Yes, it's that time of year again! Log on to http:// surveymonkey. net/ s/ concretesurvey20 11 to complete this year's survey.
Win tickets for the comedian's show in the LCR by turning to Competitions.
Tuesday 1st February 2011 • Issue 251 • UEA's Independent Student Newspaper • Twitter: @Concrete_UEA
UEAsees 18% increase in applicants as fees set to triple • •
Record number of university applications in anticipation of threefold fee increase UEA reports an unprecedented 18% rise in applications for 2011 I 12 academic year. James Hughes News Reporter
The anticipated scramble for university places for the prospective autumn intake this year has been confirmed by record figures released by UCAS. UEA have announced an increase in applications which reaches nearly 19%. The figures, which UCAS have referred to as the "highest number" of applications since their records began i~ 1964, are indicative of a generation desperate to avoid the imminent rise in the cost of tuition fees, which will take effect from 2012. UEA and the other East Anglian higher education institutions have experienced an unprecedented rise in applicants for the academic year 2011/12 with UEA seeing an astonishing increase of almost 19% on the number of applications from last year. This has raised the application threshold to the tune of around 3,000 extra, whilst the amount of places available remains disproportionate, meaning that the scope for disappointment and rejection will be far greater. The total number of applicants for higher education has increased by 5.1% according to the official statistics; however, these figures
have painted an uncertain picture regarding the movements of the next generation of university applicants. Whilst the numbers depict a percentage increase on recent years, the rate at which candidates applied dipped around the time of the protests against the controversiaJ Higher Education Bill. The significant rate of 20% at which the applications had been rising crashed suddenly after the announcement of the decision to pass the Bill in December. Although the Bill does not come into effect until the academic year 2012/13, the passing of it was enough to discourage this year's applicants from contemplating embarking on a university course. These figures have demonstrated the huge impact that the rise in fees has and will continue to have on future students, who may be blighted by the financial implications of higher education. President of the NUS, Aaron Porter, has put added pressure on ministers claiming that they are "at risk of letting down a generation, who have had opportunities taken away from them and must urgently provide opportunities and funding for our future".
NEWS: Salinger's letters ~ NEWS: Acton speaks out ~ COMMENT AND [ OPINION: Just being : against visa proposal. donated to UEA library. . Frank? Catcher in the Rye author's letters reveal appreciation for Tim Henman and Burger King. Page4
FEATURES: Censorship special report.
~ COMPETITIONS: Win : tickets to the Kerrang Tour!
Vice-Chancellor Edward Acton ; Henry Croft comments on the : )onathan Parr investigates the : Turn to Venue for your chance to win speaks out against Government : reasons behind Frankie Boyle's · implications of the recent censoring of : a pair of ticket to see the Kerrang! plans for international student visas. ; Comedy Awards snub. Mark Twain's iconic Huck/eberry Finn. · Relentless Tour at the LCR Page 11 Page 12-13 Venue Page 24 Page3
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con crete.n ews@ uea.ac.uk
City Academy being rebuilt as part of £21 million regeneration project
UEA's Independent Student Newspaper
• New building is scheduled to open to students in September 2012 . Concrete Newspa pe r Union House UEA Norwich NR4 7TJ concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Ed itori al: 01603 593 466 Advertising: 01603 592 507 Editor:
Danny Collins
Deputy Editor:
Steph Mci<enna
Chief Copy Editor:
Mia Wecker
News Editors:
Davina I<esby Ed Leftwich
Comment and Opinion Editor:
Emma Parrott
International Editor:
Nishavitha Murthi
Features Editor:
Adam Fenwick
Turf Editor:
Anna Tomson
Lifestyle Editor:
james Oixon
Travel Editor:
Tom Hunt
Sports Editors:
Chris King Rob Schatten
Chief Photographer:
Greg Mann
Deputy Chief Photographer:
Laura Sm ith
Advertising Manager:
jean Wills
Distributor:
Rob Schatten
•
Academy a im s to become one of the best sch ools in the country by 2018. David Murphy Ne w s Re porte r
Co ns tru ction has b eg un on a bra nd new City Aca demy No rwi ch which will re pl a ce th e curre nt buildin gs in 2 01 2. Wo rk o ffi cia lly bega n o n Mo nd ay 24th with an ea rth cutt in g ce r e mon y a tte nded by th e Aca d e my's va ri o us s pon so rs, in cludin g UEA a nd City Co ll ege No rwi ch. Co ntrac to rs l<i e r Eas te rn a re aiming to op e n th e bui lding to s tud e nts in Se pte mb e r 201 2 rea dy fo rth e beginning of th e ne w te rm . Th e n ew buildin g, es t im a te d to cos t £21m, will in corpora te two cr esce nts jo in e d bac k to bac k. Th e la rge r o f th e tw o will face in tow a rd s th e curr e nt g ro und s a nd ho use m os t of th e teac hin g rooms fo r s tud e nts . Th e seco nd, s m a ll e r s tru cture will face o ut to wa rd s Blu e b e ll Roa d a nd will in clud e rece pti o n a reas as w e ll as roo ms to be use d by a dult lea rn e rs a nd
oth er m e mb e rs o f th e wid e r CO Ill mU n
i ty.
Oth e r fe a tures includ e a lin k to UEA's hea tin g sys te m w hi ch will g rea tl y red uce ca rb o n e mi ss io ns , a n o utd oo r a mphith ea tre for dra ma a nd oth e r p e rfo rm a nces a nd a full y co mputerize d e ·wa ll in th e lea rnin g a nd reso urces ce ntre. Prin cip a l David Br·unt o n sa id : "S ta ff a nd s tud e nts a re
nex t 10 yea rs . Ma ny s tud e nts a nd t eac he rs s till fee l th a t t he sc h ool is plag ue d by th e s ti g ma o f Ea rlham lli gh be ing s in g le d o ut as o ne o f th e w o r s t sc hoo ls in th e co untry bac k in 2 00 8. Whil e vas t stri des h ave b ee n m a d e, City Aca d e my s till stru ggles to ac hi eve th e n a ti o nal s ta nd a rds requ ired in p e rform a nce a nd a tte nd a n ce.
UEA LGBT posters
ren1oved the
Jonathan Brady New s Re porte r
Contributors: -~---------' ...--~--------! ,,.. -ja mes Hughes, Davicl Mu rphy, jonathan Brady, Riannc !son, Alex Mansell, James Schofield, Susanna Wood, Philip Thomas, Sam Lewis, Oliver Steward, Rachael Lum, !sa belle Ca rty, Krishnaveni Pada la, Lauren O'N eill, Scatte re d showers a few bright sp ell s. Gust winds Ashley johnston, jennifer Woods, Henry Croft, Bell Thomas, Ellen Steers, jona than Parr, Georgie Adolpho- ,____ Couling, Poppy )on es, Sula Dea ne, Emma Willi amson, r- - - Very n li d but wi nd with outbrea ' S of rain Laura Razavi, Kri stina Stephens, Hester Lee, Freddie on Saturday Co lder on Sun da w1 th fu rt her Magee, Matt Scrafton, Sam Tomkin son, Oli Platt, Ellie rain. perh aps falling as sleet or wet snow Day, Henry Kilmi s te 1~ Chris Tea le
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Proo[readers: Ann Ha rtigan, Amy Adams, Gabri ell a Blake, Carmina Ma s olive r~ Beth Wyatt, Susann a Wood , Kate Ll ewellyn
exce pti o n a lly kee n to see their thou g hts a nd id eas bro ug ht to life in thi s n ew building". City Aca d e my o pe ne d in Se pte mbe r 2 00 9 in th e o ld buildin gs o f Ea rlh a m Hig h, th e failin g s econd a ry w hi ch it re pl aced. lt has a lrea dy pos te d imp ro ve d GCSE res ults a nd th e ne w building is pa rt of a pl a n to turn th e on ce fai lin g s cho o l into a n outs ta ndin g o ne within th e
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Sta ing mixture of sunny spe ll s and showers . or long er spe ll s of rain. perh aps falling as sleet or snow at tirn es . Rather chill and breez throu ghout. www .concreteweother .co.uk
Las t wee k, fifty poste rs a dve rti s ing LGBT (Les bi a n, Gay, Bi sex ua l, a nd Tra nsgc nd e r) w o rks hops in Fe bru a ry we re re m ove d from a round th e UEA ca mpus in w ha t o ne lecture r is ca llin g "ha te- moti va ted cri me". Lite ra ture a nd Tra ns la tion lec tur·e r Dr B.j. Eps te in , wh o put th e pos te rs up, says pe rmi ss io n was gra nted fro m bo th th e Uni o n of UEA Stud e nts a nd th e s ecurity lodge. Des pite thi s, mos t of th e pos te rs ha d bee n re moved within a n hour o f be ing put up. Th e w o rks hops will be held in Fe bru a ry, to
co in cid e w ith LGBT m o nth a nd a rc d es igne d to provid e pee r s upp o rt to s tud e nts wh o nee d th em. Dr Eps tc in sa id : "th e re m ova l of th e poste rs impli es th a t UEA is not necess arily so LGBT· fricncll y a nd th e re is quite cl ea rly a nee d fo r s u ch co ming-out w o rks hops". Sh e a dd ed t ha t, "th e works hops are run fo r th e s tud e nts a nd a t tim es th ey ca n he ve ry e mo ti o na l a nd pow e rful ". With th e poss ibili ty o f mo re po ste rs be in g removed, a dve rtising for th e w orks ho ps is ta king pl ace v ia e ma il a nd pl as ma sc ree n a dve rts a nd e nco urages a ll those inte res te d to a tte nd .
ISSUE 251
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Tuesday 1st February
UEAlaunch pioneering breast reconstruction course
Line up for Norfolk Spectacular revealed â&#x20AC;˘
N-Dubz, Tinie Tempah, Taio Cruz and Tinchy Stryder are amongst the big names that will be headlining the new Norfolk Spectacular festival at the Norfolk Showground.
â&#x20AC;˘
Festival is set to "benefit everybody in the area", with more acts yet to be announced.
I Rianne Ison News Reporter
The University of East Anglia has unveiled a pioneering new MA course for breast reconstruction surgery. The new e-learning master's degree in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery is the first of its kind to formally qualify surgeons in the UK in this crucial field. Oncoplastic breast surgery plays a vital role not only in the surgical removal of breast cancer, but it also benefits the patient's postsurgery recovery and psychological wellbeing. The e-learning course is taught predominantly through an internet-based system, whilst also incorporating local mentoring and assessment. Professor )erome Periera, who helped to develop the course, said "80% of the work will be done online and 20% is practical." This method will ensure that there is still plenty of face-to-face teaching for the students. "Most of the theoretical aspects will be delivered online. The practical skills will be delivered by tutors who will take them through specific operations and increase their range of skills." The first two-year course, due to be attended by 15 surgeons, will commence later this year. Prof. Periera outlined his hopes for UEA to be a world leader in this field of surgery. "Using this method, surgeons will have to cover the full range of operations ... They will be receiving the highest quality of training in this field anywhere in the world."
Rogue cancer gene discovered UEA has also been in the news this week as researchers appear to have identified a rogue gene that could be influential in the battle against cancer. Researchers are hoping that with the right drugs, this gene could be blocked and cancer could be prevented from spreading to other parts of the body.
Alex Mansell
Festival season is to continue in Norwich this summer as it plays host to the exciting Norfolk Spectacular in September. The event will occur over two consecutive days (September 3rd and 4th) and will feature huge names from Britain's pop, R&B and hip-hop music scenes, including those who are currently storming the charts, such as four-time Brit award nominee Tinie Tempah. Thirty-thousand music lovers are expected to descend upon the event, which will take place just outside of Norwich, at the Norfolk Showground on Dereham Road. The festival has been planned to celebrate some of the biggest names in the current British music scene, with at least ten acts performing across the two days. Pop will be the primary focus of Saturday, with Sunday featuring R&B and hip-hop. Sunday's line-up has already been announced with urban music stars Tinie Tempah, Taio Cruz, N-Dubz and Tinchy Stryder all set to wow their fans. It is also rumoured that Labrinth will complete the line-up for Sunday. The Saturday line-up is yet to be announced, but it is certain that there will be some enormous
stars taking to the stage, although the confirmed acts are being kept tightly under wraps. However, the logistics manager Roy Tricket has ensured that it will be an immense line-up, saying: "We are very excited about the line-up. The acts on the Saturday are confirmed and they are very big names, but I can't tell you who yet." Tickets went on sale on Monday January 24th, with those who have NR postcodes receiving 'early-bird' discounts of ÂŁ6.50 per day for the first week of sales. Like other festivals of its kind, the Norfolk Spectacular is specifically aimed at teenagers, but Mr Tricket reassured the local residents by stating that it will be a well organised event, with a "very strong drug zero tolerance" policy which will ensure that it is "a safe event and a family event". There is a considerable amount of support for the festival from Norwich Arts Centre and also the Norwich and Norfolk Festival, with Head of Communications Matthew Sanders declaring that it "can only benefit everybody in the area" and put Norwich on the map as a cultural centre. Concert organiser, joseph Bridge, has called the event a "big coup for Norfolk".
UEA Vice-Chancellor speaks out against Government proposals James Schofield News Reporter Edward Acton, the Vice-Chancellor of UEA, has been a leading voice against Government plans to restrict the number ofinternational students entering Britain, saying that proposals would lead to universities becoming a "deeply wounded" sector. Professor Acton has spoken out against proposals made by the Home Office regarding the student immigration system, with the Government aiming to reduce the number of foreign students studying in Britain. He argued that the measures could have a damaging effect on universities
across the country, and the economy of the East of England region, with international fees making up nearly 10% of the total income of universities. However, it was the plan to introduce tougher English language requirements that Professor Acton took particular issue with, saying: "If that language requirement is imposed, the catastrophic effects on universities will, for a period, actually make the home fees matter slightly fade from centre, so grave will it be." International students currently make up around 15% of the UEA student population. Professor Acton went on to argue that this amount would
be significantly lowered if the Government's proposals went through, and labelled the exercise
as a method of reducing the number of legitimate students entering the UK.
as spo of international students studying in Britain
ISSUE251
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co ncre te. news@ uea.ac. uk
Future of East Anglian film archive called into question Qu esti o ns have bee n ra ised ove r the future o f th e Eas t An gli a n Film Archive. Sta ff have rece ntly bee n as ked by th e Unive rs ity to s to p ta kin g book in gs to vi s it th e a rchive afte r Au g us t, fu e lling s pec ul a ti o n ove r th e future o f th e a rchives. Ne ith e r th e co un cil no r UEA have mad e a ny d e finite pro mi ses rega rdin g th e ce nt re, b ut UEA have sa id th ey a re loo kin g a t th e "lo ng te rm future " of th e co ll ecti o n. Th e a rchi ve used to be ho used at UEA be fore be ing m oved to custo m b uilt sto rage wi t hin th e No rfolk Arc hi ve Ce ntre. So m e a re as kin g if th e co llecti o n is to be m ove d bac k to UEA, o r eve n if th e ce ntre is to be closed a ltogeth e r. UEA has so fa r re fu sed to co mm e nt until fu r th e r d ec is io ns a re m ad e. Ed Leftwich
NUS President heckled at protests in Manchester
A pro tes t in Ma nches te r aga in s t tuition fee ri ses a nd Gove rnm e nt cuts has bee n s hroud ed in co ntrove rsy a fte r Aa ro n P o rt e r~ th e Pres id e nt o f th e Na ti o nal Uni o n o f Stud e nts was re po rte dl y ta rge ted with a nti-Se miti c cha nts. Po rte r h ad to pull o ut of th e ra lly w he re he w as du e to s pea k a nd was esco rte d away fr om th e d e mo ns trat io n by po li ce. Cha nts ca llin g fo r Po rte r to res ign we re a ud ibl e, as w e ll as so me eye witn ess re po rts sta tin g th at pro tes te rs w e re s ho ut ing "f**k ing To ry Je w " a t th e NU S Pres ide nt. Th e rum o ured a nt i-Se miti c to be a pp ea red co mm e nts confirm ed by Porte r o n hi s twitte r page, as he sa id o n Sund ay m o rnin g: "Wi ll no t bac k down to intimida t io n, a nd ce rta in ly no t to rac ia l a bu se. We nee d unity to win for s tud e nts". 16 a rr es ts w e re m a d e a ft e r a gro up of a bo ut 1 5 0 p eop le broke aw ay fro m th e ma in body of protes te r s.
Davin a Kesby
Climategate debate rages on • •
Independence of inquiries ca lled into question by MPs in the Science and Technology Committee. Grey area in Freedom of Information Act. with regards to how it should be applied to scientific research. Susanna Wood Ne w s Re p o rte r
An inves ti ga ti o n into th e in q uiri es m ad e a fte r th e Clim atic Resea rch Uni t e ma il hac king in cide nt has reco mm e nd ed a g rea ter deg ree o f t ra ns pare ncy betwee n th e sc ie n ce wo rld a nd th e publi c. Th e Scie nce and Tec h no logy Co mmittee have been inves ti ga tin g two inqui r ies, com miss io ne d by U EA, to check t ha t th ey we re T he t ho ro ugh a nd ne utra l. findin gs were made p ubli c las t week. T he Co mmittee p ra ise d th e co mpre he nsive ness a nd tra ns pa re ncy of o ne of t he inquiri es, th e In de pe nd e nt Clim a te Cha nge E-m a il s Rev ie w headed by Sir Mu ir Ru sse ll. it co ncl ud ed by co mm e nd ing t he "co ns tru cti ve reco mm e nd at io ns" ma d e in th e inquiri es, so m e of whi ch the Uni ve rs ity has a lready impl e m e nted . Th e in cid e nt itse lf, w hi ch ca m e to a head in Nove mbe r 200 9 as th o usa nd s o f e ma ils fro m within t he Clim a ti c Resea rch Unit a t UEA w e re inte rn a ti o na l lea ked, provo ke d medi a a tte nti o n. Th e co nte nt within th e e m a il s was se ized up o n by clim a te sce pti cs as see min g proo f of a co ns piracy within th e scie ntifi c community to hid e da ta about clim ate cha nge. Whil e th e scie ntis ts in qu es tion have bee n cl ea red of a ny sc ie ntifi c m a lpracti ce, th e d e ba te
--has not disa pp ea red in t he m edi a as to t he way th e Un ive rs ity d ea lt w it h th e s itu a ti o n. The Unive rs ity of Eas t An gli a has ac kn owl edged th e in ves ti ga t io n's findin gs, s ta tin g th a t "b o th o f th ese rev iews we r e co mmi ss io ned by th e Uni ve rs ity, but w e re ind e p e nd e nt a nd co ndu cted in accorda nce with processes es ta bli s h ed by th e ir res pectiv e chairs." pa rti cul a rl y we lco m e "We th e Co mmittee 's ca ll fo r urge nt reso luti o n o f how th e Freed o m o f
Info rm a ti o n Act s ho uld be a ppli ed to sc ie ntifi c research, as t hi s re ma in s a g rey a rea - a nd its v iew t ha t it is tim e to m ove o n." Th ese find ings come in th e sa m e wee k as a d oc um e nta ry s h ow n o n BBC 2 e ntitl e d 'Sc ie n ce Und e r Attac k', fea turin g No b el Pri ze winn e r Sir Pa ul Nurse. Th e prog ra m, whi ch was pa rtly film ed a t UEA, di sc usse d. th e CRU sca nd a l in d e ta il, a nd s ugges ted th a t a n "unh o ly mi x" o f th e m edi a a nd p o liti cs e nd s up "di s to rtin g th e pro pe r re po rtin g
o f scie nce". it a lso s uggested th at sc ie nti s ts need to do m o re to a da pt to m od e rn m edi a a nd make th e ir resea rch mo re tra ns pa re nt to the publi c to avo id fur t he r sca nd a ls. Th e Co mmi ttee's fin al a dvice is th a t it is "tim e to m a ke th e cha nges a nd improve m e nts reco mm e nd ed a nd w ith grea te r o p e nn ess a nd tra ns pa re ncy m ove o n"; a se ntim e nt ec hoed by th e Uni ve rs ity as it h o pes to leave th e diffi culti es of thi s in cid e nt b e hind a nd loo k a hea d to th e futur e.
Salinger's private letters donated to UEA library
I
Davina Kesby Ne w s Edito r
Ext rac ts fro m th e priva te le tt e r s o f reclus ive a uth o r j.D. Sa linge r have b ee n re lease d o n th e fir s t a nni ve rsa ry o f hi s d ea th . Le tte rs fr o m th e Catcher in t he Rye a uthor to hi s fri e nd Do na ld l la rtog were d o na te d to th e UEA a rc hi ves by l-l a rtog's d a ughte r Fra n ces. No w, on e yea r a ft e r Sa li nge r 's d ea th , ex trac ts have bee n re lease d th a t s how th e no to ri o us ly re clu s ive w rite r as a m a n wh o e nj oyed s impl e pl eas ur es in life. Th e co rres po nd e n ce d a tes be t wee n Octo be r 1986 a nd Ja nu a ry 2 00 2. Th e m e n o ri g in a lly m e t in 1 937 , afte r th ey we re se nt to Vi e nn a by th e ir fa mili es to lea rn Germ a n.
Th ese le tt e rs ha ve r evea led a diffe re nt s id e to Sa lin ge r, as he ex presses a fo ndn ess fo r wa tc hin g te nni s, pa rti cul a rl y th e Wimbl e don Cha mpi o ns hi ps, w ith th e a uth o r b e in g a fa n of Tim l-l e nm a n. In a dditi o n to t hi s, a pre fe re n ce fo r· hur·gCI's fro m fas t -foo d c ha in Burge r l<in g is di sc lose d . Chri s Bigs by, Pro fesso r of i\mCI'i ca n Studi es at UEI\, sa id : "Sa lin ge r ha d thi s re puta ti o n as a rec lu se, th a t he ke pt him se lf to him se lf. Thi s is a no th e r Sa lin ge r, thi s is a n o rdin a ry Sa lin ge r, no t th e rec lu s ive, a ng ry pe rso n p eo pl e th o ught he was". Th e co ll ecti o n co nta in s 5 0 le tte rs a nd fo ur pos tca rd s, as we ll as a p hotog ra ph o f Ha rtog a nd Sa lin ge r ta ke n in 1989, wh e n th e tw o m e n we re re unite d fo r th e first tim e s in ce 1938.
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Sportspark pool floo r damaged Reg u la r s wimm e rs at th e Oly mpi c-s ize Sr orls pa rk' s s wimming poo l w e re s urpri se d to di sco ve r its clos u re las t w ee k. comme nce d a t 7a m T hi s o n Mo nd ay Ja nu a ry 24 th , w ith th e ce ntre 's we bs itc citi ng a m echa ni cal fa i lure . lt has s i nee bee n revea le d t ha t th e fa ul t s pecifica lly co nce rn ed th e hydra uli c fl oo r jac k w hi c h a dju s ts th e d e pth o f th e po ol acco rdin g to re quire m e nts. Initi a l upd a tes s ta te d th a t t he poo l w ould reo p e n by t he fo llo w ing Thu rs d ay, howeve r it was a n noun ced t ha t d ay that th e poo l w o u ld reo p e n as no rm a l o n Prid ay Ja nu ary 28t h. The Sports park s ta ff have th a nk e d c us to m e rs fo r th e ir p a ti e n ce in th e ma tte r, a po log is in g fo r a ny in co nve ni e nce ca use d . Phi lip T h oma s
Union opposes street ligh t switch off
Norwich features in The New Yorlc Times • •
Th e New York Tim es cites Norw ich as "a re fu ge for w riters". Mill enni u m Libra ry rece ived 1.5 milli on vis ito rs last year. Oliver Steward Ne w s Re p o rte r
Norw ich has fo un d its way in to th e p ages o f th e Th e New York Ti mes w it h th e Uni ted Sta les newspape r h a ilin g it as a "Ge t away fo r b ook lovers". T he p ra ise o f No r wich has not bee n unfo und ed . In 1 373, Ju lia n o f Norwic h w rote her "Reve lat io ns of Di vi n e Love," often seen as th e firs t Eng lis h-l a nguage boo k by a wo m a n to have b ee n pu bli s hed . More rece ntl y, in 20 0 6, a n artis t inscribed the e ntire 40,000 w o rd Engl is h text of Sir Th o m as Mo o re's Utopia o n t h e bri ck fa~a d e of a n o ld e lect r icity p la nt nea r th e ri vc rfr o n l. T he bu il d in g has s ince be co m e a n e m bodim e nt o f No rwi c h' s lit e rary e nthu sias m . /\ndrew Pa r ro tt, a g ra du a t e from UEA's Crea tiv e Writin g Sch oo l, w as qu o ted in th e a rticl e say ing: "T he re is so m e thi ng a bo ut t he inte ri o rs o f a ll th e o ld bu ildin gs th a t fo rces ta bl es to be close to ge t he r .. . it is a re a ll y good
eavesdro p p in g town." T h e a r t icle co ntin ued as it d etai led th e p ict uresq ue lanes: "Th e co mfy ca fes w ith in th e tow n's na rrow o ld la nes are fu ll of as pi r in g w ri ters peck ing away a t la pto p s, drea min g of beco min g t he next lan McEwan or Kazuo ls hi g ur o, b oth of w hom got th e ir s tart h e re a t t h e Uni ve rs ity o f Eas t Anglia's esteeme d Creative Wr it ing Maste rs' prog ram". Th e re was p ra ise too fo r Frank's Ba r in Be d fo rd St ree t, w hi ch was desc rib ed <ls "the prem ier late n ig h t s po t for students of a n inte ll ec tu a l b e nt." Th e Ne w Yo rk Tim es a lso li s te d Lect ure T h ea tre 1 as a good p lace to vis it, as it h os ts rea d ings, events as w e ll as lite ra ry fes ti va ls. Oth er pl aces me nti o ne d in cl ud e th e Libra ry Ba r & Grill , th e Boo k I live, t he Dea n a nd Cha pte r 's library a nd No rw ich Arts Ce nt re. For m e rly kn ow n as St. Swithin 's Church, b uilt in th e 1 5 th century was re fas hi oned as th e Norw ich Ar ts Ce ntre in 198 0 .
Green Party councillor speaks out against kettling Sam Lewis Ne w s Re porte r Pl a ns t o sw itch off vita l s tree t li g hts in No rwi c h h ave bee n m et wit h fi e rce c riti cis m fr o m UEA s tud e nts. To d a te, th e Uni o n o f LJE/\ Stud e nts ha s se nt close to 100 lette rs to Co un cill o r Adri a n Gun son a nd Directo r o f Tra ns po rta tion a nd Pl a nnin g Mike Jac ks on . Stud e nt con ce rn has a ri se n beca use ma ny of th e roa ds th ey fr equ e ntl y use be twee n ca mpu s a nd s tud e nt areas of t he city will be affec ted by t he propo sa ls. Th e re fo re, th e s tu de nts' sa fe ty m ay be a t r isk if t h e pro posa ls co m e to fruition a nd th ey a rc fo rc e d to make th e ir way ho m e in t he da r k. To m Do lto n, Co mm u ni cations Officer o f th e Un ion, sa id : "Th e Uni o n h o p es t ha t t he s tu de nt vo ice is co ns id e r ed du ri ng th e prop osa ls a nd wa nt to e ns u r·e th a t th e sw itc h off wo n' t pu t s t ude n ts' we ll be ing or safe ty in jeo pa rdy". Be th Wyatt
A Gree n Pa rty co un cill o r has s po ke n out again s t t he rece nt tac ti cs use d by po Iice in t heir efforts to co ntro l p rotes ters. T hi s fo ll ows a n a pp a r·e nt in cr ease in th e use of ke ltl ing in de mo nstratio ns aga in st tuiti o n fees a nd Go ve rnm e nt fundin g cuts . Sa mi r Je raj. City Cou nci llo r for To wn Close Wa rd , ra ise d a mo ti o n durin g a City Counc il cab in e t m ee t ing he ld o n 25 th Janu a ry, as kin g fo r ca bin e t to w o rk w ith No r fo lk Police Aut hor ity to fac il itate de m o ns trat io ns in Norwich . Th e co un cil lo r sa id : "We s hou ld o p pose ket tl ing a n d wo rk toget her to e nsure peaceful p ro test in Norw ic h". Ma ny st ude n ts fro m the Un ive r si ty o f East An gli a w e r e ke ttl ed by po lice fo r up to seve n ho u rs during de m onstra ti o ns in Lo n don o n th e day o f th e vo le in Pa rl ia m e nt t ha t saw a t rip lin g o f stu de nt fees.
J<e ttlin g, w h ic h invo lves th e co nta inm e nt o f a cr owd by sec urity fo r ces, was a prac ti ce es tablis h ed und er t he forme r Labour Gove rnm e nt, used du r in g th e 2 001 May Day demo ns t ratio n an d at the G2 0 s um m it. Co un cillor Je raj sa id : "We have a duty to oppose t hese in d isc rimin a te a nd da ngero us tac ti cs a nd see tha t they a re ban ne d b e fo re m o re peop le ;Jre ha rm ed ." Th e Gree n Party hope th a t ra is in g thi s iss u e w ill encourage d e ba te a bo ut th e po lic in g of d e m ons t rations in order to avoid fu t u re viole nt co n fronta t io n . Rac h e l We myss, Pres id ent of UE/\ Gree ns, co mm ented: " ILis v ita l th a t s tud e nts arc n ot deterred from exe r cis ing th e ir r ig h t to peaceful p ro tes t by thi s d isgraceful po li ce tac t ic. Me mb e rs of UE/\ Gree n Party w ill co nt in ue to pro tes t aga in st the Gove r nment's unj ust c u ts t o e du ca t io n a nd u rge th e po li ce to reco ns ide r the lawfulness of ke tt lin g."
UEA graduate
nominated for Oscar Davina Kesby News Edito r A short fi lm w r itte n by a UEA grad uate has bee n nomi nated for a n Oscar. Tom Bid wel l, who s tu die d Litera t u re a nd Dr;nn a <lt UEA, sa id it was "surrea l" to he nom inated fo r his s hort fi lm Wish 143. The fi lm cost a bo ut £15,0 00 to make, £5 00 of w hi ch came from Mr. Bidwell's own funds . !l e said: "lt was one of th ose film s wh e re eve ry body scraped together". T h e fil m is abo ut a yo u ng ca ncer pat ie nt w ho is grante d o ne w is h befo re he d ies. Wish 143 depic ts 15-ye;rr-o ld Dav id 's race
UEA gra d uate Tom Bidwell to lose h is virginity an d has been n o min a ted in th e Short l;i lm ( Live Action) category of t he Oscars. Torn, who has recent ly been di ag n ose d with ME, sa id t hat th e film was pa r tially a utob iograph ica l fo llow in g hi s ow n ba t t le w it h ca ncer. !l e said: "lt was based on my experiences in hosp ital and of h o p efuln ess".
Concrete introduce ... Clive Cares Concrete is excited to announce that we have teamed up with your favourite bus driver, Clive Ashcroft, to bring you "Clive Cares". just email clivecaresconcrete@
gmail.com if you have a proble that you would like Clive to dea with. We'll print the best ones, bu don't worry - we won't use you real name!
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Valentine's Day; The Easter n Way Concrete looks at how Vale ntin e's Day is ce le b rated half way across the world.
Rachael Lum In te rn a t io na l Write r Me nt io n Va le n ti n e's Day a nd yo ur mind co ncocts im ages o f ro ses, c hoco la tes a nd se n t im e nta l ca rd s. Th o ug h s uch traditi o ns have now bee n com me rcia lised th e re a rc diffe re nt ways o f ce le b 1·a tin g th is occas io n in severa l As ia n countries. Qi Xi Fes ti va l, rega rd e d as th e Chi ne se Va le nt ine's Day, fa ll s o n th e 7 th day o f t he 7th mo nth in th e lu na r ca le nd ar, w hi ch is th e 6t h of August in 20 1 1. To co mm e m o ra te the love be tween a goddess a nd a hum a n cow herd, weaving co m petitio ns and star-
gaz ing ce re m o n ies used to he he ld in a n cie nt Chin a. T hese d ays, mu ch of th e o ld tra dit io ns a re dy in g o ut.
"Qi Xi Fes tival, regarded as th e Chin ese Valentine's Day, fall s on th e 7th day of the 7th month in th e lunar ca lend ar" In Southeast As ia, t here is anot he r ve rsio n of th e Ch inese Va le n ti n e's Day ca ll ed Chap Go h Me h. On t he 15 th clay o f t he Lu nar New Yea 1~ yo un g u nmarried maide ns wo ul d t hrow
Is Valentine's overrated? lsabelle Carty Inte rn ationa l Wr ite r Feb r uary the 14th will undoubtedly mean different t h ings fo 1· different people. For some it will mean romance, flowers, candlelit dinners and romantic movies and for others it will simply he just another Monday, no different from any other. The idea that the "holiday" has become particularly commercia li zed and as such, overrated, is not a new one. For years, television and magazine advertisements as well as movies and TV shows have presented society with extravagant ideas that have led to increasingly hig h expectatio ns. Par t hose in re lationships, the pressure of Va lentine's Day may p rove to be qu ite overw helm ing; choosing the pe r fect gift, t he pe rfect date a nd the perfect ca rd to live u p to a ro ma ntic idea l ca n he qu ite ago ni zi ng as t he re is always a fear o f no t liv ing u p to ex pec ta ti o ns. Co nsequ e ntly, for th ose t hat arc si ngle, fee lin gs of lo ne lin ess <1ml d epressio n are quite co mm o n. Others, w het he r t hey a rc in a re la ti o ns hip or no t, may eve n rese nt t he fac t t ha t t here is a d es ignated cl ay fo r t hem to s how a ny kin d of e m o ti o n o r affec t io n. On <1 b r ig hte r no te, m a ny h;wc co m e to e nj oy th e s u r p1'ises a nd d e li g hts of Va le nti ne's
Day. Whether it is Ll clay of indulging in de licious choco lates or proudly wa lking around with single, red, long-stemmed roses, some cannot help but fee l a rush of excitement as the day approaches. Additionally, under the guise of inspiration from the meaning of Valentine's Day, many well-meaning secret admirers have suddenly appeared much lo the jubilation and amusement of their valentines. Indeed, it seems as though chocolates and flowers or jewellery have become prerequisite gifts. l lowcve1~ the origins of the celebration stem firstly from the fertility festivals of ancient Rome where young women were whipped with animal hides in t he hope that it would make them more ferti le and secondly from the Christian priest Valentine some centuries later who secretly performed mar r iage ceremonies' for sold iers, even thoug h the em peror had forbidde n it. Vale ntine's Day has clearly evo lved fro m its hu m b le begi nn ings into a specia l clay t ha t is recog n ized and ce lebra ted wor ldwide. Whe t he 1; it is a d ay you look forward to fro m o ne yea r to the nex t o r one yo u dread, it is und ou bted ly a day t hat ca n not be overlooked . So if no thi ng e lse, s im p ly spa re a t ho ugh t o f love o n th is d ay t hat is set aside to ce le b rate it.
ta nge rin es into th e ri ve r in the ho pe th a t t he ir other ha lf wo ul d find it. Nowa d ays, t he g irl s wo uld w r ite t he ir ph o n e nu mbers o r we bp age links d ow n o n th e ta nge rin es befo r e ha nd . Likew ise t he boys wo uld have nets pre pa red to sco op th e fruit s o ut. Whil e in Weste rn cu lture it is th e me n w ho s howe r g ifts on th e wo m e n, in ja pa n it is th e la d ies w ho wo uld prese nt g ifts, th e m os t com m o n of whi ch are choco la tes, to th e m e n. To fri e nd s, eo-workers or bosses, t hey arc tokens o f fri e n ds h ip o r o bliga ti o n. Ha nd made ch oco lates wou ld indicate he is someone s pec ial. One m on th la ter, th ey ce lebra te Wh ite Day. Th is is w he n the ta b les are tur ned and
t he men ret urn gifts to t he wo m e n. Wh ite Day is ca 1T ie d o ut in So uth l<o rea as we ll , b ut there a re a lso ce le bratio ns of love o n th e 14t h o f eve ry m o nth . In Apr il, t he re is Black Day fo 1· pe op le w ho a re s ingle. Othe r exa mpl es in clud e l< iss D<1y in Jun e, Mo vie Day in Nove mb e r a nd Hu g Day in Dece mb e 1; w hi ch need no fu rth e r ex p la na tio n. Mos t o f th e m, ho w eve r, a re ha rd ly o bse rve d a ny m o re . Arg ua b ly, th e yo un ge r ge ne ratio n has acce p te d th e Wes te rn ve rs io n o f thi s love fcst, and cert<1 in custo m s have e bb e d away o r a ltered with Lim e. No ne th e less the fac t rema in s that it is a day peop le fro m a ll aro un d t he wor ld ce leb ra te.
Love from, your Valentine Krishnave ni Pada la I nlernational Writer "Roses are red , violets are blue, sugar is sweet and so are you'" This poem should be banned! it is the most overused poem to describe how somebody fee ls for their partner on this Day of Valentine . llowcvc1; if this clay isn't perfect the stress could last a very long time I Many of you will be planning your perfect day with your lovers, fitting it in with lectures, trying to find ways to surprise your partners without them guessing, girls trying to find the sexiest clothes and guys trying to search for the perfect bunch of rosesl Valentine's Day is one date which couples from all over the world want to cclchratel But do you know the real reason for celebrating this day7 Valentine's Day origina lly began as a cu ltural event in the Ro man times to ho nour )uno, the goddess ofm<1rri<1ge. S<1 int Va len t ine was a pr iest who pe r for med marr iages ill ega ll y afte r a Roman em p ero1~ Clau diu s, forb id m <1rr iages si nce nobody wo ul d join t h e army in fear for leav in g th ei r loved ones. Sa in t Va lentin e was final ly caug h t and put in a prison ce ll. !!e re, m any young people visited him to s how h im tha t love w ill never fa il. He beca m e very good friends wit h t he
daug h ter of the prison guard and on h is final day of life, he wrote a note thank ing the girl, signed "Love Prom Your Valentine". Surpr isingly, few people have negative views of this day and sec it as 'just another day'. "Why should there only be a specific day to celebrate relationships between lovers?" or "What will all the singletons do on a day like this'~" For all the lovers out there - it truly is a clay to show your partner off to the world and express how proud you are to he with them ;1nd for all you single people - there will he millions of discounts on flowers, teddies, food, gifts - so go crazy and treat yourself! Who knows·' You may find your perfect partner waiting in the ais le of Boots, or waiting for a dance in Mercy! Whatever you all decide to do on th is day, ce lebrate in sty le!
ISSUE 2Sl
9
Tuesday 1st February
Eton Rifles: is there a price to pay? Last week saw the resignations of the Conservative's 'Essex Boy', Andy Coulson, and Labour's former postman, Alan Johnson. Is there anyone left in British politics who can truly represent us? Concrete looks into the Eton elite who are increasingly monopolising power in the UK.
Lauren O'Neill As Andrew Neill found in his BBC documentary Posh and Posher: Why Public School Boys Run Our Lives, there seems to be clear evidence
that politicians no longer represent a wide demographic of people. Indeed the leaders of all three major parties appear to only represent the minority population of upper middle-class millionaires, with Clegg, Cameron and Miliband all being Oxbridge educated. Not since John Major in the 90s
and Boris )ohnson
has Britain seen a non-privately educated Prime Minister in power. If one were to Google the key figures in Government at the moment, the same education establishments will come up time and time again: Oxbridge, Westminster; Eton. The full figures on education are startling: of the 119 Government ministers, a staggering 66 per cent were privately educated, compared with just 7 per cent of the population as a whole. 10 per cent of the Government ministers went to just one school : Eton. Alan Johnson, who until last week was Labour's shadow chancellor; was perhaps the last 'man of the people' that our current political climate had to offer. With humble beginnings as a postman involved in union politics, Johnson represented the average person. With him nowoutofthecoreshadow cabinet, Labour's three most visible people are Ed Miliband, Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper; all educated at Oxford and Harvard. One might expect
this kind of elite education in the background of a Tory government minister, but for a party like Labour; with such a history of union links and representing the working class, it seems as though they're moving away from their roots.
"Of the 119 Government ministers a staggering 66 per cent were privately educated, compared with just 7 per cent of the population as a whole" Last year's election saw the Labour Party make a move that overtly showed its new allegiances to the middle class. Stoke-On-Trent, a safe Labour seat, saw their longserving MP step down last year; and when the new Labour candidate was to be announced many people expected it to be the secretary of the local Labour Party, Gary Elsby, a local resident of Stoke-on-Trent and
Labour party member for more than 30 years. But, rather surprisingly, this was not to be the case. Labour's national executive committee instead decided that the seat would be more suited to Tristram Hunt who just so happens to be the son of a Labour peer and was educated privately at University College School, Hampstead and Oxford. Oh, a nd he also happens to be a close friend of Peter Mandelson. While Mr Hunt may be highly educated and intelligent it seems rather unlikely that he would be able to represent the views and needs of the average Stoke-On-Trent family. Of course, class isn't the only exclusionary factor of the current political sphere. Diversity is also coming into play, with there being only 11 black or Asian Tory MPs, 16 in the Labour party and a disappointing zero in the Liberal Democrats. Can it really be said that the needs of the average British citizen are being met by this government when they represent such a small fraction of the population?
The Palestine Papers and the fork in the road for the peace process With the leak of over a thousand papers detailing the peace process talks between Israel and Palestine, Concrete questions how influential these papers really are and what they mean for the prospect of peace in the Middle East.
Ashley Johnston The latest instalment of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict saw A/-jazeera, the Qatar based television network, obtain and leak over 1,600 classified documents from the 2008 peace negotiations. The documents indicate that as part of the proposed deal, Palestinians would let Israel keep all but one East Jerusalem Jewish enclosure, Har Homa. Initially dispersions were cast over the authenticity of the papers with some laying claim to the leaks being a Hamas or hard line Fatah hoax
in a ploy to weaken the current leadership. Exclusivity of the documents was shared with UK newspaper The Guardian which released a series of the leaked documents over the course of a week. The newspaper was later criticised for misreporting information and heavily 'spinning' the facts . Not too many surprises there. The Guardian dramatized the event with bold front paged headlines. It also appears to be the only paper to award front page status to the leaked documents, reporting it as though the revelations were ground-breaking news. Is it, however, really news that there were negotiations in 2008 and
that these negotiations concerned issues such as borders, Jerusalem, refugees, security, and settlements? No concessions were made, no land swaps were granted, it's all in the past and it didn't happen. So why get our knickers in a twist over a situation that hasn't even occurred? What the papers do tell us is that both sides come across as being very committed to the process, despite the fact that little has changed since the triumphant attempt of Bill Clinton to coerce both sides into peace talks at Camp David in 2000. Having said this, the documents aren't likely to boost the popularity of the Palestinian authority any time soon. With the release of the documentation, Palestinian leaders look feeble and desperate;
something which Hamas aren't likely to ignore. The offered concessions also contradict the longheld Palestinian public demands. Palestinians will undoubtedly feel betrayed and somewhat vulnerable which could ultimately lead to a rise in Hamas popularity, something which has already been highlighted by the 2006 general election results. On the other hand, the Palestinians appear more willing to compromise than Israelis. Many have announced the death of the two state-solution as a result of the leaked papers. Perhaps this is the case, but if this is to be prevented, the first step Israel must take is to heed the advice of Mr Obama of a ten month freeze on illegal Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza strip.
The Fact Box 1,600 documents, detail.ing peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine have been leaked The Guardian and Al路]azeera
are the two organisations publishing the papers The papers show that Palestine was ' illing tc accept Israel's annexatio11 of all but one settlement
ISSUE 25 1
10
co ncre te.opi n ion@uea.ac. uk
How sweet is the 'Jasmine Revolution' really? It's been a month of riots and protests in Northern Africa, with the protests in Tunisia spreading into Egypt. Dubbed the 'Jasrnin e Revolution', these protesters are demanding liberal democracy, but at wh at cost? Concrete investigates .. .
j ennifer
Woods 13 efore Dece mb e r 201 0 no Tuni sia n wo uld have beli eved th at in one short month th ey would lea d <In up ris ing tha t wou ld topp le Tuni s ia's a uto cra ti c gove rnm e nt regim e. Eve n more shocked wo uld th ey be if th ey kn ew th at their protes ts would res ult in th e fli ght of Pres id e nt Zin c El i\bidin e Be n i\li , who has comforta bly pre id ecl ove r the co untry fo r the las t 23 yea r·s, mainta inin g a re press ive politi ca l sys tem th at ign o red th e growin g preva lence of un empl oy me nt whil e he a nd hi s ca bin et enj oye d wildly di s propo rti o na te wea lth a nd luxury. Yet with Ja nu a ry comin g to a close, Tuni sia has see n exac tly th aL: a n ou s ted Pres ide nt flee ing to th e sa me s ite of refu ge so ught by ldi Amin . Sin ce Be n Ali 's fli ght two wee ks ago, cha nge is a lready
und e rway, with a new tra ns ition gove rnm e nt, led by Foua d Me bazaa - th e form e r pa rliam enta ry s pea ker - which now includ es politi cia ns from opp os iti on pa rti es, with fr es h elect ions pro mi sed in th e next six month s. IL is ha rd, howeve r·, to avoid sce pti cism of t he co untry's pote nti al for ve ri ta ble poli tica l cha nge. i\ lthou gh te mp ora ry, the cur re nt governm e nt s ti ll in clud es ma ny me mb ers of th e rulin g Co nstituti onal De moc rati c Ra lly (R CD), a pa rty th at for Tuni s ia ns still re prese nts repress io n a nd co rru pli on. Wes tern po liti cia ns, whil e ha lfhea rtedly prai sin g Tuni s ia ns fo r· th e ir co urage, also ma ke it clea r th at th ey wo uld rather a sw ift e nd to th e protests; Po re ign Sec reta ry Willi a m Hag ue ca ll ed fo r "res train t from all s id es" a nd a "return to law a nd ord er". Medi a cove rage of th e eve nts in the Ea st has also bee n r·e lative ly poor here. The re see ms th e und e rlyin g Wes te rn wish for stabi lity to be return ed to th e regio n in o rd er th at our goo d re lati ons a re sa fegua rd ed, whethe r thi s mea ns a
de moc ratic gover nm e nt o r not. lt is imp o rta nt also not to ro ma nt icise a bout th e upri s in g now comm only dubb ed the 'Jas min e Revo luli o n'. Not so swee t-s mellin g is th e me mory of Mo ha med Bo uaz izi, th e un empl oyed gradu ate w ho, in trag ic des pera ti on, se t fire to himse lf in front of th e muni cipa l bui ldin g in Sicli 13 ouzicl . Hi s se lfimm olati o n was not just a n ac t of pe rso nal d es p a i r~ but politi ca l too; a literal ges ture th at Tuni s ia ns' li ve lih oo ds a nd free dom are burnin g. lt is un s urp risin g tha t hi s act ignited th e s pirit of Tuni s ia ns. H oweve r~ th e fact thi s ed uca ted yo un g ma n was dri ve n to s uch a deva sla ti ngly painful a nd publ ic e nd is a re mind e r that dras tic cha nge to improve th e li ves of th ose lik e him may be slow to take off. Alongs id e th e th ought of doze ns of peo pl e alrea dy kill ed in pro tes t, th ere is fea r th at th e vo ices of th e Tu nis ia n peo ple may be s il ence d by tea r gas befo re the leve l of cha nge they des ire is reached. Des pite all thi s, what Tuni s ia has s tarted will not be forgo llen. A domin o effect is alrea dy bein g
see n in the regio n, most nota bly in Egyp t, Jorda n and Alge ria . Corr up t politica l sys te ms see m to be coll a ps ing or a t leas t und e r threa t throughout th e reg io n.
"Th e upri s ings in Tuni s ia offe r hop e for th e prospec ts of its edu ca ted young popu la t ion. He re, num e rous e ducation cuts a nd t he r ise in stud e nt fees will instead restrict a nd comp li cate yo u ng peo pl e's cha nc es of higher e du ca tion " Tuni s ia is mov in g fo rward. In a ll thi s, it is ha rd not to co mpare th e Ul<. Whi le Tuni s ia ns have ove rt hrow n corrupt politi cia ns, Ul< citi ze ns a re s till ree ling from th e ex pe nses scand a l. As th e ·runi s ia n medi a is fin a lly se t free, the BBC Wor ld
Here, this is a sure-fire platt!
Se rvice rece ives news of cuts th at w ill init ia te th e loss of 30 mill ion peo pl e wo rldwid e from reac hi ng th e bala nce d journalis m th at it a lTe rs. Tuni s ia ns a rc ousting th eir elite ruling class to be be tter represe nted politi ca lly. In th e UI< our gove rnm e nt a pp ea rs to be run by a na rrowin g soc ial elit e, as BBC bmadcas te r Andrew Ne il o bse rves . Th e upri sin gs in Tu ni s ia offer hope fo r th e pros pec ts of its edu ca ted yo un g popul ati o n. ll ere, num e rous edu ca ti on cuts a nd th e ri se in stu de nt fees will ins tea d res tri ct and co mpli ca te yo un g peo ple's cha nces of hi ghe r ed uca tion . Wh il e hu gely s uccess fu l in Tuni s ia, our na tion wide stud ent pro tes ts in th e Ul< - des pite maki ng so me im pact- we re also frequ ently ove rl oo ked or mi s represe nted in the medi a du e to th e e piso des at Mi llba nk towe r~ a nd our voices se em to h;,w e bee n la rge ly igno red. Alth ough it may not succeed, Tuni s ia is at leas t determin ed not to return to th e pas t. Th a t's a lready mo re tha n we ca n say for ourse lves.
Berlusconi: the Silvio fox nother week, another sex scandal for the 74-year-old Ita lian Prime Minister. Say what you want about Cameron and Cl egg, but at least they're not paying weather girls for sex. Berlusconi is refusing to step clown so we can enjoy more tales of his prostitute-fi ll ed parties, for another week at least. Ra ndy Gray off to the Middle East? Reports suggest that former Sky Sports commentators Ancly Gray and Richard Keys have been offered jobs by Qatar-based news agency Al-jazeera. Good luck to the both of them. With strict rules outlawing lewd behaviour between men and women in Qatar I reckon the two of them might need it.
Cartoon: Drawn by Amanda Gosling and
Newsbeat's ' Booze Ca lcula tor': How did you meas ure up? This week saw us all shrieking at the BBCs 'Booze Calculator'. it lovingly informed me that on Thursday night I drank the calorie equiva lent of a s li ce of pizza, a burger, a hot dog a nd a do ughn ut. Gym bunnies, you have been warned.
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COMMENT AND OPINIO~ 11
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He's just being Frank After being snubbed by the British Comedy Awards because of his increasingly rude, crude and lewd jokes, Henry Croft looks at why Frankie Boyle has fallen out of favour, and whether people need to just chill out?
Henry Croft People are moaning about Frankie Boyle - again. Tramadol Nights, his recent TV show, has been flooded by a tsunami of complaints. This immediately strikes me as silly: complaining that Boyle's jokes are distasteful is like tuning into Television Xand taking offence at the relentless procession of sweaty, intermingled bodies. I find it hard to believe that the viewing public are so naive - surely people know what they are getting? That said, the fact that Jordan was amongst those lobbying complaints might explain the wisdom behind this backlash. She took offence at a joke Boyle made about her disabled son Ha rvey. Now for people that laughed
at that joke, me included, - the amusement is not at the expense of the disabled child. It is a joke dipped in irony, its crosshair lodged firmly on Jordan's vacuous, media-hungry agenda. If Boyle's jokes were not underpinned with irony - if he meant every word he said - then his whole act would fall apart. After all, jokes that belittle the appearance of celebrities, if bereft of irony, do not work coming from a man whose own face resembles
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Left: B oyl e and his fetching beard
Robinson's vagina. however, is not a forum that should I say the further he blurs the be anesthetised and swallowed up borders of taste, the better. Art is by inertia. there t o be assaulted and twisted, I for one would rather be for a reaction undercut by shock shocked and disorientated by edgy is better than feeling nothing jokes than listen to Victoria Wood whatsoever; that is to say, as ramble on about her ovaries or Baudelaire once proposed, it is hear an anecdote about someone's better, in a paradoxical way, to ethnic upbringing. do evil than to do nothing: at Most importantly though, least we exist. we, as viewers, should not have Now the currency of this our intelligence insulted by contention might not censors running roughshod over be watertight in art. Comedy is subjective; in the a court of law (if . end, our laughter is the ultimate you're charged litmus test. Regardless of personal with rape, waxing preference, if Boyle is making lyrically from The anyone laugh then that should Flowers of Evil and be all that路 matters. If people stop claiming you did finding him funny he will quickly to show the disappear; people won't buy his institutional DVDs or go to see his shows. ban a I i ty However, we, as an audience, of our shouldn't be told what to be society is offended by. No-one has the right not going to to take offence - it's just a gripe cut it), but that has no conducive presence in c o m e d y, our society.
nominations: why white only? Following the .Qscar nomination announcements Concrete questions whether there needs to be a Hollywood racial quota?
Ellen Steers The award season is upon us once again. Along with it comes the constant discussion of rightful nominees. The announcements of this year's Oscar nominations were cloaked in a racial argument. For the first since 2001, the nominations saw no thespians of ethnic origins being recognised either on screen or off screen. The question of whether or not the Oscars now need to have a racial quota has been thrown about. ~~True
film fans out there should not
be pre~ occupied with
Dressing for fashion or comfort1 Or the battle against the fashion dictatorship? In light of the increasingly high amount spent on fashion each year, Bell Thomas asks who should control what we wear?
Bell Thomas Isn't it amazing the way some people think they know a whole lot about fashion? When their pinnacle of all things fashionable and chic is... wait for it ... jeggings! Are you surprised? But why not? I'm not the one gett ing accosted at night clubs because some drunk girl had the balls to say out loud that I shouldn't have bothered coming out tonight because my clothes were fugly! How do you recover from that? Easy! Buy another fashion magazine, look up the 'What were
you thinking?' section, just right where Katie Price reigns supreme as queen of fug, and think to yourself, "If she can pull off hot pink then so can I". Critics ask "why"? But I ask "why not"? Who is society, sorry, Anna Wint our, to tell me what and what not to wear? After all, fashion is what I say it is. It's all about expressing your feelings in a world of chaos where your only medium for expression is your clothes and accessories. I say it must be a good day for jeggings lovers out there; somewhere in this world, someone has saved the economy a lot of money by coming up with the novel idea of combining leggings and denim to form jeggings! You may be thinking, is this
tirade about jeggings? What on earth have jeggings ever done to you? It's only the most comfortable piece of clothing in the world; right next to my very warm p,oncho and, of course, my snood.
"Who is society, sorry, Anna Wintour, to tell me what and what not to wear? After all, fashion is what I say it is" Today's fashion has also brought a new meaning to the phrase 'wearing your heart on
your s leeve'. Gone a re the days when we used to play hard to get. Oh no, I'm going to let my intentions be known as to what I'm going to do to you tonight. You think my shirt is outrageous? I dare you to find a shirt that can top off my 'Me+you = honking tonight' T-shirt. Fashion is not just a random form of culture a nd Anna Win tour is not the devil. So the next time you get harassed by a group of drunk people on a night out, laughing at your clothes, just flick your hair, buy a magazine tomorrow, close your eyes and point at your next chic ensemble - still of course from the 'What were you thinking' page. I mean, you've got to get it right sometime. Right? A girl can dream.
the racial background of the stars" It seems everyone has forgo tten the acclaim that the independent film 'Precious' gained last year, with three nominations (Best Film, Best Director, Actress in a Leading Role) and a win for Mo'nique in her supporting role. If we were to look at the roles that these and other prestigious African Americans have taken in the last year perhaps this would explain the lack of nominations. For example, Gabourey Sibide and Mo'nique opted for roles in TV whilst Morgan Freeman and Jamie Foxx went for the comedy in 'Red' and 'Due Date.' True film fans out there should not be pre-occupied with the racial background of the stars and stories but the quality of what we are seeing. To nominate solely to meet a quota will diminish the credibility of the long-standing Oscars.
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Have an opinionated itch you're desperate to scratch? Email concrete.opinion@uea.ac.uk and we will get your voice heard
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ISSUE 251
ISSUE 251
concrete.features@uea.ac.uk
Tuesday 1st February
ometime within the next month we will see the publication of a new edition of American author Mark Twain's most celebrated work, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. However, this is not the Huckleberry Finn that we know; the publishers, . NewSouth, are releasing a carefully sanitised version edited by Dr. Alan Gribben. This edition will not feature the language that has been the cause of the novel's continuing controversy; the repeated use of a particularly insulting and derogatory term for the black characters has been removed, as has the use of the slight "lnjun ..." which will be replaced by Indian. On their website, NewSouth argue: "such language has caused Twain's books to join the ranks of out-dated literary classics Twain once humorously defined as works 'which people praise and don't read."' In today's society, racism is never acceptable. Yet to try and remove it from books that deal with it, particularly if written in an era when such terms were prevalent, is nothing short of astounding. The unfortunate fact is that slavery is an indelible part of the history of the world, and more particularly American history. To try to view that part of history in contemporary standards is nonsense. Twain was wntmg throughout the 1800s and what he produced was a reflection of the time in which he lived. It is not for us, with our wisdom of hindsight to try to rewrite what he produced. Beyond being just a novel, it is a historical text and to try to cleanse it would be to rewrite history. There is much debate on how this will change the meaning of the novel itself. The characters who use the word in question are the repulsive and deeply vilified father and the two children who skip school. However, as Twain has chosen to make these characters the primarily racist figures, it seems obvious that he is ridiculing the institution of slavery and racism, especially when taken in context with the progress of the narrative .. By removing the offensive terms, the novel loses its credibility and its impact as .well as its sense. The proposal is to replace the offensive term with "slave ..." Whilst still a word with negative connotations, the fact is that it could then be read as a mere statement. The characters referred to as "slaves ..." were slaves; it becomes a statement of fact rather than an insult, which
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the more offensive term clearly is. Thus, whilst Twain was quite possibly making overt ridicule of those who carry racist attitudes, this new novel will read like a dry history textbook merely stating the facts of what happened without the critique attached to it. Twain left school shortly after he turned eleven. By all accounts, he was not an academic. He went on to occupy a number of manual jobs, which provided much inspiration for his writing. It is widely believed that he served briefly in the Confederate army during the Civil War. This does make the debate more difficult as the Confederate states fought primarily to maintain the institution of slavery. Nonetheless, the novel then becomes, if nothing more, a rendering of a certain period in American history and presents the ever-present stain that is the racism inherent in America, from a first-hand account. However, even a surface reading of the text would leave the reader in no doubt as to Twain's feelings regarding race and slavery. So why have NewSouth seen fit to publish this new edition? Alan Gribben, the cleanser .of the text, told Concrete that it was due to "the negative potency of that racial slur when uttered in our integrated classrooms in certain regions in the States." He went on to say that he would not even try to convey any more meaning than this to a British student and so we, on this side of the Atlantic, must be left unable to understand. There can be no doubt that the use of the word does make conversation regarding the novel difficult in a classroom environment. However, this should not be a reason to avoid the issue. Other, far more unremittingly prejudiced works are taught in schools and universities and by not teaching it, or by trying to edit it, the issues removed are not solved. If anything it is damaging to the issue of equality as racism in the past is being judged to be something that people ought to try to forget. This can only be bad, as these issues ought to always be remembered so that they can be dealt with in the open, rather than made to be something that is wrong to talk about or to try to understand. If the youth are not taught about the mistakes that their ancestors made, or are taught to forget that it happened, then how are they to deal with this issue or one similar, when it does finally present itself in
Other, far more, prejudiced works are taught in schools and universities and by not ,teaching it, or bytryfng to edit it, the issues removed are not solved. If anything, it is more damaging.
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their lives, and it inevitably will? It. seems that to edit Twain is to do our contemporary world a service in keeping our hands clean. Like the tortured Lady Macbeth: "Here's the smell of the blood still". Literature has always stirred strong reactions in its audience, particularly over such issues as racism. The question of what makes a novel contentious is so subjective that opinions fly in all directions, meaning that a novel could be guilty itself of a controversial issue or it could be a subtle critique of that same subject, depending upon how the individual reader perceives it. However, seldom are works considered suitable to be rereleased and edited some 100 years after the book was written. Books attain a status that puts them somewhere beyond correction. But what makes a great work of fiction great? Why are some books beyond criticism? A book, in whatever cat egory it falls, be it fiction or nonfiction, can be 路made to be more - important than it might deserve by its own literary merit. This is often due to the circumstances in which it is published and then received. The current generation of writers are finding that their work is start ing to be questioned regarding the automatism of the high status that their books receive upon release. The argument is that the works do not challenge the reader and that these writers turnout alarmingly similar material in terms of themes, plot and language. Here is a sort of tortoise and hare question. Twain received consistent notoriety for his written output. In his own day, Huckleberry Finn was denounced and widely banned for its perceived intention of encouraging certain behaviour in the country's youth. Since then the racial aspects of the novel are what have, rightfully, been scrutinised. However, the fact remains that the book has survived. This is because it has done something which challenged the perceptions of the day and has continued to challenge us as readers. In Huckleberry Finn, Twain became one of the first, if not the very first, white writer to deal with the issue of slavery as an intrinsic aspect of his writing rather than just as a motif or scene setting device. No matter what opinion is taken as to the actual political and racial beliefs that Twain held, the fact that he questioned the racial sentiments of his day cannot be
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denied. This is the tortoise to the hare of our own writers. The conclusion is that though Twain's work is no doubt controversial, that does not mean that it ought to be subject to some professor with a godcomplex deciding that it is his right to cleanse it, or that it should not be read. If you are in disagreement with what Twain wrote then that's great; he has challenged your views and made you think about the issue at hand and isn't that more than can be said for some more contemporary writers? Literature should challenge and deal with issues and just because humanity may have changed its values, the written word cannot be expected to have adapted alongside it. Though here again and finally, we return to our friend Lady Macbeth, "What's done cannot be undone..." Though were Gribben to have his way, I'm sure that he'd say that this was not the case and try to edit it out of the text.
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14 FEATURES
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n today's society, you'd be forgiven for thinking that we'd become more tolerant. But film censorship in Britain and the United States is still a big part of their respective film industries. Few people know about the role of censors before the film they are watching has been released. But do censors still have a role in these modern times, or has the act of censo rship become out-dated? Britain's film classification authority is the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) who rate cinematic and home movie releases based on their content. In recent years, their classification guidelines have become more tolerant. However, this wasn't always the case. Back in the 1980s, the Thatcher government introduced the Video Recordings Act which required all films to be classified by the BBFC. This was in response to the growing number of 'video nasties', a collection of somewhat objectionable video material of which the sole intention was to shock audiences. Surprisingly, the BBFC cut scenes from many of these releases and banned others altogether. Although the Video Recordings Act is not in effect today, the BBFC continue to classify all releases and the majority of previously banned 'video nasties' have been classified, re-released and marketed at 'previously-banned' to sell more copies. The board that classify films in the UK consists of a team of people that watch upcoming releases every day. There is no
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secrecy as to who they are; they can be found on the BBFC website and the public can find out why a particular release was given a certain certificate. The situation in America, however, is a very different picture. . The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is the board's equivalent in the US, but it has managed to attract a large amount of criticism since its introduction. The people who classify the films are unknown to the public. They comprise of an apparently random selection of the general public but their names are never released. The 2006 documentary This Film is Not Yet Rated explores the criticisms of the MPAA. The filmmakers attempt to find out the identities of the board.
The Motion Picture Association of America is comprised of a secretive group of unknown individuals who classify all films for general release. They also found out that the people who classify films have children over the age of eighteen or no children at all, which contradicts the association's previous statement which suggests that the board predominantly consists of parents of children between the ages of five and seventeen. The American rating system can cause a problem for film distributors. Ratings for more
adult-themed releases can be given a 'Restricted' or 'NC-17' classification. 'Restricted' allows under 1 Ts to be accompanied by an adult whilst 'NC-17' does not allow anyone seventeen and under to be admitted. Whilst this may seem unimportant (similar to the UK's '15' and '18' ratings), in America this can be the death of certain cinematic releases. If a film is awarded an 'NC-17' classification it cannot be advertised on TV at certain times, it is less likely to be picked up by a distributor and past evidence suggests that releases with this rating are likely to make significantly less money compared to 'Restricted' rated films. With the board's secrecy regarding its marking criteria and the identity of the people who rate films, it is incredibly easy to make releases they believe are inappropriate to fail financially. The film This Film is Not Yet Rated was awarded the highest 'NC-17' rating because it contained brief nudity. Or was the real reason because the MPAA did not want the public to know how it operated? The British and American boards are worlds apart, but this does not mean that we should be thankful for the British system. Censorship is an inherent part of film as well as media in general. It can be a force for good, to protect those most vulnerable in society, and also a negative thing, to restrict material that a chosen few believes is too inappropriate for the rest of us.
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I love New York in the winter tinte From window-shopping along Fifth Avenue, to ice-skating in Central Park and chowing down on clam chowder at Grand Central Station, Georgie Adolpho-Couling heads to a wintry New York City.
There is nothing New York City loves more than putting on a show; from the neon eye candy of Times Square to the glittery cityscape views from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building. Manhattan, the all-singing, all-dancing star of the show, will give you plenty of opportunities to be struck silent in wonder. As long as you're armed with a good pair of gloves and some sensible walking boots, there is no reason to be afraid of visiting Manhattan during the winter; not only will you find the queues for major attractions to be almost non-,.existent, but it is more than likely that you will be generously sprinkled with New York snow, and what is more enchanting than taking a stroll through Central Park amid rows of snow-topped elm trees? Make the experience unforgettable with a visit to the Wollman Ice Rink, located on the south east side of the park. Jt is open to tourists from November to March and with closing hours extending to as late as llpm; being cradled
by a backdrop of skyscrapers as you glide across the ice is a perfect way to make the most of those chilly New York evenings. To get the best out of a short stay in the city, get up and out of the hotel as quickly as possible, making sure you're fuelled with a hearty American breakfast involving vast amounts of maple syrup and armed with a trusty guidebook or two hidden in your coat pocket. For $2.50 you can get a single subway ride to anywhere in the city. Grand Central Terminal at 42nd Street and Park Avenue is
"... what is more enchanting than taking a stroll through Central Park amid rows of snowtopped elm trees? " a short walk from Central Park and a must-see for tourists, not only for its beautiful architecture but for a quick and affordable lunch at the oyster bar underneath the station. With its stunningly lit domed ceiling and choice of 26 different types of oyster, you will forget that you're inside the terminal until a subway train rattles above your head! Order the New England Clam Chowder for a memorable dining experience. There are plenty of things to see when in mid-town Manhattan; the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Modern Art are a perfect way to satisfy a cultural craving, whilst a waltz down Fifth Avenue will leave you gazing longingly into the extravagantly lit shop windows wondering whether anyone would mind if you spent your entire
student loan on a Louis Vuitton handbag or a pair of Italian leather loafers. But you can always cheer yourself up with a two dollar hot dog or a giant pretzel from one of the thousands of street stalls dotted around the city! Take the subway to Battery Park to experience one of the city's greatest bargains - the Staten Island Ferry. For no charge at all, you can hop on the ferry to enjoy the mesmerizing views of the Manhattan sky line. Alternatively, if you fancy a more interactive tour of the Statue of Liberty for no more than $15, ferries depart from Battery Park every thirty minutes and take you on a round trip stopping at both Ellis Island and Liberty Island for as long as you please. Like any city, Manhattan comes alive after dark. Step into Times Square at night and you'll feel as though Sarah jessica Parker will be along any minute to join you for a drink. If you want to take yourself away from the hustle and bustle of mid-town, make your way to the heart of Greenwich Village, once known as the Bohemian capital. On 115 Macdougal street, you will find a small underground club called Cafe Wha? Don't be put off by the dimly lit staircase - this brilliant club is where prodigies like Bob Dylan and jimi Hendrix made their first appearances. With its sensational house band covering everything from jazz to rock, they will undoubtedly satisfy your every musical need. Order a big plate of nachos and sing along to your favourite songs. By the end of the night you will have burnt off all those extra calories, dancing til dawn in the city that never sleeps.
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Enter the Exeter experience
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Poppy Jones
Travel Writer
Exeter is the small, friendly and historic regional capital of Devon in south west England and 'is perfect for a weekend away. The cathedral makes a good start to any visit, dating back over eight centuries. On the outside, elaborate patterns and sculptures cover the building. while the interior has recently been restored. The cathedral's stained glass is some of the finest in the country and it boasts a ceiling that is the longest and most intact of its kind in the world. From there, head to Exeter's historic quayside for a stroll down the river. Stop for lunch at a pretty little cafe and admire Custom House, Exeter's oldest brick building and the many restored Victorian warehouses. For something a bit more adventurous, try exploring the passages beneath the city's streets. These were originally created in the fourteenth century to provide the city with fresh drinking water but today, the tunnels provide one of Exeter's most fascinating attractions. For food and drink, The Old Firehouse is an extremely popular
venue featuring several rooms of rustic design with a lively ambience, setting it somewhere between a cosy pub and a late-night bar. The pizzas here are huge, delicious and not to be mi sed; perfect for late-night snacking with your mates. A quirkier bar is Mama Stone's, a Jive music locale owned by the mother of joss Stone. Cheerful and brightly decorated in an ethnic style, it provides relaxing sofas and excellent entertainment. For a real Exeter experience, try heading to Gandy Street for some intriguing shopping. This narrow, cobbled Saxon street is home to various peculiar little shops which are great fun to explore. Allegedly, j. K. Rowling based Diagon Alley fro~ Harry Potter on Gandy Street, so ft that's not an incentive to the curious visitor, what is? Here then, are some of the highlights of Exeter: a charming city which is just waiting to be explored.
Top travel tips: Delve into Delhi
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Sula Deane
Travel writer
There are three great things about Delhi: you can leave by plane, bus or train. 'Smelly' Delhi certainly lives up to its name. The stench of human faeces clings to the back of your throat and mingles into the sweat of millions of breathing bodies, making for a pungent aroma. To the locals you are nothing but a shiny rupee, which they will try anything to rinse out of you. They assume you are a billionaire, which in a sense you are in this sadly impoverished and overpopulated place. As a result, you soon learn to take on the unfortunate mentality of distrust. Arriving and staying here as green as peas is a sure ticket to getting swindled, which could put a dreary spell on the rest of your adventure. So plan everything you can in advance, and don't be afraid to say 'no' to people. Always remember there are no shortcuts here, so it's best to be wary of anybody offering you one, as they may be charging extra. Learn to haggle as this is the only way to secure a good price. Shop owners
assume you will barter with them and look almost disappointed when you don't. For such a lively and fastpaced place, the best way to really enjoy it is to jump right in, so gi them a good run for your money and get those bargains going! Finally, to avoid unwanted fuss, ask to be dropped at a neutral point near your intended destination by your rickshaw driver, who could have deals with travel agencies and shops. However, don't be put off by any of this. Delhi is most certainly an experience and is a unique city that you can never forget.
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One man's rubbish is another man's gold The frin ge pursuit of Freegani sm or 'dumpster divi ng' is graduall y becoming a more m ainstream pursuit amongs t UEA students Susanna Wood Lifes tyl e write r Buying foo d for yo urse lf is one of th e big lifesty le changes that stud ents have to face wh en sta rtin g uni ve rs ity. Thi s is more of a cha lle nge th an peo pl e rea li se; p ri ces <Jrc ri sin g, and pay ing 拢1. 50 fo r a loa f of bread s udd e nly se ems like a lot of mo ney. Stud ents a re a lways o n th e lookout for a ba rga in, but som e have beg un to ta ke thi s on e step furth e 1~ 'Freega n' is a word use d to describe so meo ne wh o trawl s th ro ugh bin s to find edibl e foo dstuffs th at have bee n thrown away by bus in esses s uch as s up e rma rkets, cafes a nd ba ke ri es. Bus in esses te nd to err on th e s id e of c<J utio n rath er tha n ri sking se ll in g food th at has even th e ">si ightes t ri s k of being da nge rous to the con s umer, whi ch is why th ey ueate so mu ch was te food. While fo r some food s - s uch as eggs - it is probab ly bes t to foll ow the 'u seby' date, a lot of food is sti ll fin e for several days afte r. it is thi s so rt of food th at is treas ure to th e disce rnin g frceg<I n. Tom Gegg, a seco nd yea r stud ent at UEA who is studyin g Environm ental Geogra phy a nd Internat io na l Deve lopm ent, s tarted rumm agin g in bin s when he mo ved into a sha red ho use at th e sta rt of th e aca demi c yea r. "We haven't . bo ught brea d in month s!" He told Co ncrete proud ly. "We a lso ge t lots of vegetables that a loc<J I o rganic
veg s hop throws out." A lot of peo pl e wh o 'dum pster di ve ' do it not just for fin ancia l reasons, but a lso beca use of <Jwa reness th a t food was te is a se riou s environm ental iss ue. it is esti m<Jted that we throw away about a qu a rter of the food we buy, a nd mu ch of th is waste e nd s up in !<Jndfill. To m also told us th at hi s degree in s pired him to find a ltern ati ve ways of buying food. "it's rea lly excitin g to get fo od th at sho uld be thrown aw<Iy <I nd make so mething tas ty from it; I ge t a rea l thrill out of th at." With th e ca te rin g bu sin ess do minated by la rge co rp orati ons, it is reass uring th at so me la rge com p<I ni es, s uch as Pret-A-
M a n ge 1~
are beginning to o rga ni se schemes to gi ve <J way th e ir was te. However, whi le these co mpa ni es have la rge reso urces it also mea ns th a t p roblem s of in s ura nce a nd bureaucracy preve nt th e was te foo d ge tti ng to peopl e who wou ld a pprec i<J tc it.
((people ... do it not just for financial reasons /1
A sche me to tac kle thi s pro bl em h<Is just arri ved in No rw ich: Food Cyc le. Drive n by vo luntee rs, Food Cyc le is a co untry- wid e o rga ni sa ti o n w hi ch t<I kes th e was te food from co mpa ni es a nd turns it
Graduate prospects in the army Concrete examines a life changing career choice: joining the army james Dixon Lifestyle editor In th e las t coupl e of weeks, Norwi ch h<Is experi enced a recruitment push from the arm ed forces with a large amount of <Jclve rtising visible on bus stops around the city. job pros pects for graduates are currently poor clue to the eco nomic cli mate. One ca reer choice th <I t can provide reli <Jb le employment and op portuni ti es for prom otion is a ca ree r in the arm ed forces. Th e army offers a chance to travel, a se nse of cama raderi e and a clcpend <I bl c pension. Graduates ca n apply to the Army Offi cer Se lection Boa rd to enter the fo rces as an o ffi ce r~ whi ch invo lves developing a person's skills in
leadership. Th e Boa rd assesses the ap pli ca nt's in tellectual ca pabilities and practica l skills. If success ful, the app lica nt begin s an eleven month training course at Sa ndhurst Roy<J I Military Academy. After completing th eir training at Sa ndhu rs t th e Offi cer will th en se rve a three-yea r short co mmission in the field of duty. If a graduate is qu alifi ed in ce rtain profess ional areas such as hea lthc<Jre or law they may be eligible to complete an intensive fo ur week training course instead of th e stand ard eleven month tra ining co urse. There <I re many jobs in the army that do not invo lve servi ce on th e front lin e as the armed fo rces h<J ve a grea t demand for peo pl e specialising in logisti cs, information technology
and enginee ring. Degrees in any of these three a reas are highly valu ed in the arm ed forces as warfare beco mes more entwi ned with modern tec hn ology. There is a ce rtain moral questi on involved with joini ng the armed forces though. With multipl e roles in co ntroversial co nfl icts s uch as Iraq and Afghani stan, a perso n involved in th e armed forces is essenti ally a cog in a mac hin e with a grea t ca pac ity fo r des tructi on. The Iraq w<I r路 saw many casualti es on both sid es. Man's ca pacity to ki ll one anoth er is not so mething to be pro ud of. A perso n co nside ring ente ring the a rmed fo rces must questi on th eir own morals and decide wheth er it is th e right choice for th em.
into hea lthy, chea p mea ls. it won th e Prim e Mini ster's Big Soc iety Awa rd las t week, with Dav icl C<J me ron prai sing it as a "s imp le but bril li ant id ea". Po li ti ca l doubts about e nd orse ment from the Prim e Mini ster asid e, it is sti ll fa ntas ti c th<J t Foo d Cycle is ge tting back ing from th e governm ent. lla nn a h Wa lk e 1~ a stud ent a t UEA wh o is helping out with Food Cycle, told Co ncrete: "I have go ne 'dumpste r di ving' be fore, though I ca n't help but see it as f<I d-ish, like o ne of those things middl e class kid s do for ki cks ' Th e Foo d Cyc le p ro ject is a more s usta in ab le, real istic id c<J of how Freega nis m ca n be 'cl one' in everyday life ... fo od was te see ms to s um up all th e wo rst ch<I r<Icteri stics of consum er ism- greed, indu lge nce
a a nd excess. Foo d Cycl e is a step in the oppos ite direc ti on, as we ll as fo rmin g a co mmunity whi ch se rves ot hers a nd has a lot of fun doing it." Wa nt to try th e freeg<J n way of li fe for yo urse lf7 Sta rt checking out th e bins of yo ur local sup c1路m<1 rkct after they're put out, usually after l a m. Do n't be put off if yo u're un s uccess ful ; it wi ll co me as no surprise that th ere is a lot o f ru bbi s h in bin s, but w ith a bit of perseve ra nce yo u w ill soo n start finding ge ms. If" bin is locked or pro tected by b<J rb Ll w ire, may be it's hest to <Jvoi d il. If thi s a ll so und s " bit mu ch, yo u co uld s ta rt by ge tti ng a free mea l fro m Foo d Cycle, whi ch mee ts at 7 .OOp m on Fridays at th e Fr iends Meeting !louse off St Giles Street.
ISSUE 251
17 .._
Tuesday 1st February
Concrete's collection of culinary building blocks Crispy potato wedges with a honey and mustard dip Curious courgette cake
Emma Williamson Lifestyle writer
Ce lsius and place an oven tray inside to heat.
Laura Razavi
brown. Serve immediately.
Lifestyle writer
Honey and mustard dip Homemade potato wedges These rustic wedges are the perfect side to any meal, or even just a gourmet snack. Cheaper than chips, these require far less fat than their deep-fried counterpart and make a delicious healthy alternative.
Ingredients:
•
Three Maris Piper potatoes Sunflower oil Two cloves of garlic Rosemary (fresh or dried) Salt Pepper
Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
2. Wash and dry the potatoes and then cut them into wedges. 3. When the oven has warmed up, take out the oven tray and drizzle with sunflower oil.
This dip w ill compliment your wedges perfectly, and can also be used to go with pizza, salads and pork dishes.
This recipe makes two loaf cakes or one large round cake.
Ingredients For the cake: 225g courgettes, grated 140g soft butter 250g caster sugar 300g self-raising flour 4 eggs, beaten 140g seedless raisins 85g chopped nuts 2 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp vanilla essence
Ingredients: 4. Place the wedges in the tray and shake to ensure that the oil has been distributed evenly, covering a ll of the wedges. 5. Crush and dice the garlic, then sprinkle it evenly over the wedges. Add the rosemary, salt and pepper and shake the tray once again .
A quarter of a cup of mayonnaise One tablespoon of honey One tablespoon of lemon One tablespoon of mustard
Method: 1. Whisk all ingredients in a small
For the topping:
bowl until all lumps are gone. Add more mayonnaise to thicken .
6. Place the tray in the oven and cook for 25 minutes until golden
•
200g icing sugar SOg soft butter lOOg cream cheese 1 tsp vanilla essence
Method: 1. Grease a cake tin and preheat the oven to 200°C. 2. Cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. 3. Add the eggs and flour at alterna , intervals until both have been fully absorbed into the mixture. 4. Beat in the cinnamon and vanilla, followed by the courgettes, raisins and nuts. 5. Spoon the mixture into your cake tin and cook for one hour; lowering the oven temperature to 150°C for the final half hour. 6. Mix together the topping ingredients until the mixture is a pale golden colour and smooth in consistency. 7. Leave the cake to cool for half an hour and then spread the topping across the cake using a flat knife. ,. 8. Decorate with nuts, raisins and grated courgette.
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The perils and empty chasms of extreme dieting Kristina Step hens looks into the bizarre and worrying world of fad dieting lt will be news to few people that there is increasing pressure, coming from ever-growing obsession with celebrity culture, to have the perfect body, and whilst girls might be expected to have curves in all the right places, that still means skinny. Consequently this has led to the growing trend of the 'fad diet: idiosyncratic diets and eating patterns which promote shortterm weight loss, at the detriment of long-term weight maintenance, and denying health concerns. These bizarre eating plans enjoy temporary popularity as they offer instant results for those who can't face healthy eating and exercise, which would provide a more sustainable effect. The celebrit~es are all at it;
Beyonce favours the 'Master Cleanse: which has been labelled a "terrifying and potentially dangerous diet" involving ten days of no solid foods. lt is famed for purportedly assisting her drop 20 pounds in two
~~a ... potentially
dangerous diet" weeks by consuming a concoction of homemade lemonade, maple syrup, water; and Cayenne pepper. Wholesome America's sweethearttype Reece Witherspoon, has been said to have lost weight fast on a diet of baby-food. By feeding yourself mashed up food intended for an infant, with less than 600 calories per day, your body is being
seriously deprived of what it needs. Victoria Beckham's lithe figure is no easy feat; Victoria, a shadow of her former spice-girls self has been reported to live on a diet of soya beans, strawberries, and lettuce, and to drink two pints of an algae and seaweed smoothie every day. These diets can severely restrict calories required by the body, and the types of food 'allowed' can lead you to be deficient in the nutrients and vitamins that your body needs. If weight-loss is your goal, make sure it involves healthier eating and greater levels of activity, which can be sustained. Burn the bus pass, as even light exercise, such as a short walk or cycle into town or campus, will be beneficial if done most days of the week. And when it comes to calorie
intake, small changes can make a big difference; one extra biscuit a week can lead you to gain 5lb a year - cut that out of your diet and you could lose the same amount. However; perhaps embracing our natural shape is what's more important. With constant bombardment of
celebrity mags and advertising involving 'perfect' and impossibly thin models it can be easy to forget reality. The average English man is Sft 9ins (1.75m) tall and weighs 13.2st (185lbs/83.9kg) while the average woman is 5ft 3lhins (1.62m) tall and weighs llst (155lbsj70.2kg).
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Cocktail Society Ellen Steers Cocktai l Society Secretary If yo u arc looking for a society that will keep your diary hooked up with socials t h roug ho ut ter m tim e, look no further than the Cockta il Society. /\s one of the lnrgest societies nt lJF./\, we guaJ'<lntce that by the time you leave, you'll have made eve n mo re fri en ds and h<Jd some l<lnlas ti c nights out. For £'1, a member can receive an exclusive members h ip c1rd th <ll gets d isco un ts at ba rs a nd clu bs a ll arou nd Norw ich. Your ni ghts out won't he t he same afte r ge tti ng one of these C<lrds. The stap le in o ur society is the fort n ightly Mo nday lesso ns he ld ;1t J·:sscncc. Taug ht by the cocktail connoisseur, /\ndrew Stal lion, fo r either £3 or £9, you and friends a re trc<ltcd to an evening behind the bar: tasting, making and creating your own cock la i Is. ; - The main event this term is when over 100 s tudent s w ill be embarking on an evt•nt ful weeken d in /\mstcrd;Jml /\long w ith un ive rs iti es fr o m a ll ove r th e co ull tl·y, students can lorget their dec~dline woes and ju~t en joy a good <llld menwrable
weekend away with all their friends. /\long wit h the lessons, we also offer many other socials, including pub go lf and scavenger hunts through our delightful city of Norwich. We nevt•r leave ,1 term without a big celebration, whether it's a meal at
We n ever leave a ter m w ith o u t a bi g ce le b ratio n, w he th e r it's a mea l at The Libra ry or a good ol' pa rty. Eac h ter m goes out with a ba ng w he n you're with us! The Library or <1 good ol' p<lrly. Each term goes out with a hang when you're with usl If you are at a ll tempted to come and sec what we are c~ll about then gel in touc h vi;l our Facehook gm u p or e mai l cocsoc. u ea@ gm a i l. co m.
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Is your future looking bright? What to do after un iversi ty is a major headache for m<my students. What opportunities arc out th ere'? ll ow do I get my foo t in the door'? Your search for that per fect job has just got a little easier this year with the cst<1b lishment of UEA Bright Futures Society. The Society is part ol ~~ n<lt iona l non-profit org<lnisatio n w hich works with some of the LJK\ top gr<lduatc employers at campuses across the country. By hosting events with employers such ,1s BT. IHI\1, Pricewaterhousc(oopcrs, Barci <Jys and Delo illc, Bright Fu tures gives you the opportunity to impress the right people. We oiler our members the chance to network with recruiters and improve their cmploy;JiJility sk ill s, incrt'<lsing you r chances or ga inin g <1 11 internship or job. Several LJ Et\ stude nts this ye<~ 1· have already been offered work experience nfter impressing employers dl a Bright Futures eve nt. The lli gh Flyers report, The Graduate Market in 2011, published this month revealed that 'a third of the vacancies that [graduate emp loyers] are promoting for 20 1 I arc expected to be fi lled by unde rgraduates who have had previous work experience with their organisations, such ns intcrnships, industrial placements,
vacation schemes or sponsorships'. That is a lot of jobs being filled by peop le who got their foo t in the doo r e;1rl y! Be one of them by joining the !3right Futures Society for only £3 at one ol our events. For more information go to www.bright-futures.org.uk or join our r:ace hook gro up. We arc also looking for studen ts will ing to take over the Society next year. A committee position oilers access to unique events ami opportunities, such .JS an i\ccenture mcntoring scheme, along with tra ining in job hunting, per~onal hr<mding <~nd networking from the national tenm , plus it looks great on your CV. For a committee position you must he a mcmhl' l' or or jo in the Socie ty, plc<lSC t' lll ai l g.zamo@uea.ac.uk for more information.
UEA
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ISSUE 251
19
concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk
"Virgins are not a precious commodity" Dear Concrete,
Letters
<
Concrete wa nts to hear from you. Whether you have read someth ing you agree or disagree wi th in Concrete, or just have something you want to say to the students of UEA, we wa nt to hear what you have to say.
Just email concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk
In reading the headline to last edition's : • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • feature article entitled "Is virginity an issue for : university students?'" I was expecting a sensible look at sexuality's innate subjectivity. The idea that although we live in a society where we are pressured into a prescribed sexual lifestyle, we should aim to feel comforta ble enough in ourselves to peruse whatever sexual activities we wish to proudly. I didn't expect what was published, which was a diatribe on the evils of sex. The initial use of the supposed regret of teenagers was doubtful at best and disingenuous at worst. The fact that a majority of teenagers tl1ink they should have lost their virginity later on in life (or perhaps with a different person) does not equal them wishing that they had never had sex. But rather that they've bought into the idea that there is one universally correct time, place and scenario to begin havi ng sex - either that or iliey want to ruin it for younger kids who may want to have sex around ilie same time they did. Eiilier way I wouldn't take their word for it. Whilst it's not contentious that today's media sexualise anything it can get its hands on, the corporate version of sexuality - like a lot of corporate versions of most thi ngs - is one dimension, controll ing and bland. The correct response for someone wishi ng to subvert iliis standardised homogeneous sexual culture is not to replace it with another equally detrimental one. Sex is a natural process and lust is as normal an urge as hunger; and as the problem with food is only found in the obese and the anorexic, sexual urges only become a problem when we can't handle them properly. The main fallacy here is that 'virginity' is something real or medically recognisable, it is in fact a social construct. An idea created by those who saw that their daughters - and control of them - had value. Virginity and sexual conduct is in this way a woman's price tag, why else is 'slut' an insult? Whilst I'm sure there are people who feel they have the right to presume to pry into their partners' previous sex lives, there are others who respect their partners enough to not regard pursuing a healthy sex life before you met them as "sordid". An attitude which again, smacks of a wish to control people, to own them, to have exclusivity over an aspect of their personality and actions. Virgins are not a precious commodity as tl1e flip-side of that is that sexually active people are damaged goods. It is iliis attitude that leads to the forms of fe male slavery iliat occur around the world and have been incarnated most distu rbingly in the "daddy-daughter balls" - a strange ceremony which takes place analogous only to marriage as a daughter (usually around ten years old) pledges freehold over her sexual organs to her father; as only he can give her permission to use them. Call me a hedonist but the idea of my parents having a say over my sex life just sounds messy. This is not anger at someone who wishes to remain a virgin, as previously stated, everyone's sexuality and preferences are their own. Rather .it is anger at people and organisations who view
'Innocent until proven guilty': A response.
: : : : : : : : : : : Dea r Editor, : : Having read the article entitled 'Innocent : until proven guilty?', Issue 250 about what : was called "Police brutality", I was a little : disappointed to say the least. Firstly, it was : stated that Edward Woollard (the protestor : sentenced under Section 2 of the Public : Order act) had "hurt no one." Had the fire : extinguisher he threw hit someone, it • wouldn't have been hard to see a murder : charge being brought forward. How would : the writer have felt if a relative had been officers by students that day was not lawful a progressive, positive thing. : killed by Woollard? I fail to see how the and was certainly intentional. However, it should not be presented : sentence was unjustified. Furthermore, the legal system which as the generalised opinion of Concrete or : Your writer claims that law and orde r charges those who break the law acts on indeed of the student population at large. : criminalises ordinary citizens over evidence not allegiance or some form of I believe other opinions should be sought • "imaginings of what might have happened." totalitarianism as is suggested. before articles of this sort are published. : The truth of the matter is that when a As a Special Constable with Norfolk lt was biased, offensive, and in my opinion : police officer is put in a position where a Constabulary myself, I found the article very blatantly over-politicised. Concrete does : use of force is necessary, they act within the offensive to the hard work I and many other really good work to report on student : confines of the law. Na turally, mistakes are caring individuals put in every week to make ma tters and I do enjoy reading it despite my • sometimes made as is the case with any job Norwich safer for my fellow students. If Mr current misgivings. : and is not in any way intentional. Howeve r, Jack Brinded has a dislike for the Police that : the violence shown towards the very same is, of course, entirely up to him, opinions are Anon. : •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••..•••••••••••• • ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••. •4 those of us who wish to express our sexuality with each oilier as wrong or damaged in some way. This is coupled with a feeling that maybe if we want a healthier sexual culture we should empower children wiili knowledge and teach them to trust themselves and believe in their own choices, rather than the disgusting idea of viewing lack of sexual activity as a commodity to be traded, exploited and used. Matthew Taylor
CCIICiele PO BOX 410, NORWICH, NORFOLK, NR4 7T] 01603 593466
Concrete is pub lished by UUEAS Concrete Society © 2010 Concrete. ISSN 1351-2773 Letters should be addressed for the attention of the Editor, Danny Coli ins. 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 necessa•-i ly 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 ins. Printed by Archant.
So, it turns out that our friends across the pond at The New Tim es a re rather fond of Norwich; a nd with the little winding streets of the city, it really isn't that ha rd to see why.
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co ncrete.turf@uea.ac.uk
Nelson Court leads Switch Off rankings • Nelson leads Browne and Suffolk Terrace as student energy-saving competition reaches its ha lfway point • Student carbon emissions reduced by over 45 tonnes Neil Jenni ngs Stud e nt Sw itch Off Stud e nts livin g in ha ll s of res id e nce have made a grea t s tar t in th e St ud e nt Sw itch Off e ne rgysa vin g ca mpa ig n. In t he fir s t te rm , e nergy usage in ll a ll s redu ce d by 12.2% co mpa red to t he base li ne usage. Tog ethe r, have s tud e nts redu ce d ca rb o n e mi ss io ns by ove r 4 5 to nnes, w hi ch is eq uiva le nt to lea vin g a 15 wat t e ne rgy-sav ing light bulb o n fo r ove r 6 00 years! it jus t goes to s how t ha t s ma ll act ions ca n ma ke a rea l d iffe re nce in th e fi ght aga in st cli ma te cha nge . Th e sa vin gs have bee n bro ught abo ut la rge ly as a res ult of th e action s o f th e 400+ s t ude nts in ha ll s wh o have pl edge d to use th e ir e ne rgy ca refully. These st ud e nts have bee n sw itchin g off li ghts a nd a ppli a nces wh e n not in use, putt ing lid s o n pa ns w he n cook in g a nd no t ove rfil lin g t he ir kettl es. 1\ s a n in ce nt ive to ado pt th ese s imp le e ne rgy- saving acti o ns, th e Stud e nt Switch Off has bee n givin g o ut Be n & je rry 's ice crea m, ti ckets to th e LCR as we ll as e ne rgy-sa vin g ga dge ts. ~ Curre ntl y lea din g th e way in t he co mp e t itio n is Ne lso n Co urt, fo ll owe d by Brown e a nd
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Suffolk Te rrace; but th e ca mp aign co nt inu es until th e e nd of t he aca de mi c ye a r, s o t he re's ple nty of tim e for th ings to cha nge a nd th e re a re loa ds mo re pri zes to be wo n. There have bee n a few difficulti es wi t h mete rs in so me o f t he ha ll s so unfo rtun a te ly we d o n't kn ow how a ll t he ha ll s have do ne. Be tt le, Ric ha rd UEA Enviro nm e nt Ma nage r, sa id : ''I' ve bee n rea lly impresse d by th e e nthu s ias m tha t UEA st ude nts have s hown in gettin g involve d. It pro vid es a hea rte nin g exa mp le of t he res po ns ibl e a ttitu de th e nex t ge ne ra ti o n of yo un g ad ults have towards our e nviro nm e nt". The Stud e nt Sw itch Off is a na t io nal ca mp a ig n r unnin g in 37 Uni ve rs iti es thi s yea r. Ne il je nnin gs, th e ca mp aig n fo und e r a nd form e r UE/\ s tud e nt, sa id : 'St ud e nts from UEA a re co ntr ibutin g to a na ti onal ca mp a ign ma king s igni fi ca nt e nvi ro nm e nta l a nd fin a ncial sa vin gs ac ross t he UI<, a nd pl ay in g a pa rt in th e fi ght aga in s t clim a te cha nge'. Fo r mo re info rm ati o n o n th e sc he me check o ut www. s tud e ntsw itchoff.org. If yo u' re livin g in ha ll s a nd wa nt th e cha nce of winnin g Be n &je rry's ice crea m, LCR ti cke ts a nd eco -gadge ts t he n joi n t he "UEA Stude nt Sw itch Off" Face book group .
The unfair fuel stabiliser • Hester Lee questions the impl ications of the proposed new measure to combat high fuel prices Hester Lee Turf Re porte r t hrough the Whe n lea fin g Co nse rva tive Ma nifes to fo r 2010, t he ' Fair Fu el Sta bili se r', the brain child of Da nny Al exa nd e r, is to be fo un d, tucked so mew here in be twee n pl edges to ' re for m e nergy mar ke ts' a nd 'd elive r inves tm e nt in low-ca rb on e ne rgy '. Whi le it's not tec hni ca lly one of th e ma ny coa liti o n Gove rnm e nt's gree n pro posa ls, it is un do ubted ly indi ca tive of the ir attitude towa rd s re newabl e e ne rgy so urces. Th e Fair Fuel Stab ili se r (FFS) demonstra tes th e des pera ti on
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w ith w hi ch th e Go ve rnm e nt a re clingin g to crud e oil for tra ns po rt. a nd th e neglect of via bl e publ ic tra ns po rt as opp ose d to th e ins ula r bubbl e of th e ca r. Th e thru st of th e current propos al is to red uce th e imp ac t of ri s in g crud e oil pri ces tha t a re, acco rd in g to Ca me ro n, . ' in credibly painful fo r fa mili es '. Thi s phi la nthropic ve neer is so mewhat fa rcica l give n th e fac t th a t w hil e pri ces a t th e pumps may not rise hu ge ly ove r s ho rt s paces of tim e, neith e r will th ey fall fro m th eir cur re nt pos iti o n; th e id ea be in g tha t fu el duty increas es when w holesa le pri ces a re low, in ord e r to co unteract
the redu cti o n in d uty wh e n they a re high. Whil e orga ni sa ti o ns s uch as th e Fede ra ti on fo r Small Bus in esses a re ca lli ng for a fair fu el stabil ise r to help re du ce the cost of t ra ns port fo r small bu s in ess, it is poss ibl e th a t th ey a re ove res timati ng th e imp ac t it wo uld ma ke. Thi s, again, is dive rt in g a tte nti o n away fro m oth e r poss ibi lit ies w ith in the fi eld of t ra nsport. Charl es He ndry, Mini s te r fo r En e rgy a nd Clim ate Cha nge, ag rees tha t 'we wo uld do well to loo k into ta ki ng th e train w he neve r poss ib le'. Whi le projects s uch as th e hi gh-s peed ra il link
a nd oth e r radi ca l deve lo pm e nts co ntinu e, publ ic tra ns port will continu e to beco me less access ibl e a nd more pri ce- dri ve n. Eve n with out th e FFS it is still chea pe r to dri ve fro m Norwi ch to Lo nd on with th ree peo pl e th a n it is fo r those three to ta ke the train. In stea d of fue l duty exe mpt ions, the Gove rn me nt mu st be press ured to exe rt th eir majo rity sha reho lde r pos itio n in th e priva ti sed ra il ways in o rd er to preve nt a bove-infl a ti o n price ri ses whi ch di sco urage the publi c fro m us ing open tra ns po rt. In th e wo rd s of th e CEO of Firs t Trave l, we a re now witn ess to a 'co mm e rcial
se rvice to th e publi c', ra ther th a n a publi c serv ice. Adju stm e nts wit hin th e rea lm of publi c t ra ns po rt a re jus t a few ways of redu cing both ca rb o n e mi ss io ns a nd fi sca l imp act to fa mili es of ri s ing fu el pr ices; sc he mes such as ca r s ha res do w ha t th ey ca n to in crease effi cie ncy a nd dec rease cos ts, but thi s needs to be re info rce d by s t ro ng gove rnm e nt po licy th a t, in s tea d of a fl at rate du ty fr eeze, incre me nta lly taxes more in effi cie nt a nd indul ge nt modes of tra nspo rt a nd puts t he 'p ublic' bac k into publi c tra nspo rt . FFS? For F***'s Sa ke.
. ISSUE 251
SPORT
www.concretc-online.co.uk
Tuesday 1st February
'.There's only t-wo Nor-wich Citys ...' No Djoke for Murray ICanaries strengthen their community bonds with brand new venture I
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Freddie Magee Sports Correspondent
Grant Holt had better watch his back - there may soon be a few new cha ll engers to his No.9 sh irt. The Norwich City Down's Syndrome football team has been founded this month by the Norwich City Community Sports Foundation (CSF), and held its first training session on Saturday
January 22nd at City College. Twenty young people aged between 5 and 25 attended the session, during which they were ab le to hone their footba ll ing skills under the watchful eyes of the CSF coaches. The initiative was started in 2006 by DSActive (Down's Syndrome Active) in partnership with the Fulham FC Foundation, a charitable branch of the London-
based Premier League club. The programme has since seen huge growth with 11 clubs, including West Ham, Ipswich Town and QPR, now partic ipating up and down the country. Scott Pollington-Woods, football development officer at DSActive said: "The overall aim is to get as many peop le with Down's syndrome playing and enjoying football". The presence of CSF mascot Sportasaurus certainly brightened up everyone's day. The green and yellow dinosaur posed for pictures and dished out hugs to all who were interested. There are already rumoured to be plans for the team to play an introductory match against local rivals Ipswich. If Saturday's session at City College is anything to go by, then people with Down's syndrome in the Norwich area can look forward to an exciting future in football.
BUCS Results SATURDA¥22NDJANUABY Badminton UEA Men's I Coventry Men's I
Basketball No rtha mpton Men's I UEA Me n's I Football UEA Men's I Lough borough Me n's Ill
7 1
77 65
4 0
Every issue this term, we'll be running a comparative table ofUEA's sports teams as listed on the BUCS website, www.bucs.org.uk The table compares the various teams UEA f ields in university sports by win percentage and points difference. Win percentage (furthest-right column) is the primary means of sorting the teams, with games won serving as the tie-breaker.
2
71.43%
3 4
Hockey Men's I
70.37%
Football Men's I
5 6
Korfballll
61.11% 59.26%
7
Football Women's I
•e ball I
28
47
58 24
Tennis Notts Trent Women's I UEA Women's I
8 4
It may also be suggested, given the absence of the top two seeds from the final, that the 2011 Australian Open has witnessed a 'changing of the guard' in men's
46.67% 9
46.67%
11 Basketbal Men's 1 12 Basketball Women's 1
0
13 Korfballl
0
14 Hockey Women's 1
0
15 Tennis Men's 11
0
etballll
0
16
In BUCS this week: Rugby Nottingha m Me n's VI UEA Men's 11
worn down and out-hit by Djokovic"
tennis. Whilst this is doubtful, one can't help but feel that the end is nigh for several familiar figures. With newcomers such as Alexandr Dolgopolov and Australia's very own Bernard To mic at the start of their potentially careers, experience ~ fruitful players such as Nikolay Davydenko, David Nalbandian, Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick all had wayward tournaments. On the women's side of the tour, Roddick's American compatriot Venus Williams continued her unwanted statistic of not holding a title for three years. Instead Kim Clijsters was victorious, defeating China's Li Na in three sets. Mea nw hile Justi ne Henin was forced to retire from the sport for the second time, fo ll owing a recurrence of a niggling elbo"'::_ injury. The Belgian, winner of seven Grand Slam titles during her impressive career, first quit tennis in 2008, at which time she was world number one, before returning to the WTA Tour in January 2010.
50.00% 47.62%
10 Rugby Men 's 11
Hockey Birmingham Wome n's IV 4 UEA Women's I 1 Netball Leicester I UEAI
World number three Novak Djokovic proved too strong for Britain's Andy Murray, as the 23-year-old Serbian won his second Australian Open final. Djokovic comp leted a straigh t set rout (6-4, 6-2, 6-3), having entirely outclassed Murray and leaves the Scot still searching for h is first Grand Slam title. Sunday's match completed what has been an excellent tournament for Djokovic, who came through against number two seed Roger Federer on his way to lifting the trophy. Djokovic was the aggressor from start to finish, dominating the long and brutal rallies and maintaining a superb first serve percentage. Murray was quickly worn down and out-hit by Djokovic, who moved exceptionally throughout the match. The final was perhaps the most one-sided affair since Andre Agassi thrashed Rainer Schuettler in 2003, and Murray cou ld do little to prevent the Serbian taking control. Many will doubtless attribute Mu r ray's defeat to a lack of mental toughness, however it certainly appears that Djokovic is simply the superior player.
IIM urray was 7 1
WEDNESDAY 26TH JANUARY Badminton Wa rwi ck Men's I UEA Men's I
I
Matt Scrafton Sports Correspondent
Februa ry 2 nd is a nother big ho mesta nd for UEA's s porting e li te, wi th Football Men's I and Women's I, Rugby Men's I and Men's 11, Hockey Men's I and Women's I, Netball I and Tennis
3
44.44% 40.00%
5 4
33.33%
5 10 6
37.50% 28.57% 9.09% 163
284
-121
0.00%
Men's I a ll a t h om e. Much of th e action w ill be ta king place at Co ln ey La n e, wi th five UEA tea ms get ti ng m atc hes und erway a t 2pm. Elsewhe re, Basketball Men's I travel to Anglia Ruskin and Rugby Women's I visit Northampton .
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I
SPORT
Chris Tea le Sports Correspondent
Norwich City continued their good run of form with a 2-1 victory over Sheffield United thanks two goals from An drew Crofts (inset, right). The half was a very cven ly~matched contest, which the scorelin e of 0-0 at halftime renected.
ISSUE251
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In the second half. Crofts grabbed his first goa l in the 6 l st minute after the ball fell to him in the penalty area following a cornec Ched Evans soon equalised for the home side, hut Crofts popped up again in the 80th minute to score with a powerful shot
earned away win. Norwich chairman Alan Bowkett announced that he was weighing up the 'risk-reward' of making additional funding available to manager Paul L<lmbert to
facilitate a promotion push, as we ll as revealing details of a proposed 8,000 seat extension to Carrow Road. The Canaries' promotion ambitions were boosted by a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace, which saw Lambert's side move second, hut they perhaps should have won after Grant llolt missed d key chance from eight yards oul. Meanwhile, Norwich have been active in the transfer market, loaning out Owain Tudur )ones to Brentford and Matthew Gill to Walsall for a mon th each. In addition, City have extended the loan of Arsenal youngster llenri Lansbury until the end of the season. Ipswich Town are looking nervously over their shoulders currently sitting just five points off the relegation places - hut they took
concrete.spo rt@uea.ac.uk
a big step tow<Jrds safety by securing a vit<JI 3-2 win over fellow strugglers Don caster
Rovers. Ipswich were forced to battle for the points, having gone behind early to a goal from Billy Sharp, before recovering in the second half as David and Connor Wickham scored two goals in three minutes. Doncaster equalised through Sharp almost straight
away, but Carlos Edwards blas ted the winner to sea l a dramatic victory. The seco nd leg of the League Cup se mi-final was next up for the Tractor Boys, as they travelled to the Emirates to take on Arsena l, hoping to hold on to th e ir s lende r 1-0 a dvantage from the first leg. The game and the occ<Jsion combined to provide argua bly th e hi gh light ofTown's season. ll owever, despite the Tractor Boys' stubborn resistance up until the interval, Arsenal scored twice in th ree second-half minutes before Cesc Fabregas sea led their 3-0 victory. Ipswich's move to sign Swindon striker Cha rli e Austin broke down over the weekend, but they have h<1d some tr<Jnsfer window success in signing Hull City midfielder jimmy Bullard (left) on lo<1n until the end of the season, and Luton winger Andy Drury permanently for <1 reported ÂŁ150,000 fee.
No clear favourites as Six Nations kicks off
I Sports l:. ditor Rob Schatten previews the 2011 RBS Six Once a year, the re is a change in the pace of the premier ru gby union leagues of th e Northern l le misphe re as five of the most respected and fea red national teams on th e planet ..Jand Ita ly) loc k horns in a n o utburs t of testoste rone a nd pa tri otism lasting just und er two months. And now, it's Six Nation s time once aga in. This sp rin g's edi ti on loo ks set to be o ne of th e most open in rece nt yea rs. There is no clear favo urite as th e tournament ge ts set for kickoff this Friday, when two major
co ntend ers, England and Wal es, w ill face off in Cardiff. On Saturd ay, tournament o uts id ers Ita ly head to Dublin to face Ire la nd, th e 2009 cha mpi ons. Th e Iris h have bee n ravaged by injury during their preparations for the tournament but sho uld sti ll be favourites to bea t Ita ly, who a rc yet to make a s ubstantial impact s in ce th ey joined th e expa nd ed Six Nations in 20 00. France will host Scotla nd on Sa turd ay evenin g a t th e Stade
ations a h ead of the first round of fixtures, featuring England v Wales in Cardiff de France, with the Scottish on an exce ll en t run of form. Former England coach Andy Robinson has steered the Sco ts to five wi ns in their last s ix games, in cluding a stellar 21-17 triumph over re ignin g world cha mpion s South Africa. The French, by co ntrast, had mi xed results in th ei r a utumn ca mpaign, loo king unsure aga ins t Argentina and getti ng to rn a part by Australia. The French wi ll be carrying with th e m s trong hopes of a s uccessful titl e d efence, with Marc Lievremont
bringing back his ve tera ns having blooded severa l debutantes in the a utumn. Sho uld th ey manage to ge t so m e of th eir wounded back on the field in lime, Irela nd have a squad capab le of co mpeting, whi le Scotla nd's rece nt fo rm ca nnot be overl ooked. Friday's o pe ne r; m ea nwhile, is crucia l for We lsh hopes of a firs t Six Nations crown s ince 2008, with their next three fixtures a ll away from the Millennium Stadi um . Despite so m e injury co ncern s in their pack,
ProletStudentHomes. eo. uk
.
Wide open: Defending champions France are one of several teams with realistic title hopes
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the Welsh will sti ll call on enviable depth in the backs, with perennial s up e rsta rs ja mes Hook, Step hen )one a nd Sha ne Williams a ll set to feature. For Engla nd, who have not lifted th e Six Na ti o ns trophy since th eir 2003 Grand Slam, the key to victory will li e with w ha t is o n paper a s up e ri o r pack, capable of dictatin g this match from the crum. As with the tournament in ge ne ra l, the outcome of this ga m e is balanced on a knife-edge.
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Tuesday 1st February
So You ThinkYou Know American Football?
I Sports correspondent Oli Platt brings you an insight into the world of the Pirates, UEA's very own gridiron Goliaths I
I
Oli Platt Sports Correspondent
With Super Bowl XLV on the horizon, there has never been a better t ime to pick up the j United States' most popular sport. The climax to the National Football League season huge event across the Atlantic, with 10 of the 42 matches to date featuring in the us路 twenty most-viewed broadcasts. American football can seem a daunting game
to learn at first, but in rea lity the rules are fairly straightforward. When in possession of the ball, each team has four 'downs' to gain ten yards up the field. Doing so resets the downs and brings you back to '1st and 10', allowing you to keep possession of the ball. Despite the helmets, pads and stop-start nature of the game, American football is one of the most physically demandi ng sports around, with many professional players 300lbs in exceeding weight. It's a game of speed, as well as
power, though; Tennessee Titans running back Chris johnson can complete a 40-yard dash in just 4.24 seconds.
(1\merican football is one of the most demanding sports around; but it's a game of speed, as well as power" UEA's American football representative in the British Universities American Football
Hockey stick it to Staffs I
Henry Kilmister Sports Correspondent
UEA Hockey Men's I Staffordshire Men's I
6 0
UEA Men's Hockey I continued t heir winning form in the BUCS Cup with a fine 6-0 victory over Staffordshire, a hugely impressive resu lt agai nst a side placed t hree leagues above the hosts. The match began with a flurry of end-to-end exchanges, with both sides struggling to find any early rhythm. Staffordshire almost drew first blood but were
denied by a save from captain Tom Pa lmer. UEA proceeded to strike an early blow and take the lead; a short-corner led to joseph Broadbent beautifully dragflicking the ball into the back of the net. This strike eased the tension, and UEA were able to go from strength to strength, a n umber opportunities to increase their lead. Staffordshire enjoyed some decent spells of possession, but were unable to
penetrate through the strong UEA defence. The hosts doubled their lead just before half time, from another short corner, converted this time by Samuel johnson. The frustration was evident on the faces of the Staffordshire players, one of whom was booked for a horrendous stick challenge just before the interval. UEA emerged from the break stronger than ever, dominating possession with consummate ease and quickly nullifying the threat from a jaded Staffordshire. james Fanger slotted a third for the hosts after a mazy run, firing home on the reverse pass the help less visiting goalkeeper. With victory secured the home side were able to relax, and played some majestic hockey in the second half, almost effortlessly doub ling their tally to complete the rout. To their credit, not once did UEA take their foot off the gas, keeping up their intensity until the final whistle blew. Such an imperious performance and emphatic victory can only bode well for UEA, who now advance to the quarter finals of the BUCS Cup and must look to translate this success into good results in the league too.
League (BUAFL) are the Pirates, who have a record of two wins and three losses so far this season. Despite this, all three losses have come against the top two sides in the South Eastern Conference; as such as the Pirates will hope to move up the table in the coming weeks. UEA Pirates train on Tuesday
and Thursday evenings from 7pm until 9.30pm, and on Sunday mornings from lOam to lpm at Colney Lane. The team are holding a SuperBowl party in the Blue Bar this Sunday, where live coverage of the Pittsburgh Steelers v Green Bay Packers season finale will be shown.
Ladies emerge from nailbiter with win
I
Ellie Day Sports Correspondent
UEA Women's Football I faced Oxford 11 at Colney Lane on Wednesday, following a 1-0 defeat the previous week in the corresponding fixture in Oxford. However, captain Ashley johnston dispelled any worries of another bitter defeat by putting out her strongest squad, ready to put the team's newly-prepared 4-3-3 formation to the test, the intention being to generate greater attacking support and more chances in the box. The move appeared to pay off almost immediately, Leanne Stubbings sending an early effort against the crossbar from the edge of the area. This narrow miss on ly increased the home side's determination as they unrelentingly pressurised the Oxford defence. On the half-hour mark, a dazzling set of passes in the box between wingers Beki Fisk and Christy Haynes ended with Haynes firing a thunderbolt just wide. With stand-in skipper Sophia Charalambous commanding the back line, UEA were unshakable under Oxford's advances. The
UEA Football Women's I 1 Oxford Women's 11 0 visitors' rare breakthroughs fizzled into nothing, every shot floati1 straight into the safe hands of goalkeeper Axelle Courlander. The wintery showers of the second-half fai led to dampen UEA's spirits. With sharp passes reminiscent of Arsenal's lauded 'pass and move' style flowing from the UEA midfield, the hosts unremittingly pushed forward in search of the winning goal. The breakthrough finally came when a streaking run from Haynes was followed up by an inch-perfect cross into the box, which was effortlessly converted by strike~ Aisha Shuaibu. UEA's incessant hard work throughout the match took its toll in the final minutes as Oxford pressed for a late equaliser, but it wasn't to be, the visitors' final attempt harmlessly clearing the crossbar. Following their hard-fought victory UEA remain fourth in the BUCS Midlands 2B League, having closed the gap on the division's pace-setters.
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The Concrete Index Turn to page 21 to see th e defini tiv e ra nkin gs li st for UEA s ports club s, Th e Co ncrete In dex
Australian Ope n Sports co rrespo nd ent Matt Scrafto n fo ll ows Andy Murray 's see mingly neve re nding ques t for his first eve r Gra nd Sla m
Rugby put opponents to Bed
~.,
\I\
Lincoln teach Netball a lesson
I
Sa m Tomkinson Sports Correspondent
UEA Ne tballll Linco ln I
Thrashing: UEA made light work of Bedfordshire, who couldn't prevent the osts runn ing riot and continuing their promotion push Da nny Coli ins Editor UEA Rugby Me n's I Bedfo rds hi re Me n's 11
62
7
A virtuoso display from UE/\ Rugby sk ipper Scott Go lding led the Men's 1st XV to a dominant 62-7 victory over Bedfordshire 2nd XV at Co ln ey Lane on Wednesday. The talismanic Golding ran in three tries a nd had a hand in a ll that W<IS good <~ bout a domindnt displ<~y of attacking rugby fro m the home side. UE/\'s a ttackin g intent was made apparent directly fmm ki ck
off, as Golding cro ssed for his first two minutes in after a fluent five pha ses of play. Th e sta nd-o ff was again a t the centre of play two minutes later when his crossfield kick was collected by Myles Mc/\lone to touc h down for UE/\'s seco nd. it would be a n injustice to th e quality of UE/\'s play to overemphas ise th e poor s tandard of 13edfordshire, who s tru ggled to string together any sembla nce of flu ency, as the home side clini ca lly tore apa rt the visitors' errors. UE/\ continued to build upon their momentum throughout the first-half as th e ball was spun out to winger Domini c Baron, who
Fortnight in Sport
Crawley get dream FA Cup tie
It's been a busy couple of weeks across the sporting spectrum; with Fl on the horizon and the FA Cup still as unpredictable as ever, here is Concrete Sport's rundown of the stories that caught our eye...
Upsets were at a premium in the FA Cup Fourth Round, but the weekend was lit up by nonleague Crawley Town knocking out League Two Torquay United, desp ite miss ing two pena lties. Crawley are the first non-league
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handed off his opposite number to touch down. Golding then ran in from thirty metres for his secon d after only twenty minutes. Not to be outdone by the backs, UEA's forwards put in a strong display, o utmu scling their Midland counterparts at every given opportunity. A strong drive from the pack saw scrum-half Daniel Woodward pick the lo ose ball up an d dive over. Despite a further try by McAione, Bedford<>hire ra 11 i ed tow;uds the end of the first ha If. and conti nued to do so well in the second-ha lf, bundlin g th e ball over the line for th eir on ly score just befo1路e the break.
Their response, however, was short- lived as UE/\ replied wit h renewed vigou r. Golding completed hi. hat trick of tries ten minutes into the second-ha lf, as he evaded sever<~! tackles on a 50-metre dash to the try lin e. This sco re put to bed a ny measure of fight that Bedfordshire still possessed, as replaceme nt stand-ofT Charlie Dower, a nd flanker Stephen Wilson both crossed to comp lete a humblin g 62-7 defeat of their Midlands ZB coun terparts. The result leaves UE/\ third in their 13UCS table, with a promotion pu sh building momentum as the season reaches its halfway poinl.
side to reach the Fifth Round for 17 years, and now face a clash with Ma nchester Un ited at Old Trafford. Other shocks came at The Liberty Stadium, where Leyton Orient squeezed past Swansea City, while Notts County came within te n minu tes of knocking out bigspending Manchester City.
Ferrari F1 win first 'race' of2011 The first race of the new Fl season has been won by Ferrari - who were first to reveal their 2011 ca t~ on January 28th. The new season's cars are mostly expected to mirror la t year's a ll -conquering Red Bull,
25 46
UE/\ Netball 11 fell to a 46-25 defea t against a strong Lincoln side at the Sportspark in a ve ritabl e ga me of two h<1lves. Following a lethargic start by the home side, Lincoln were quick to grab the initiative- and an early leadwith the visitors' centre court pl<~yers controlling the early encounters. UEA soon found their range howevet; with Sarah Wilson and Emily Carpenter mak ing the most of improved service to finish impressively, <1nd putting the ho 'tS into a 10-U lead at the end of the first quarter. This momentum was e<uTi ed in to the seco nd quarter as <Ill exp losive start 路aw UE/1 incre< 1se their lead, yet it was a short-lived ascendency, as Lincoln forehodingly began to discover their rhythm. llad it not been tor strong defending from Eryn Mann, which kept the home side in the match, the score- line co uld easily have bee n more th<Jn 20- 17 at half time. UEI\'s previous lustre began to disappear in the third quarter; the hosts appearing j<Jded against a Lincoln side animated in attack as well as defence. The visitors took their chances impeccably, making use of their superior height advantage to take a 33-19 lead into the final quarter. UE/\ made wholesale changes going into this crucia l period in an attempt to turn the game around, but careless passi ng and ill-discipline allowed Lincoln to dominate the cen tre court and bombard the home side. The result will be disa ppointing for UEA after a strong first half. but may prove to be a crucial learning curve as the season progresses.
although Ferrari's design also featured elements of McLaren's 2010 deve lop ments. Lotus, Renault and Sauber released thei r cars on January 31st, and most of the rest of the grid are set to unveil their new race rs by Februa ry 7th . The fi rst race is on March 13th in Bahrain.