otherl 15.6%)

I I

Other (12.3%)

On average, how many units of alcohol do you consume per week?

None (6.5%) 1-2 (8%) 3-4 (18.8%) 5-6 (15.9%) 7-9 (19.6%)

62.4o/o of students questioned have been offered drugs on campus

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ILLEGAL DRUGS Have you ever taken any form of iUegal drugs?

Yes(72.4%) No (27.6%)

How old were you when you first took drugs?

Under 12 (1.61%) 12 (3.2%) 13 (11.3%) 14 (19.3%) 16 (30.6%) 17 (19.3%) 18 (24.2%) 19 (11.3%) 20(6.44%) 21 (1.61%) Over 21 (1.61%)

Do you think there Is a drlnklng culture at universities that encourages students to drink too much alcohol?

Which drugs have you taken?

Ecstasy/MDMA (28.9%) Heroin (3.9%) Cocaine (25%) LSD (7.9%) Poppers (27.6%) Speed (15.1%) Crack (2.0%) Magic Mushrooms (18.4%) Ketamine (20.4%) N/A(28.9%)

Do you use more than one drug at a time?

Yes (11.8%)

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Yes, I suppose so (39.9%) Maybe(13%) Definitely not (2.2%)

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How often do you have an alcoholic drink?

92.8% believe the drinking age should not be raised to 21

Daily (5.1%) , ,, ' th '" '"'' ,. I \\~l'lt I

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Weekly (31.2%) Monthly (5.8%) Never (3.6%)

How many otyour ~nd• ~k• drug•?

phf10lulion1.COIII

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01263 570240 info@phfsolutions.com

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*My friend spent hours running around my hometown thinking he was a jet plane. *I saw someone try and jump out the window of a three story building.

*A friend had a terrible panic attack after smoking weed in which he described his arms singing different songs into his ears.

Laptops, iPads, iPhones PCs, Macs & Software Repairs, Part Exchange Very Competitive Prices Advice Local Company Personal & Ongoing Customer Support

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Just give us a call or send us ah email, tell us what you're after and we'll give you our best price! Simple! This coulcl be your best decision aftor coming to UE:A!

Sometimes (19.7%) N/A(27%)

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14

Q&A V~ith NorV~ich Famous Faces Cathy White talks student demonstrations and the five L's with alternative comedian and former UEA Student, Arthur Smith Arthur Smith isn't a name that many students would immediately recognise, but his gruff London voice is instantly recognisable. If you have ever seen a Yakult advert featuring an upset stomach, that would be Arthur; or Artie, or Arturo as he came to be known to this writer, who was lucky enough to spend a day in his company.

Born and raised in South London, Smith first fell into comedy as a 6-year-old boy: "I starred in the school panto and I remember the next day, two girls offered three pence to me to show them my willy; and that was my first professional engagement, who would have thought 40 years on that boy would become the voice of the woman's stomach in the Yakult advert. Truly, I am living the dream."

In recent years he has made many TV and radio appearances, and is well known for being a regular on BBC's Grumpy Old Men. Arthur's dry sense of humour has got him very far, and is something he developed while

studying Comparative Literature at UEA in 1977. During his time he also ran fo r Student Union President, coming second on a "Don't Vote for Me" campaign.

Today, he is still pulling similar publicity stunts, nominated for the 'Malcolm Hardee Cunning Stunt Award' at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival for saying he would pay £100 to any journalist attending his show who would juggle fish.

Smith is due to return to the LCR after a 30 year gap from playing at the university in the Student 'Stand Up Review', which was his first taste ofshowbusiness.

"I had a wonderful time as a student of UEA; it was an easier time for s.t udents. I had a grant and I had left home for: the first time. I was living on a big campus full of young clever people, many of whom were female."

When asked why students should come to see his gig, Smith had this to say: "Because if you do come you are guaranteed sex afterwards with someone in the

audience, and you will be an inch taller. You will be full of wisdom with laughs having been expelled from you at such a rate you will be

exhausted."

Arthur Smith · is pe r forming in the LCR on Monday 6th Decembe r, a nd with a selling

pitch like this, ticke ts a re su re to sell very quickly.

1) Fi r s t me mory of UEA:

The lake was being built when I was a student, but I did have sex to the side of that, and heavy petting in the library.

Disappointingly, none of the others, but I did have sex on the centre spot of Chelsea's stadium, Stamford Bridge.

tax, with offshore accounts, and bankers. Even people like me should pay more, as I don't seem to have been affected by the cuts, and poorer people have.

5)

Dante Allegeri, that 14th century Ital ian Poet, though I wouldn't understand anything he was saying. Isabella Adjani, a French actress I've always liked, and some random off the street to mix it up (our own Concrete writer was also invited to dinner, on the basis she would cook Beef Bourgignon).

Arriving on the first day, being very nervous and meeting my

;.

friend Phil, who I am still in contact with. It's funny how the first few people I met I . have remained friends with 40 years on.

What was your first visit to the LCR like?

2)

Did you t a ke pa rt in a ny de mons trations as a s tude nt?

don't remember much of Freshers' Week but I can recall being the first one on the dance floor. I'd do a Mick }agger strut and cartwheels. I was constantly pulling stunts.

Well, I was a student in the 1970s, when it was good being a student, so I would demonstrate against "Mrs Thatcher, Milk Snatcher", who was Education Minister at the time. She was the 'evil' even before she became Prime Minister.

3)

Wha t other stunts did you pe r form while a t UEA? There used to be a pond in the middle of the square that I would constantly jump in. It was about six feet deep, so I would dive in and swim around a lot, especially on a hot day. ) Have you completed any of the 5 L's?

..

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..

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6) Wha t a re your feelings towards the p ro posed r ise in fees for unive r s ity s tude nts?

I'm against it. I think it will be like it used to be with only rich people being able to go to university. It is bad enough as it is, as it discriminates against poorer backgrounds, and it' ll only get worse. They should crack down on people dodging

) Na m e three p eople, dead or alive, you would invite to d inne r?

8) Bes ides comedy wha t othe r jobs have you had ?

I was a baker, working on the Aylsham Road from 6pm to 6am.

That was hard, and for a bit I was a rat catcher. I was also an international male escort working _outside the Maidshead hotel but that didn't work out.

ISSUE 248

15

Tuesday 23rd November

Students reclaim their future From climate change to human rights, Sha red Planet, o ne of the la rgest student activism even ts, add ressed a ll of today's burning issues Rosie Rawle Hayley Wilson Turf Reporters Initiated by People & Planet, the UK's largest student campaign network, the 2010 Shared Planet Conference in Birmingham saw a mass of student activists from around the country. Representing UEA, the university's People & Planet steering group attended and contributed to a variety of discussions, workshops and debates.

The two main areas that the conference focused on were Climate Change and Corporate Power, which received considerable input and feedback from nationally recognised speakers, campaign groups and non-governmental organisations.

Shared Planet kicked off with an inspirational speech from Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP. She highlighted the importance of environmental issues such as climate change along with current governmental policies and the need for change. Her talk provided strong foundations for the weekend's events.

After the introductory talk, students attacked the break-out sessions with high enthusiasm

and flair. UEA students threw themselves into a range of workshops which included: 'Food and Low Carbon Transition'" 'Zero-Carbon Britain 2030', 'GoGreen Week 2011' and 'Transition Vision'. All workshops were based around climate change and what can be done to aid the process of reducing C02 emissions.

After a highly inspirational morning, the Corporate Power plenary session injected yet more knowledge and motivation into the audience with speeches on the 'War on Want' and the 'Buy Right' campaign. The aim of these talks was to promote understanding and to prepare for campaigning against sweatshops around the world. This relates directly to UEA's Day of Campus Action: Stop Sweatshops, on November 23rd in which People & Planet students will be campaigning to demand that our university respects the human rights of workers by joining the Worker's Rights Consortium.

The afternoon consisted of workshops based on Corporate Power. Having a variety to choose from, students dispersed into areas that interested them most, ranging from 'A sweat-free Olympics?' to 'Spirituality and

Activism'. One of the workshops that was found to be especially beneficial and thought provoking was 'Exposing corporate tax dodgers'. Here, students learnt about the loopholes in the law that allow for multinational companies to avoid taxes. Recently, Vodafone has been discqvered to have dodged £6 billion worth of tax and it was revealed that a 'secret' corporation is soon to be exposed by activist network War on Want.

'The Closing Panel: Debate the challenges facing our generation', provided an end to an actionpacked day. Aaron Porter (NUS President), jess Worth (New Internationalist co-editor) and David Babbs (38 Degrees) threw open a discussion regarding the need for student activism on a national scale. All members of the panel agreed that now is the time for students to take direct action The following day mainly consisted of open space workshops in which students were able to think about campaign plans and discuss important issues. Again, there was huge variety in the debate at hand. UEA students were keen to use this opportunity by initiating various workshops, which other students then joined. One result of this in

Start co-operating!

Anna Tomson Turf Editor Tired of endless trips to Tesco?

Want an easier way to get your food? Wish food on campus wasn't so expensive? Worried about whether your beans are being grown by crippled four-year-olds in Kenya?

Then don't panic! Sit back, relax and read on; UEA's first ever Food Co-operative is beginning to grow roots and sprout. "But what is a food co-op?'' I hear you cry, hungrily banging your spoon on the table. In its simplest form, a food co-op is a group of people who pool t heir money collectively and bulk buy foodstuffs directly from an ethical fair-trade supplier, thus cutting out the middle-

man and making food shopping cheaper and easier. The co-ops can sell anything from fruit and veg to cereals, snacks and grains, depending on the preference of the buying group, and the nature of collective buying means that everything works out at a lower price than when it is sold in shops.

Sounds good? There is currently a movement to set up a food co-op on campus as an extension of the already existing veg box scheme - in which local organic vegetables are delivered to campus every week.

If you would like to get involved, clutch your cutlery to your chest and pop an email to a.tomson@uea.ac.uk. For more information on UEA's vegbox scheme type in 'UEA VegBox' into Face book.

1

particular was the planning of a national day of action against the tar sands oil extraction project in Alberta, Canada, which has been labelled "the most destructive

project on earth".

After a liberating and empowering event, UEA is set to create a storm and bring about lasting change.

Nor~ich to hold

zero ea rbon concert Chris Keene Turf Reporter Climate campaigners from across the globe have organised a series of zero carbon concerts on the eve of the next UN Climate Summit in order to demonstrate that a zero carbon world is both achievab le and fun.

The UN Climate Summit will be held in Cancun, Mexico from the November 29th until December lOth, and is designed to discuss future commitments to reducing carbon emissions following the Kyoto Protocol.

In the build up to the beginning of the summit, a series of concerts are being held all over the world, including England, Wales, Holland, Italy, Poland, Sierra Leone, China,

Australia and the USA. Norwich is jumping on the zero-carbon bandwagon and is holding a concert on November 27th featuring Vie Salter, Pedalo, Ruth Gordon and jimmy and the Magic Shoe in the St Thomas church hall on Earlham Rd. It will be acoustic so that it causes no carbon dioxide emissions.

In addition, people will be encouraged to travel to the event without emitting carbon. They are asked to walk, cycle, or use public transport instead of driving unless they have an electric car powered · by green electricity, or a diesel vehicle using waste vegetable oil.

Tickets are £2 in advance (from Chris Keene, 01603 614535, 07801 250982 chris.keene@

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ISSUE 24B

16

eo ncrete.l i fcstyle@uccl.ac.u k

Social networking's far-reaching web Concrete looks at the implications and issues of maintaining a social presence online Drew Nicol Lifestyle writer Everyday, millions of people use Pacchook and Twitter to check up on their friends and family, as well as upd;1ting their own profile's status. This, in itself, is an extremely effective way of helping people who may not see or speak each other regularly to stay in touch. llowcvcr, people do not sec the dangers of upcbting their status and tweets without thinking through what they arc actually saying or who will he reading it.

Prime examples of this arc the stories of people who write updates compla inin g about their boss or declaring they are pulling a 'sickie'. This ca n land employees in huge trouble in the work place and has led to many of those involved losing their jobs. Another hidden risk becomes evident when

people boast of their holiday plans on their social networking page.

This is effectively shouting out to everyone exactly when your house will be unguarded. This has been acknowledged as a real threat and even Facebook is warning against posting information of this nature.

The issue with all social networking sites is that, because the person you arc talking to is not physically there, some feel able to say things that they wouldn't otherwise say. lloncstly, would you threaten someone you had just met because they didn't like your favourite hand 7 A reccntncwsslorysurrounding To1路y MP, Garet h Compton, does not come as a surprise: he has been arrested following accusations that he 'tweeted' the inflammatory words "ca n someone please stone Yasmin Alibhai-13rown to death? I sha n't tell Amnesty if you don't. lt

Kr istina Stephens Lifestyle writer

would be a blessing, really". lt is commonly believed that because it wasn't said in person, but onlinc, there will be no repercussions- in reality, the opposite is true.

The days arc gone when poorly thought-out opinions or embarrassing behaviour can be laughed off or forgotten, because they are now immorta lised on the internet. An obsession with

documenting every night out with a constant stream of photos or the unexplainable need for everyone to know even the most mundane aspects of their lives has led to the creation of a much more intrusive and all-encompassing 'big brother' state than anyone would ever have thought possible.

And the irony of all this is that it's self inflicted.

whereas The Playhouse is on George's Street, a little further down from Iri sh pub, Delaney's. If you fancy broadening your cu ltural horizons then The Playhouse is o ne of Norwich's top theatres and offers an interesting srectrum of plays at a high standard, priced within a student's budget. The adjoining bar is great for a more relaxed evening out with friends.

Another nearby and affordable activity to enjoy with friends is the Pitch and Putt go lfing facility at Eaton Park. You don't have to be experienced, a lthough we would recommend steering clear of teeing off with your most competitive pal

as there is a scorecard.

A completely free faci lity availab le to students is the Lake on campus, as well as the lake in Earlh a m Park; if you like country walks or s imply need to blow off some s team, there are some great footpaths that veer offfromt he lake, offering some really picturesque sce nes.

La stly, 9pm seems to be the universally ag reed time for supermarkets to start lowering the rrice of stock destined for the reduced section, so if you're look ing for a bargain, head out for quarter past and ca pitali se on all so rts of reduced tr easures.

Hindsight shines light on Norwich Lifestyle illuminates the murky map of Norwich revealing hidden wonders and quaint bars Lisa Stevens Lifestyle writer Many first year students' experiences and knowledge of Norwich tend to be centred exclusively around campus, with the exception of Nandos and Prince of Wales Road. Third years w ith a regular s leeping rattern and perhaps a waning in clin ation to hit the I.CR every Tuesday and Sa turd ay night have had time to stum bl e across some nuggets of wisdom that they wish they had known as innocently naYve first years.

Students do not ha ve to travel far to discover h idd en gems, with their first rort of ca ll being the e nigmatic INTO building. The roast at the bui lding's cafe is cheaper an d arguably better than th e sta nd ard roast served at Zesl. After digesting yo ur s u mptuous Sunday roast you may want to follow thi s up with so me cas ual tab le tenni s, as tabl es <

arc put out after s ix in the eveni ng and arc free with a campus card.

There are some great pubs and bars in Norwich that it would be a crime to miss out o n before yo u graduate, most notably the Fat Ca t, Franks Bar and the Playhouse.

The award winning pub, The f-elt Cat, located on West End Street off Dereham Road boasts an array of 28 real ales, 8 draughts of Belgium beers, SO bottled imported beers, 4

"Whether peop le need it for the support or social aspects there's so mething for everyone" lagers, 6 cidersfperries, 2 German Wcissbicrs and se lection of worldly wines includin g less common fruit offerings.

Frank's Bar is a quirky hotspot hidden clown Bedford Street,

The key to liberty As a student at UEA, it isn't hard to lake the freedom and civil liberties we enjoy for granted, hut millions around the world are not so lucky.

This disturbing truth has been brought to light by the recent release of Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest on the 13th November.

The widely respected leader of Burma's opposition party, the National League for Democracy, was once a student herself: in 1964 she beg<ln studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford.

Suu Kyi has faced some form of imprisonment for more than eleven of the last nineteen yea rs by the Burmese military government du e to her political activism as a prominent advoc<lte of democracy. In staying peacefully compliant and true to her hopes for her cou ntry, Suu Kyi has become a symbol of heroic, peaceful resistance in the face of oppressio n, and she was awarded the Nobcl Peace Prize for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights in 1991.

While the conditions endured

by Ms Suu Kyi were relaxed in more recent years - notably she was able to meet certain diplomats and officials from the National League for Democracy - in the earlier years of her detention she was often held in solitary confinement. She was con tinu ally unable to see her family, including her husband, who d ied of cancer in March 1999, and her grandchildren whom she has never met.

This situation invites comparisons to Nelson Mandcla and the past situation in South Africa, and draws light to a continuation of human rights abuses on a global scale. Will change come to Burma as it did to South Africa? Amnesty International reports widespread human rights violations in Burma. lt is an issue far from being reso lved: at the end of 2008, there were 2,200 political prisoners, a number which includes the most senior opposition leaders, and there are more longs tandin g political prisoners than at any ot her time si nce 1988's mass pro-democracy uprising. Burmese law criminalises even peaceful ex press ion of political dissent and peorle arc fr equently arrested without warrant.

ISSUE 248

17

Tuesday 23rd November

The spirit of Bangkok The essence of Edinburgh Tom

Duffy arrives in Thaila nd's capitol and gets to grips w1th giant Buddhas, golden temples, tuk-tuks , market

vendors and massages os he learns how to get along in Bangkok's crowd ed shops and stree ts.

Bangkok attracts a constant flow of travellers. Some come seeking spirituality, although while it's true that religion is an important part of Thai culture, you'd probably be better off trying somewhere other than Bangkok if that's what you're looking for. Others come in search of new life experiences. Bangkok can certainly provide a few of these- it's a different sort of enlightenment.

Khao San Road is the nerve centre of Bangkok for backpackers, characterised by its market stalls, its wide variety of cheap hostels and

((It's a gargantuan playground of excess and decadence, a melting pot of extravagance and filth. , its myriad bars, many of which serve buckets of cocktails as standard. It allows new arrivals to adjust and get their bearings in this strange new land before immersing themselves entirely, something like Thailand with training wheels. However, be careful, as it is entirely possible to spend your whole trip here.

Why? For one thing. it never sleeps. Walk down Khao San Road at three in the afternoon, then at three in the morning and you'll find that it's just as busy in the small hours as it is in the day. Stroll down

the bustling street and you could be offered just about anything. from a cheaply-tailored suit or a back-rub, to the more seedy propositions, such as one ofThailand's renowned pingpang shows or, well, a "massage".

The hostel lobbies, the alfresco cafes and the friendly Irish pubs offer easy opportunities for meeting fellow travellers and potential companions.

Every night has a festival feel, a carefree party atmosphere.

But it's not all about hedonism.

Bangkok is home to some of the most impressive temples and palaces in the world. The Grand Palace and Wat Pho are the largest, conveniently located within walking distance of each other. Th e Grand Palace is like a miniature city, a fantasy world of ancient temples and ornamental golden lions. Wat Pho is more compact, but equally impressive, mostly because of its incredible golden Buddha statue, the largest of its kind at forty-six metres long and fifteen metres high.

Also worth a look is Chatuchak Market. Situated a tuk-tuk (tiny taxi) ride north of Bangkok's city centre, this thirty-five acre area is a vast maze of stalls selling any souvenir a tourist could possibly want- from clothes, jewellery, toys and plants, to more exotic wares like live snakes. It is matched in terms of strangeness only by the Patpong Night Bazaar, the city's primary red light district.

As well as the market, there are bars and clubs galore, all with names that leave little to the imagination, illuminated by garish neon lights. If you came to Bangkok in search of ping-pang shows and lady-boys, you need look no further.

it's this clas h of the ugly and the beautiful, the seedy and the glamorous, which is really at the crux of Bangkok. There are luxurious skyscraper-hotels with rooftop bars offering spectacular panoramic views of the city's brightly lit skyline, and there are your typical Khao San Road hostels, with cold showers and complimentary ants' nests, for two pounds a night.

Of the former, the best is Moon Bar & Vertigo at Banyan Tree Hotel.

It's a little on the pricey side, and you'll want to dress reasonably smartly - they provide an ill-fitting change of clothes for patrons whose attire is deemed unsuitable- but the cocktails are delicious and the views breathtaking. It's a gargantuan playground of excess and decadence, a melting pot of extravagance and filth .

Nowhere is this contrast clearer than on the Sukhumvit, one of the longest roads in the city. The east side is chock full of scruffy market stalls and swarms of beggars and thieves, so you'll want to keep an eye on your wallet. These are inverted by customers enjoying the expensive hotels and restaurants on the west side.

Bangkok's chaos can be overwhelming at first, but you 'll soon get into the swing of it knowing where to get the bes~ beer for your buck, haggling ruthlessly with taxi drivers and chatting freely with the friendly locals. The metropolis serves as a perfect introduction to Thailand, but bursts with enough to justify spending your whole trip here. It is enchanting and outrageous. Quite simply, it has a strange magic all of its own.

I

Victoria Cann

Travel Writer

Admittedly, choosing a place renowned for its inclement weather and kilted bagpipers, rather than its sunshine and beach-bathers, doesn't initially sound like the greatest of holiday plans. However, as a jobless student last summer, with a shallow mo.netary fund, this writer opted for a weekend experiencing the more affordable charms of Scotland's beautiful capital, Edinburgh.

Approaching the Scottish border by train corresponds with a striking shift in scenery, from rolling hills and lush green vistas to a rugged expanse of purple heather and dramatic ridges dappled with dense black pine forest - and the arrival in Edinburgh itself is no anticlimax.

The city is a vast span of splendid historic monuments and majestic stone buildings. The view from Waverley Bridge is particularly dazzling, as it encompasses the ornately beautiful nineteenthcentury Scott Monument, framed by an impressive throng of archaic buildings and spires dramatically clustered into the hillside, crowned by the commanding sight of the Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh is one of Britain's oldest cities and offers a wealth of heritage sites to be investigated.

The heights of the castle provide a very dizzying but exhilarating experience, with incredible panoramic views and palatial architecture. The Royal Mile, which ., cuts across the city from the castle, is another key attraction that captures the essence of Edinburgh.

The cobbled stone, towering buildings and narrow back-streets, conjure a sense of being steeped in living history, whilst an assortment of quaint local shops provides a fun digressiOn from sight-seeing.

Edinburgh is so rich in history and culture and its streets are so varied in content and stunning in appearance, Con crete would recommend longer than a weekend trip in order to appreciate it fully.

Top travel tips: Vietnam snake farm

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Gabriella Colasurdo Travel writer

This beautiful South East Asian country is a hotspot on the traveller's map. Still authentic, despite its inflating tourist population, Vietnam is bursting with culture and charm.

From a back-packers point of view, arriving in Hanoi is quite the culture shock. Bangkok is certainly not the place for preparation with its squeaky clean malls and Western grub. The streets are crowded, the people actually speak their own language, and restaurant takes a new form in curb-side stalls and plastic tables.

A haven amid this wonderful chaos is Hanoi Backpackers. The hostel, founded by Australians, is a far cry from the accommodation usually found South East Asia.

With dorms of twelve, English breakfasts, a bar, and a tourist information centre, travellers pour in from far and wide in order to escape the 'real world.'

Here you can take trips to Ha Long Bay, a sort of booze-cruise among the hundreds of little islands floating off the North East coast.

Another memorable excurs ion is the opportunity to visit a 'snake farm .' For roughly twenty dollars (ten pounds), the fearless traveller can go and see snakes sliced open, their hearts and livers cut out, and then served up as dinner.

A particular delicacy is the shot of beating heart - the thrill being the sensation of it still pulsing as it slips down your throat. Disgusting as it sounds, this trip is actually a great day out. Run almost entirely by locals, you are promised an authentic experience, and an abundance of complimentary "snake vodka"- whatever that may be.

Vegetarians are probably not advised to visit, though this writer would definitely recommend it to all other backpackers. The snake ribs are actually quite delicious.

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ISSUE 2 fH

18

l'O JICJ'ete. tr~lvel (ul uea.aC.ll k

Response to 'Fight on bus leaves students shaken' article PO BOX 410, NORWICH, NORFOLI<, NR1 7TJ 01603 593166 Concrete is published by UUEAS Concrete Society ©2010 Concrete. ISSN 1351-2773 Letters shou ld be addressed for the attention of the Editor, Danny Collins.

Letters must include contact details, but we will consider anonymous publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity as necessary.

Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Publisher or Editor.

No part of this newspaper may be reproduced through any means without the express permission of the Editor~ Danny Coli in s. Printed

by J\rchdnt.

Being the man in question in th1s drticle I would like to point out that an arrest wa<> made and I was subsequently charged and c,nJtioned. I would also like to point out that was totally out of character for me and apologize profusely for the incident, to both students and security Jt the UEA. In my opinion they were not he<~vy handed but were dea ling with an intoxicated lll<ln who was out of control. I would a lso like to poi n t out that it W<IS not a fight, no punches were actually thrown, it was an ugly incident thJt I would like to put behind me. I would like it to be known that I apologize and do not condone this sort of heh,lViour in any way. It wa-; disgraceful and will have repercussions on my future.

I would ,1elvise those out there not to drink to an excessive <~mount as the consequences of my act1ons Wl're not pleasant. lt is not nice to spend the next day in a police cell. lt 1s an experience that! hope to leMn from and would like to thank UEA for all their help in my past ,1s ,111 undergraduate. Please p.1ss on my apologies.

Anonymous

UEA's lnucpcndcnt Student Newspaper Concrete Newspaper Union House UEJ\ Norwich NR4 7TJ concrete .cd itor@ uca.,1c.u k Editorial: 01603 593 466 Advertising: 01603 592 507 Editot·:

D<.1nny Collins

Deputy Editor:

Steph McKenna

Chief Copy Editor:

Mia Wecker

News Editors:

D<~vina

l~d

Editorial 'I Ill' dchdtl' dS to whether the dCtiOilS or <llllinority or studL'IltS ,lt the N<ltional Demo two \\'L'eks ,Jgo is Olll' that will inevit<lhiv rontilllll' to run fo1· some tJJllt' yet.

Tius wt•ek, d se1111nar headed by lll~/\ students deh<lted the t•thits of till' ad ion,\\ hith s;~w over si\ty studt•nts dl'l'l'Sted, and signilil'ant dan1<1ge to the Const•rv<ltiVL' 11(~ at Millbank.

Whik till' g1·iev<1nn•s ol till' .Jrtivio;ts are re;d <1nd undt•J·st.ulll<lhk tht•Jr .JL lions undermined tht• legitimate protests ol SO,()()() students. Critiusm lo1 /\,mm l'ortn ho~s <!hounded '>Inn•, yl'l Jt w.Js ht \\'ho org<~nJsed the protest th ;lt g<lVl' the nott'l's .1 platform to air their grievances on ll<ltlonJI television.

Tht• media's representallon of the protest is pt•rh<lps intiJe<llJve ol the NlJS''> problems. lithe march of 50,000 students h<lli rt'lll<lined peaceful, it 1s likely that the nght-w1ng media would h<1ve 1gnored its ocuJJ rence, as was demonstrated by the pl'l'"l'nll' ol only the !ell-wing JH'Wspapt•rs .Jt the press conference earlier 1nthc day.

Its tr<JnslormatJon 1nto <1 smo~II-su1le riot t•nsured that those medi<1 outil'ts, who V\ould otherwise h.1ve bypassed the t•vents, Sl' IZt•d upon tlll'ir opportunity to lughlight the actions of tht• lcw, .1nd 111 do1ng so, ignore till' il'gitlmatt• voices ol tht• lll<lllV.

3rd Decemb Blue Bar 7pm

Retraction

I<esby Leftwich

Comment and Opinion Editor:

1-:mma Parrott

International Editor:

Nishavi tha Mu rth i

Featu•·es Edito•·s:

/\dam Fenwick Lewis

S<~mantha

Turf Editor:

J\nna Tomson

Lifestyle Editot·:

],lmes Dixon

Travel Editor:

Tom Hunt

Food Editor:

Kyle Spencer

Sports Editors:

Chris King Rob Schatten

Chief Photographer:

Greg Mann

Deputy Chief Photographer:

L,1ura Smith

Advertising Manager:

Jean Wills

Distributor:

Ross Grant

Contributors: James Schofielcl, Susanna Wood, Stacey I<napp, James Dixon, Simon Partridge, D<.1vid Murphy, Rachael Lum. Lydia Chw<lrszczynski, Sam Lewis, Joshua Resoun, Lisa Brand, Becky I Iazlcwood, Tim 8<.1tcs, C:athy White, Barbara Orth, jack Brinded. Joc Lack, Carl Silverstonc, Rosie Rawle, Hayley Wilson, Chris I<eene, Drew Nichol, Lisa Stcve ns, Kristina Stcphcns, Tom Duffy,_Victoria Cann, G<.1briella Colasurdo, Anna Eastick, Christine O'Sullivan, Lydia McEvoy, Joanna O'Connor; ls<.1belle Carty, I<irsten Wade, Matt Philcox, Chris Tealc, Sam Tomkinson, I<eiren Cordcry, jason Gillan, Matt Scr<lfton, Toby Martin

In the 09/11/10 dated edition of Concrete' an article reporting on the death of Professor CrahZ!m Everest wrongly st<.1tecl that he had died a week before publication. Professor Everest h;1d sadly p<.1ssed away on the 30th July after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Concrell' would like to offer its sincere apologies to the family and tricnds of Graham Everest for any distress that mistake may have

Proofreader:

CZillSed .

Check out

w w.hvcwirel350.co

for interviews and live tracks!

SusJnnJ Wood

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ISSUE 248

Tuesday 23rd November

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www.co.ncrete-onhne.co.u~ ...

I

Christine O'Sullivan

Food Writer

I

Food Writer

This cheap recipe is a brilliant dish to make from scratch. The tarragon complements the chicken perfectly, and a sprinkling of paprika gives the creamy sauces a beautiful smoked quality. Sounding more complex than it actually is, you can impress a friend who is dining over with this sophisticated meal.

You w ill need:

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into strips • 1 tbsp olive oil • Knob of butter • 2 onions, thinly sliced • 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced • 200ml chicken stock • lOOm! sour cream • 2 tbsp paprika • Dried tarragon (as much as desired) • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • lOOg wild rice

Method:

• Cook the wild rice as per packet instructions.

• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan. Add the chicken and fry until cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

• Add the onions and garlic to the pan, adding more olive oil or butter if needed, and heat gently until softened.

• Pour in the chicken stock and turn the heat up to high. Reduce the stock by half and then turn the heat down to a simmer.

• Add the chicken to the pan, along with the sour cream and stir through. Season with the tarragon, salt and pepper and simmer until the cream has thickened slightly.

• Serve, accompanied by the rice and sprinkle 1 tbsp of the paprika over the stroganoff on each plate.

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FOOD __ ~, ..~ 19

Thanksgiving time

Chicken Stroganoff

Anna Eastick

, ._

This week, Concrete Food gives you a quick lowdown on the must have food for celebrating Thanksgiving this Thursday, a big day for any students from the US. Either read it to know a little more about how those in America are celebrating. or use it as inspiration to get everyone together to cook a meal.

Not only will it make your American friends feel more at home, but you can take the chance to experience this holiday yourself.

No two Thanksgivings are exactly the same, but here's a quick list of the creations people make when it comes to Thanksgiving meals.

Starters: oysters rockefeller; celery and

pear bisque; caesar salad with sourdough croutons.

Main course: roast turkey with all the trimmings; roa t chicken and sage and onion stuffing with chips; gooseberry sauce; broad beans and sausage meatballs; sweet potato gumbo with cornbread muffins.

Desserts: Pumpkin pie; key lime pie; American-based cheesecake.

No Thanksgiving table is complete without a large dish of cranberry sauce, the cranberry being a native North American berry, regarded as an indispensable part of the traditional Thanksgiving menu.

Often a harvest centrepiece is made for the table, such as a simple basket, rustic candle and seasonal natural materials, to bring the warm and rustic feel of fall to the Thanksgiving table.

Lamb Pitta Pockets

I

Lydia McEvoy Food Writer

This simple recipe for lamb pittas makes a tasty alternative to a takeaway kebab, and your wallet will thank you for making the switch.

• Fresh mint or coriander • Low-fat plain yoghurt or sour cream • Pitta bread • Salad leaves

Method: You will need:

• • • • •

Diced Lamb One tbsp of dried mixed herbs One red onion One chilli One clove of garlic

• Brown off the lamb, then add the mixed herbs, sliced onion, chilli and garlic.

• Mix the mint or coriander into the yoghurt or sour cream.

• Lightly toast the pittas, and add the yoghurt/sour cream and salad to the pitta.

•

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ISSUE 2~8

20

co nc rete.ed ito ri a I@uea.ac. u k

UEA Squash This issue, exe rcise newbie Joanna O ' Connor spoke to Dom Markham (President), Garr Probert (Vice-President) and Dom Williams (Socia l Sec & l st Team Cap ta in) of the UEA Squash Society about socials, stereotypes , and just what it is about this acclaimed sport tha t makes them tick.

Q: First th ings first, wha t's the society a ll a bo ut?

Do m M: We' re a group of peopl e who enj oy playing squas h I Garr: We have training sess ions and beginner's tourn aments; we ca ter to <1 lll cvels. Oth er clubs <J re quite eliti st, whi ch we don't like.

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Q: To cleat· the a ir, doesn't squash have the stereotype of 'middl e-aged guy using "squas h" as a cove r-up for his affair'?

Ga rr: I think that s tereoty pe is long gon e./\lso, in thi s clay and age squas h is a much more wo man-fri endly sport so now wo men arc a bl e to use that excuse as well .

Q: So what ca n you offer the competitive a mong us?

Du m M: We foc us on what our me mbers wa nt, so we choose when we' re play ing matches. We co ntac t other unive rsiti es and find out when they ca n play. We're powe r to th e peo pl e! Wait ... we're not L<~ b o ur... or is it th e Ca mero n wh o's been saying thaf'

Do m W: We're also maki ng inroads in the loca l league- top of the table at th e moment 1 Q: Wha t advice would you give to a beginne r?

Dum M: Get yo urse lf to a co urt at non-pea k hours, (not 9-Sp m on a wee k clay) borrow a racket from us, and just have a gol Fo r £2 .50 it's hardly a rip-off.

Garr: The advantage of squ as h is that yo u ca n practi ce by yo urself (unlike tennis and badminton) . We have coach es here too if you 're seeking to improve your perform ance.

Q: I'm glad to see the girls a re holding the ir ow n, wi th me mbe1·s often playing on mixed cou1·ts.

How does the women's team s ha pe up?

Dom W: We have a great fema le side, ca pt<J ined by Emily Pa in e. We've had about thirty join us so far this yea r.

Dam M: They also play in the Norfolk league, whi ch has been good for ga ining match experience.

Are you getting it?

Th is week, th e lJ 11 ive rsity of Eas t Angli a la un ched a ca mpa ign to ra ise awa re ness of chl a mydi a in th e stud e nt popul ation . '/\ re yo u gc tli ng it' is a n NII S hea lth prog ra mm e that a ims to give sexua lly ac ti ve you ng people in Norfolk a nd Wavc ney access to free co nfid e nti a l se rvices a nd inform ation about the mos t co mm o n sex ua lly Pick up a trans mitted infecti on in kit from the Union Advice th e U.I<.

Centre It is est im ated th at 1 in 12 peo pl e aged betwee n J 5-2 4 cou ld he ca r ry ing chl a mydi a.

Desp ite be ing relati ve ly easy to treat, it ra re ly has noticea bl e symptoms, a nd if left simpl e urin e sa mple is a ll th at is unn oticed ca n lea d to infertility. requi re d, and res ults re tu rn wi thin Th e only way of a definit e 7- 10 days. di ag nos is is to ta ke a tes t, whi ch is Chl amydia tes ts are ava il a bl e to free, co nfid e ntial a nd painl ess - a all s tud ents from th e Advi ce Ce nt re.

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Q: So, you guys are starti ng a revo lution! Wha t are the benefits fo r a UEA stude nt looking to pick up a racke t?

Do m W: it doesn' t matter what the wea ther is, yo u ca n play whenever.

Dom M: Plus, I hate to admit it, but the co urts in th e Spo rts park a re eas ily th e best around .

who le uni ve rsity!

Wi th so me wis hful thin king from Ga rr; the lun ch date ca me to an encl .

As a beginner themse lf, th is writer felt re laxed and we lcome around

these fun -loving lads. If yo u want, drop them an email on uca.squash@ gmai l.co m or find their Face boo k page : UEA Squas h Club 2010/ ll.

With members hip only cos ting £13 a yc;:u; yo u ca n't go w rong I

Q: The socials, a to pic on eve ry

stude nt's mind. Are they ba nter ga lore?

Dom W: Th e squas h-only socia ls arc a good laugh, and we also have th e tri -racket socials, with one co ming up in week 8. We also have non-alco holi c soci<J is to ca ter to everyone's needs a nd wa nts.

Do m M: And at the end of the year we have the tri- racket tourn<Jmen l, foll owed by th e hall, in f<J irly lav is h surroundings.

Q: Lastly, would you ever accept the offer of doing a saucy calendar?

Dom M: Like Dav id Beckham or James Cord en, reclining on a sofa?

GarT: We don't wa nt to attract the

UEA calls for annual donation Eve ry year a tea m of dedi cated stud ents wo rk as stu de nt ca llers for the Unive rsity's Call Ca mpaign, raising money fo r th e An nual Fund.

Based in th e Co uncil Chamber; studen ts wo rk Mond ay to Thu rsday in the evenings and betwee n October a nd Marc h they will speak to th ousa nds of alumni of the Unive rsity. Alu m ni share stories of their lime at UEA and since they left, and lll <lllY choose to support curren t and future stude nts thro ugh a gift to the Annua l Fun d.

Th e Fund supports University stud ents through scholars hips and bursJ ries, and by prov iding equ ip ment and opportuni ties whic h otherwi se wo uld not be availa bl e. It began life in the 1990s as a res ponse to th e many generous dona tio ns received from form er s tud ents ove r the years and as a way of encouraging more alumni to join them in giving their s upport. Wh en alumni make do nations th ey ca n choose whethe r their money s upports the ju bilee Scholars hip Fund or th e Priority Fun d .

+supported by nst A

AnnuaiFu d

The Priority Fund is distrib uted by a com mittee of alumni, with rep resenta ti ves of th e Uni versity and Stud ent Unio n. Schools and Departmen ts from across the Unive rsity submit bids for projects th at enhance th e stud ent experience and las t year 18 successful projects rece ived a total of £76,568.00.

Projects that received a gra nt from th e Fund inclu de the refurbish ment of Fl oo r 0 of th e Libra ry, a new mod ule in th e Schoo l of 11 istory and atte nda nce at place ment fa irs for stud ent · in CMP. Projects that have benefi ted from th e Annu al Fund will disp lay it<; logo, so look out fo r it around ca mpus.

Th e Ca ll Ca mpaign is a grea t way <~nnua ll y

to introd uce potential new donors to the Annual Fun d and to upda te cur re nt donors a bout how stud ents are benefiting fro m their fi n<~n c i a l sup po rt. It also gives a lumni the opportunity to as k any qu es tions th ey might have a bout how th e mon ey is s pent. Stud ent ca llers do an a mazing job of talking w ith our alumni, telling th em a bout life at UI::A today. Working fo r the Annual Fund is a rewa rding jo b and the profess ionalis m a nd dedi ca ti on of our s tud ent ca ll ers is always impress ive.

If you are interested in joining th e Ca ll Ca mpaign next ye a r~ please contac t Cha rl otte Burford (Aiumni and Annual Fund manage r) at c.hurford@uea.ac. uk.

ISSUE 248

INTERNATIONAL 21

www.concrete-online.co.uk

Tuesday 23rd November

Nottingham Malaysian Games 201 0 Rachael Lum International Writer Following 8 months of preparation, the 26th Nottingham Malaysian Games was once again held at the University of Nottingham on the 6th November 2010. An estimated 6,000 people attended the event, the majority of which are students from around the UK and Ireland.

This event has been an annual tradition of the Nottingham Malaysians Society si nce 1985. Of all such games held in the UK, Nottingham has the largest establishment due to the size of its student society and number of different games it holds, which attracts a plethora of students every year.

2010 saw an increase in the number of participating contingents, with a record 66 universities signing up for the games.

There was an additional 10 new contingents compared to 2009, in which UEA was also included The main aim of the Games is to provide a central platform whereby fellow Malaysians can get together for a day of camaraderie. For most students, this is a time when they meet up with their peers who are also studying

abroad. At the same time, it also promotes the country's culture.

There were 13 games open for participation, most of which took part in the Portland Building and the Sports Centre . .For sports enthusiasts, there were competitions such as badminton, football, netball and squash.

Those who prefer a less physical exertion could partake in mind-challenging games like

"This event has been an annual traditio n of the Nottingham

Malaysian

Society since 1985" scrabble, snooker and lightning chess. To give the games a twist, the Nottingham student society even brought back the traditional games that were introduced in 2009 such as congkak and 'five stones'.

Apart from that, there was a bazaar that sold local products and the Ma laysian Food Festival, which generated a crowd at the stores.

To quell their gastronomic craving, many

MCM London Expo

waited hours to buy the different variations of nood les, rice dishes, hors d'oeuvre and cakes.

Over the years, the most popular sale has always gone to the 'Nasi Jemak' (Rice cooked with coconut milk and served with cucumbers and chicken).

The champion for the Games as a whole

was Imperial College London. Nottingham Trent University bagged the most uniformed contingent award, while the most enthusiastic student society was from Warwick University.

It ended in a hope that more students would continue to support the Malaysian Games come November next year.

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A fool's guide to the boomerang Kirsten Wade International Writer

Isabelle Carty International Wri ter The MCM London Expo is an event for anime lovers, science fiction fans, and garners held biannually in London.

For those who have never been, it introduces the new fa n to a whole subculture of enthusiasts ranging from Cosplay~rs (Cosplay is short for "costume play" and it involves people dressing up as their favourite characters from games, ani me, movies etc.) to Steam punks (Steam punk is another sub-genre of science fiction set in Victorian times). For those who are old hands and completely familiar with this type of affair, it is the event of the year to look forward to and to work towards.

This year's latest event took place on the 29th-31st October and featured guests over the weekend from SyFy Channel's TV series Warehouse 13, Eureka and Haven, as well as John de Lancie, better known to fans as "Q" from Star Trek, Glenn Morshower (from the Transformers movies) and science fiction writer Peter Hamilton among others. Show atteni:lees were given the opportunity to meet with the guests, have their photos taken with them and

get their autographs.

If famous guests were not sufficient, the event was packed with entertainment, from live wrestling to excl usive screenings of previously unseen footage from movies like Avatar and the upcoming Simon Pegg/ Seth Rogan comedy, Paul. ln addition, garners were Jured to the event by games such as Dead Space 2, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Batman the Brave and The Bold among countless others which were made available for everyo ne to play.

A vast number of stalls were also in place, selling difficult to find items ranging from American drinks and confectionary, to anime figurines, amusing t-shirts, games, DVDs etc. Comic artists and writers were also in attendance and show attendees had the opportunity to have caricatures of themselves drawn.

The atmosphere throughout the weekend was infectious and started prior to arriving at the venue. There was a feeling of camaraderie that m~de even queuing up to get into the event a fun experience as strangers exchanged highfives and hugs and passed around balloons.

Ultimately, the Expo offered each visitor a way to enjoy the unique experience and escape reality- if only for just the weekend.

Despite the common belief that boomerangs are traditionally associated with the indigenous population of Australia, the activity of boomerang throwing actually involves participants from across Australia and from varying cultural groups.

Brushing over the argument of whether boomerang throwing is a sport or not, there is no argument that there is definite art and skill to the activity.

Turning to the experts, the Boomerang Association of Australia (BAA), the best way to achieve success in boomerang throwing is to follow the acronym W.E.L.SH.

best achieve

way

to

success

1n

boomerang Is

to

boomerang at eye level or slightly above th is height.

Following on from this is layover. Layover is the angle at which the plane of the boomerang is angled from vertical when throwing. For best results, this is typically b~tween 10 and 30 degrees. Then comes spin. Without spin, a boomerang is simply a bent stick. Spin can be created by flicking the wrist as the boomerang is released or by tilting the boomerang backwards.

Finally, the last element to think about is hardness, which basically comes down to distance preference. Obviously, mastering boomerang throwing w ill take time, patience and lots of practice, but having the boomerang turn and return is reward for it all.

But, if boomera ng throwing sounds too complicated and strenuous, there is always boomerang painting and decorating!

•

throwing

follow

the

acronym WELSH" Firstly, consider the wind. The boomerang needs to be thrown around the wind, to the right of the wind for right-handed people and to the left for left-handed people.

Secondly, elevation needs to be considered.

Avoid the temptation of throwing upwards, as best results are achieved by throwing the

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SPORT

ISS UE 248

www.concrete-online.co.uk

eo ncrete.s port@u ea.ac. uk

Harrison-Haye fight fails to live up to the hype

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Ma tt Philcox Sports Correspo ndent

No rwich City were on th e wrong end of a highly contentioi.1s refereeing dec ision in the ir encounter with Reading at the Maclej ski Stadium.

With th e visitors 3-1 up at half time thanks to goals from R u s·s e 11 M a rtin, Grant llolt and Chris M a rtin, Halt was then dismi ssed for a seemingly innocuous chall enge on lan Harte.

Manager Paul Lambert was sent to the stands late on following a Rea ding fi ght-back which ensured th e ga me enclecl3-3, and the Ca nari es lost two va luabl e poi nts. Ho lt's reel ca rd was later over-turned by the FA,

deal.

The drastic dip in rece nt form for Ipswich Tow n continu ed following their so lid start to th e ca mpaign, with Roy Kea ne's men suffering a 3-1 humi li ation at Portman Road at the hands of Barnsley. Thi s prompted defend er Mark Kennedy to claim that th e tea m were 'letting clown' manager Roy Kea ne.

The Tractor Boys looked to bounce back aga inst relegated Hull City at the KC Stad ium, but th e match proved to be a relatively dour affai r with the sco re remaining firmly deadlocked at 0-0 until 77th A

ea rn ed his side all three points to co mpou nd the misery for Town. In a game of few chances, the visitors co uld only muster two shots on target, winger Carl os Edwards (below) with the best of them, but lacking the quality displayed by Koren from a simil ar range.

The result saw Ipswich drop out of the top half of the Champi onship to 13th, three poi nts behind bitter rivals Norwich City. With the Tractor Boys fa cing th e poss ibility of a fourth straight defeat, the upco ming East i\ngli an derby could make or break th eir season, with the pressure steadily mounting on l<ea ne to stop the rot.

This Friday, the Norwich City Independent Supporters' Association holds it's first quarterly m embers' evening at Bowthorpe's Bowling Centre. Th e evening will commence at 7.30pm, with City legends Kevin Drinke/1 Brown hosting a question-and-answer session during the proceedings.

Hockey thrashed by Notts I

Chris Tea le Spo rts Corresponde nt

UEA Women's I Nottingham Women's 11

0 5

UEA Wome n's Hockey I cras hed to a disa ppointing S-0 loss aga in st Nottingham Wome n's 11 on Wednesday at th e Sportspark. Four seco nd ha lf goa ls from th e away s id e saw Nottingham win convincingly in a game they dom inated from the outset. co ntroll ed The visitors possess ion in the first-h alf and had a number of good opportunities to open the scoring but fai led to take th em, in the most part du e to so lid defendi ng by th e hom e s ide.

In th e opening twenty minutes there were opportuniti es for UEA to co unte r-attack, but with li ttle support for the attacking players, these chances were lost.

Nottin gha m eve ntu a lly made th eir possess ion and chances co unt,

..

howeve[ Next up for City was a grudge match aga inst Leeds United at Ca rrow Road, which took on add ed signifi cance clue not only to the playoff aspirati ons of both sides, but th e fact that th ey fini shed as League On e champions and runners- up r espec ti ve l y last seaso n.

Max Gradel's fortuitou s goal put United ahead before Leo n Barnett's (left) hea der mid-way through the frenetic seco nd half ea rn ed the Canaries their fourth co nsecutive draw, in front of a reco rd all-seater crowd at (arrow Road. Pa ul Lam bert's side have now won just once in eight ga mes, and currently stand eighth in th e table.

Th e Canaries have announced th e signing of Henri Lansbury from Arsenal, on a one-month loan

taking the lea d in the 20th minute with a well-taken goa l from the right of the shooting circle afte r th e ba ll defl ected off th e pos t.

UEA respo nd ed imm edi a tely up the other end of the fi eld, but we re closed out by an effi cient Nottingham defence. This prove d to be a bri ef respite for the hom e

s id e, with on ly a success ion of fine saves from UEA goa lkee per Sophie Simpson kee ping th e sco re at a deserved 1-0 to th e visitors at halftime.

The seco nd period bega n in a s imil a r vein, with Notti ngham do min ating a nd creatin g chances ea rly on. It wasn't long before, in

the 48th minute, th ey ex te nd ed their lea d via a defl ected shot fo ll owing a cross from the left ha nd sid e. To th eir credit, th e ho me sid e continu ed to look fo r chan ces, but the vis iting 'keeper stood firm.

Nottingha m, howeve r, were still creating opportunities and sco red a third in th e 59th minute, lobbing Simp so n fo ll owing a well -wo rked penalty co rn e r. The match fas t beca me an uphill struggle for UEA to keep the sco re down, a strategy whi ch co uldn't prevent Nottin gham scoring aga in in the 64th minute.

From this point onward s UEA had no answe r to the perp etua l barrage of Nottingham attacks, and s uccumb ed to so mew hat of a fluke fifth goal, which went in off the lefthand post in the 67th min ute as the ga me ca me to a co nclusio n.

Next up for UEA Women's I is a seco nd round BUCS Cup tie aga inst Oxford Brookes Wom en's Ill , a nd a chance to put thi s result behind them a nd progress further in the co mpetition .

Billed as th e biggest British heavyweigh t boxing clas h since Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno in 1993, the Haye- Harriso n fight enj oyed ·extensive build-up in the media as th e elate drew nea 1; during which the 'Best of Enemies' fill ed cou ntless news paper co lumns with thei r relentless animosity and constant 'trash talking'.

The scene was set for an ep ic enco unter with the WBA Heavyweight titl e on the line, an electric atmosphere, £15 paid to Sky Box Office and a nation holding its coll ective breath. Howeve1; despite all th e hype, all the specula tio n and the media circus, in eight minutes of boxing Audley 'A-Force' ll arrison laid just one punch on Davicl 'H aye maker' Haye, before the latter ab ruptly end ed hi s chall enge in the third round . This shamboli c display by the fo rm er-Olymp ic go ld medall ist on ly further discredited his rep utation as a professional b oxe 1~ The first round was a cagey affai1; with neither fi ghter willin g to hand the advantage to the other; resulting in a chorus of boos around the MEN Arena in Manchestec as neith er land ed a pun ch.

The second was a similar affai 1; before the fl oodgates opened in the th ird round and a succession of fast, potent blows to the head left Harrison with no answer to his opponent's onslaught. Despite getting up after a eight count mom ents later Harriso n was struck aga in, this time more forcefully, leading the umpire to ca ll an end to the fight, and seal the in ev itable fate of Harriso n.

More controversy foll owed with many criticising Harrison's lack of fi ght and suggesti ng that his intention was to take a few hits in order to earn one las t pay cheque, although Haye largely discredits this view.

The winner has himself been reprim and ed by the British Boxing Board of Co ntrol (BBBofC) for suggesting to fami ly members and close friend s that he wou ld knock Harrison out in the third round. Haye has bee n quoted as saying: "I didn't physica lly go into a betti ng shop and say, here's x amount of money'', but whether this will be enough for him to avoid sa ncti ons remains to be see n. For those who shell ed out £15 to watch the fight on television, it will be remembered less for the hype and post-fight controversy than for a dee ply-underwhelming eve nt, and littl e more than an anti-climax.

Sa m Tomkinson

I d

ISSUE 248

23

Tuesday 23rd November

Vettel's

Fencing weekend a pointed success

last-gasp

UEA Fencing Vice-Pres.i dent Jason G illan describes the recent five-team BUCS tournament hosted by his club

• VICtory

I

Keiren Cordery Sports Correspondent

Sebastian Vettel became the youngest ever Formula One World Champion after claiming victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In a remarkable sequence of events the 23-yearold German managed to overturn a 15-point deficit to snatch the title from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber.

The season finale, being held in Abu Dhabi for only the second time, brought to an end the longest and hardest-fought World Championship in Formula One history. Indeed, after a thrilling start the race looked to be living up to its huge billing.

OutgoingchampionJensonButton made an excellent start, despite being out the running for this year's crown, overtaking Femando Alonso to put a major dent in his hopes of taking a third World Championship title. This move turned out to. be crucial as the Ferrari would fail to trouble the frontrunners for the remainder of the race.

To cap an underwhelming comeback season, Michael Schumacher exited the Grand Prix early after being spun into the path of Vitantonio Liuzzi by his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.

It was both unfortunate and deeply disappointing for the race's many spectators that after a brief period under the safety car; racing resumed with virtually no successful overtaking manoeuvres.

The outcome of the race would instead come down to a tactical battle between Red Bull and Ferrari, after the former made the call to bring in Mark Webber on lap 12, and Ferrari ill-advisedly decided to react.

This resulted in Alonso spending a dismal 40 laps unable to pass the Renault of Vitaly Petrov and close in on the front-runners, leaving Vettel to storm to a historic victory in the desert, claiming the title by just four points.

.....

Last weekend UEA Fencing Club hosted a BUCS tournament, where all the teams in the same divisions as UEA's men's and women's sides were invited to come down for the weekend and fence all of their BUCS matches over a few days. In the end five teams attended the Sportspark tournament, with eight matches taking place on the Saturday and one on the Sunday. All teams fenced strongly, producing several unbelievably close matches in a friendly but competitive atmosphere.

UEA's men's squad began against Staffordshire, with the opening foil round producing a dominant 45-14 win for the hosts. The sabre category was slightly closer; after a rocky start both teams began to find their feet but UEA were again too strong. eventually winning 45-28. In the final epee phase, the two sides were deadlocked at 30-30 before UEA secured 5-1, 5-2 and 5-3 victories in the final three . bouts to complete their match win.

The hosts were not able to

Razor sharp: UEA Fencing put on a strong display in a series of close matches repeat this performance against fencing powerhouse Oxford, though, suffering a total reverse and losing all three categories. UEA's final match against Nottingham 11 now gained

added significance, and developed into an enthralling contest. Despite several notable individual efforts and a timed victory for UEA in the epee, Nottingham's slight superiority

allowed them to edge the foil and sabre categories, handing UEA its second loss of the weekend.

Having produced a battling 4 display in a narrow defeat to muchfancied Warwick, UEA Women's second and final match was against Staffordshke. The foil began with a near-repeat of the men's tie against Staffordshire earlier in the day; UEA coming through 45-23. Sabre was a much closer affair; after a difficult start for UEA, Megan Proctor produced an amazing display to earn UEA the lead en route to a 4538 triumph. In epee UEA once again displayed its strength in depth, winning 45-25 after a great start.

Despite the mixed results both UEA tearns displayed impressive ability and athleticism. The weekend " was a huge success all round, with UEA Fen(:ing quite possibly the biggest beneficiary of all.

Editors' So You Think You Knovv Karate? Column

Sports Correspondent Ki rsten W ade previews a fighting fit sports club hungry for success Not every sports club at UEA is prominent purely in BUCS competition. Some are more important because they give students the chance to try out a sport they've never played or participated in before - and UEA Karate Club, which has reformed this year after not running in 2009-10, is a perfect example of that. A dispute with the club's previous instructor resulted in it being without a suitable replacement last year; and this has forced UEA Karate to start again from scratch.

Karate · is one of the most recognised forms of martial art throughout the world, and one of several on offer at UEA. It translates literally from Japanese as 'empty hanq', which comes from the fact that karate is based on non-weapon techniques, with a focus on both physical and mental skills. Karate Club President, Shotokan instructor and Sensei 3rd Dan Simon Russell explains that the aim of karate is · to "teach people how to act, to give them the knowledge to keep calm in a situation and to be able to act and think when needed."

While various styles of karate exist, such as Goju-Ryu, Shito-Ryu,

Wado-Ryu and Uechi-Ryu, the most practised style today is Shotokan.

Shotokan karate differs slightly from these other styles, mainly in tl1at it is highly accessible, even for beginners.

The discipline is often recognisable from its line formations during training. which serve the purpose of promoting familiarity and rhythm of moves.

Karate, like other martial arts such as taekwondo and judo, has the adva ntage of being applicable in the real world in terms of selfdefence. Training allows participants

to use what they learn in the dojo (or 'training room') in everyday life if a dangerous situation presents itself.

Russell explains that karate is about taking both tl1e physical and mental skills learnt in training and applying them: "You learn to manipulate what you've been taught, so you can apply it to a practical situation".

In terms of competitions, UEA Karate is essentially a new club since reforming at the beginning of the academic year. As such there are many beginners involved, meaning that the club is unlikely to be entering into tournaments at least until next year; due to the standard involved in such events. Furthermore, as Russell explains, the club doesn't compete in BUCS competition due to its specific idea of kata, meaning 'form' and relating to particular stances, from amongst 100 different styles across the various forms of karate.

The UEA Shotokan Karate Club attempts to incorporate all of these aspects of karate and promote wellrounded training. The Club meet twice a week for training. Thursday between 5:30pm and 7:00pm and Sunday 3:00pm to 5:00pm, in the martial arts roorri at the Sportspark.

For regio nal and international sports fans alike there is much to whet ou1 appetite over the next couple of weeks.

First tiP is the much-anticipated East Anglian derby, making its return to the sporting calendar for the 2010·11 season. The game at Carrow Road on Sunday is set to be the most competitive between the two teams for a number of years, with both now harbouring promotion aspirations and putting in promising performances early on in the Championship season.

As for international cricket, the Ashes fir~t test begins on Thursday; with England hoping to hold onto the urn recaptured from Australia last year; and avoid another devastating whitewash along the lines of their 5-0 defeat down under in the 2006-7 series.

Finally, in the previous issue, a joke, designed solely to be humorous and in no way based on our opinion, was regrettably printed in the sub-heading of an article. \tVe offer our unconditional and unreserved apologies to the person concerned for any offence we may have inadvertently caused.

- Chris King and Rob Schatten -

-

. DRAW ,

I

Formula One

Audley Harrison and David Haye's WBA Heavyweight title fight disappointed fans and didn't live up to the hype

Sebastian Vettel steals the World Championship from under the nose of rivals Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber at the Abu Dhabi GP

LEAVES FOOTBALL WITH BLUES

Matt Scrafton Sports Correspondent

UEA Men's I Camb ridge Men's I

1 1

UEA Men's Football I squared off agai nst Cambridge I in the BUCS League this week, braving a chilly Wednesday afternoon at Colney Fields and putting on a highly competitive display in a close-fought game. Both sides had enjoyed impressive starts to , . 路he season - UEA went into the match unbeaten in their last three outings while the visitors were in imperious form, having won both of their previous two fixtures, scoring seven in total and failing to concede on both occasions.

It was the hosts who began the brighte1~ forcing the majority of the early action to be played in the Cambridge half. it was this pressure which fashioned the first real opportunities of the game, the most notable of which was a Cambridge defender coming dangerously close to scoring an embarrassing own goal, as his attempt at a clearing header smashed against his own crossbar.

UEA looked determined to maintain their momentum and came close to scoring moments later when pacy striker Chuka Obi was set through on goal, only to fire disappointingly wide.

It looked as though UEA cou ld be made to rue missing their early openings as Cambridge grew into the game, yet an incisive breakaway resulted in a well-taken opener from Neil 1-lurren, who struck across

EASTON Toby Martin Sports Correspondent

~

Boxing

UEA Men's I Leiceste r Men's I

8 4

UEA Men's 11 Oxford Brookes Me n's I

8 4

UEA Men's Tennis I and 11 enj oyed successful outings against Leicester . I and Oxford Brookes I respectively

Competitive: UEA striker Chuka Obi (centre) bursts through the Cambridge defence during a spirited and close-fought draw at Colney Fields the Cambridge keeper to put UEA deservedly ahead.

Instead of building on their impressive start to the game, howeve1; UEA became comp lacent and sat back, a dangerous tactic aga inst a clearly talented Ca mbridge outfit.

The away side began to put pres -ure on th e hosts, with a success ion of dangerous Rory Delapesque long throws disturbing the

UEA defence. Yet the half time whistle was blown before Cambridge could forge any notable opportunities, UEA maintaining a slender lead.

The visitors were level soon after the interval. The ball was drill ed into the bottom corner by the Cambridge number 8, following yet another dangerous throw from the left, punishing the home defence for failing to clear their lines and leaving

C~OLLEGE on Wednesday at Easton Col lege.

The former were up against tough opposition in Leicester, but got off to a great start with Ross Culley and Nathan Briscoe winning their doubles match in three sets.

Captain Henry Dun路ant made an important decision, se lecting Dominic Noakes from UEA 11 to replace the injured james BaseyFisher. This turned out to be an inspired move, as Durrant and

goalkeeper Adam Burlett stranded.

The goal ga lvanised the away side as they continued to pile on the pressure.

Cambridge came close to taking the lead on a number of occasions in the second half, yet failed to find the killer touch in the final few moments to secure all three points.

The two sides traded penalty ap peals in the last ten minutes of the ga me, only for the referee to wave

away their protests, and so it proved that both sides would have to settle for a point apiece. 路A solid performance from UEA centre-back Dan Morphew saw him voted as the home side's man of the match.

These two universities will meet again on a football fi eld in a week's time with UEA travelling to Cambridge, this time to play Cambridge 11 in the BUCS Cup.

SUCCESS FOR TENNIS

Noakes combined well to craft a three set victory in their doubles match, and Noakes went on to triumph in the singles. Briscoe and Durrant were then unfortunately defeated in two highly competitive singles matches to leave the tie in the balance, but an impressive performance from UEA's No.l Culley proved to be the difference.

He won in three epic sets to secure an 8-4 victory, a very

impressive result given that Leicester had won their first two games 12-0. UEA l's victory continues their unb eaten run, which has so far featured two victories and a draw.

UEA llmeanwhile made history, securing their first ever victory by defeating Oxford Brookes 8-4.

Captain Chris Thompson lead by examp le, winning in the si ngles (6-3, 6-4) and comb ining well with

BUCS debutant Elliott Brookes in the doubles.

Brookes also triumphed in the singles (6-4, 6-3) to put UEA 11 in control. Theodore Chakos and Alex Howard were narrowly defeated in a competitive doubles match, before Howard compe nsated for this defeat with a stunning victory (6-2, 6-2) in the singles to ro und off an excellent day for both UEA Men's Tennis sides.