Concrete issue 254 15 03 2011

Concrete chats to the former PIA chief about Formula 1 and his recent court battle with The News oftheWorld

~ Turn to page 24 fo>r guide to tlle ~~~~>: extravaganza

UEA's independent student newspaper since 1992

Is the Chaplaincy failing Hindus? • Motion in Union Council brings to light a lack of support for students of the Hindu faith • Concern over the suitability of the Chaplaincy as a tnulti-faith space David Murphy News Reporter Hindu students at UEA have voiced their disappointment that the University does not accommodate their faith on campus.

In a motion passed by members of the UEA Hindu Society at Union Council, the University has been criticised for not appearing to welcome students from a Hindu faith as readily as it does those from Christian and other Abrahamic faiths.

It points out that there is no designated space on campus for the Hindu Society to store or worship a deity or light controlled fires, all of which are important in Hinduism.

The motion was backed by members of the UEA Buddhist Society who are unable to store a Buddha on campus.

Venthan Mailoo, proposed

the motion, has pointed out that he is concerned for incoming students.

He told Concrete: "If a student is far away from home for the first time and doesn't feel there is somewhere they can practice their faith they may be put off the University or suffer greater stress".

There is no designated place for Hindu worship in Norwich or even in East Anglia. Mr Mailoo told this reporter that those of Hindu faith in Norwich have to travel as far afield as Romford, Leicester and Birmingham to find a designated temple where they can pray as a group.

While Hindu students are allowed to use the Chaplaincy. whose mission statement is to "enable all members of the University community, to explore their own beliefs", students have to clear a large number of chairs before they can pray on the floor.

Continued on page 4

UEARugby

teams face punishment Jam es Hughes News Reporter UEA RFC has been banned from . hosting the annual summer rugby sevens tournament as part of a structured punishment . by the Union for damage caused to a local hotel.

The much celebrated and anticipated event, held in early June, is one of the highlights of many students' calendars, with crowds and players alike flocking to the tournament. lt features a wide range of teams formed from societies and fair-weather rugby players, as well as being one of the main events for UEA alumni to meet and relive their university days.

Typically, it has been the duty of the Men's and Women's Rugby clubs to host, however, the ban prevents them from entering and hosting the tournament altogether, rendering it cancelled unless an alternative is reached.

This could potentially be a real cause for concern for the Union, as it will affect a far wider demographic than simply the parties in question.

Continued on page 3

ISS UE 254

2

co ncretc. ncws@ u ca .ac. u k

In this fortnight's Concrete ...

UEA's Independent Student

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Editori al: 01 603 593 466 Advertising: 0160 3 59 2 507 Editor:

Danny Co llins

Deputy Editor:

Steph Mci<enn a

Chief Copy Editor:

Mi a Wecker

News Editors:

Davina I<esby Ed Leftwi ch

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Comme nt a nd Opinion Editor:

Emma Parrott

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Inte rna tiona l Editor:

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Features Editor:

Adam Fenwi ck

Turf Editor:

Ann a Tom son

Li festyle Editor:

)ames Di xo n

Travel Editor:

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Chief Photogra phe r:

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Adve rtising Ma nage r:

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Distributor:

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Contributors: Mark Shead, )ames Hughes, David Murphy, Tim Bates, Philip Thomas, Rachae l Lum, Al ex Mansell, An t FirthClark, Stacey Knapp, Susa nn a Wood, Ca th erine Martin, Charlie Wallace, Fiona Howard, Joshua Resoun, jack Brinded, )eremy Dales, Laure n Razavi, Avani Shah, Geo rgie Adolpho-Couling, Lauren Co pe, Rebecca Hazlewood, Drew Nicol, Ch ristine O'Sullivan, Chris Leach, Tim Mill e 1~ Carmina M aso live 1~ lsabelle Carty, Beth Robertso n, Tobias Martin, Sa m Pa rry, Sam Tomkinso n, Freddi e Magee, Mark Roach, Chris Teale, Matt Scrafton Proofreaders: Charli e Christi e, Ann Hartiga n, Harry Slater, Amy Adams, Beth Wya tt

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ISSUE 254

3

Tuesday 15th March

Rise in cheating hits universities

UEA Rugby stripped of 7s tournament • Rugby club cause £1,300 worth of damage to hotel at Christmas Ball.

• Union questioned over severity of punishment, as popular tournament is cancelled.

Continued from page 1

A report into cheating by The Daily Telegraph has revealed that cheating in UEA degrees has more than doubled.

The survey reports that many leading UK universities witnessed a rise in cheating, with cases in UEA increasing from 119 incidents in 2005/6 to 241 in 2009/10. In the article, The Telegraph gives UEA a dishonourable mention, stating how some students in recent years have submitted 'almost identical' pieces of work as each other. It also highlights how the work of one student included whole sections copied from Wikipedia.

In universities across the country, examples of plagiarism in essays and students buying prewritten essays on the internet have lead to the newspaper proclaiming a 'cheating epidemic'. On his own admission however, the reporter acknowledges the potential inaccuracy of these statistics, as only 'the most serious cases' tend to be recorded, and some universities seem better at keeping track of cheating than others.

Some are calling for harsher penalties as a result of the apparent increases across the country, as 'only a handful of students' were expelled for cheating.

MarkShead

UEA security clamp down on bike thieves

The punishment is the result of a complaint made by the proprietors of the Maid's Head Hotel after both the men's and women's teams hosted their Christmas ball there on 9th December and caused damage in the region of £1,300. The bill, which was sent to the Union, was settled personally by the clubs through contributions from all of their members within three days of receiving the bill.

The men's club President, Charlie Dower, stated: "I handed the money personally to the Maid's Head Manager who thanked us for dealing with it so quickly and responsibly." He added: "This obviously shows how much the members, both men and women care about the club".

Furthermore, the punishment for Men's Rugby does not end with losing the right to host the 7s tournament, having been forced to choose one of the club's teams to withdraw from their league for the rest of the season. Either the Trojans or the second team were those selected for sacrifice.

The decision to suspend the Trojans, who are winning on average 100-0 each week in their Saturday league, would be a real blow to the progress of the team.

The Trojans, along with UEA 1st XV and Women's 1st XV are all on

the brink of promotion in their respective leagues which would be a feat that the club has not achieved for years.

However, the integrity of the club has remained intact, with teams still able to compete each week in the BUCS league which pits them against other university teams and maintains healthy rivalries.

When questioned about the effect of the punishment, Communications Officer of the Union, Tom Dol ton, seemed resolute and defended the action taken by the Student Officer Committee. He remarked that "the actions taken

[by the clubs] did not reflect well upon the University and the Union so we felt a greater punishment was required". He was also asked whether the Union would look into alternative means to host the tournament, stating that "the matter is to be discussed further to see if the tournament can go ahead anyway", but refused to give a definitive answer as to whether this would materialise.

The final resolution came after both clubs embarked on a process of appeal for the initial punishment through the Union complaint process, which was upheld by the

Student Officer Committee. The original punishment would have meant that all three teams would have had to have withdrawn from their respective leagues.

The decisiOn was passed by the Management Committee on Thursday evening after concise reviewing of the "inappropriate behaviour" section of the committee contract. This section has been consulted only twice prior to this incident since its addition to the committee contract two years ago.

James Hughes

Injured plumber wins damages from UEA Tim Bates News Reporter

A local plumber has bee n awarded UEA security are alerting students over five thousand pounds in of the dangers of leaving their bikes compensation by UEA, after the unsecured, with 20 bikes being Court of Appeals refused to uphold reported as stolen this academic the University's objections to an year. original court ruling.

98.9% of bicycles stolen were Last August, Norwich County secured with a cable lock, with Court heard how John Spalding, UEA security recommending that aged 65, had been forced to work students invest in a D lock to in cramped, wet conditions, while properly secure their bikes. These fixing a leaking radiator in the locks can be purchased from the University library.

After two hours working Security Lodge.

The police are also beginning a underneath a fixed desk, Mr cycle campaign targeting cyclists Spalding slipped on the bin bag who are not adhering to traffic laws · he had been lying on as protection a nd are putting themselves and from the damp, and landed heavily, breaking three of his teeth and others in danger.

severely cutting his face . The Court was told that, had the University supplied suitable anti-slip mats, or extra clothing, this would not have happened.

Mr Spalding was eventually awarded £5,217, despite the Court finding him 50% at fault. The University immediately decided to appeal the decision, stating that they had 'no legal duty' to supply Mr Spalding with any extra equipment.

However, Mr. Justice Spencer agreed with the original verdict, stating that it was the University's responsibility to supply a waterproof mat, and that, if this had been followed, Mr Spalding would almost certainly have avoided his injuries.

ISSU I·: 254

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concrc te.ncws@uca.ac.uk

Live Learn Campaign sees applicants for Open Day soar Th e Uni versi ty of East /\ ngli<1 h<1s a nn oun ced th at th e num be r of s tud e nts app ly in g fo r Ope n Days has in creased by ove r 50%, w ith a ro und 9000 pros pective s tu de nts visi tin g th e ca mpu s ove r three cl ays.

The Uni ve rs ity is crediting thi s to the s uccess of t he awa rd -win nin g 'Live Lea rn' ad vertis in g ca mpa ign, produ ced by a loca l agency Th e Click. Th e striking des ig n of th e campa ign <J ims to pro mote UE/\ as a n in stituti o n beli evi ng in lea rnin g to li ve as we ll as livi ng to lea rn, e mph as is in g th e imp o rta nce of both aca de mi c a nd recrea ti o nal life.

Appli catio ns to UE/\ have ma rked ly increased by 23%, a figu re th a t is pa rt icul arly imp ress ive whe n compa red to a n<J tional ave r<Jge of only 4%. stud e nts a re Pros pecti ve in creas ingly hes ita nt to wa rds hi gher edu ca tion and app lica nts fo r e ntry in Se pte mbe r 201 2 face t he additi o nal press ures of cha nges to th e tuiti o n fees sys te m; re prese ntatives fro m UE/\ have stresse d th e impo rta nce of ex pl a ining th e be nefits of uni vers ity ove r othe r o pti o ns.

UEA lecturers set to strike

over pension dispute • •

84 UEA staff vote in support of strike Industrial action planned for 22nd and 24th March Danny Collins Editor

LI E/\ lecture rs a nd s ta ff a re expected to go o n s tr ike next week in respo nse to a pe ns io n d is pute, it has bee n a nn o un ce d.

Th e ac ti o n, w hi ch was hac ked in a ba ll ot by UCU (Univers ity and Co ll ege Uni on) me mbers, w ill sec a number o f UF. A s taff jo in t hose fr o m 63 uni ve rs iti es na ti o nwid e in wa lking o ut o n t he Marc h 22 nd a nd 23 rcl . Th e ball ot sa w 156 UEA s ta ff me mb ers vote, w ith 8 4 vo tin g in fa vo ur of indu str ia l ac tion. Th e exact numb er of s ta ff se t to s tri ke re mai ns unkn ow n.

The di s pute has ar ise n as a res ult of c ha nges to th e uni ve rs ity Su pe ra nnu a tio n Sc he me Pe ns io n Fun d, a nd ta lks to ave rt th e st ri ke re ma in dea dl ocke d as th e proposed da tes a ppro ac h.

It is p red icte d th a t up to a milli o n s tu de nts na tionw id e w ill be a ffec ted by th e <Jc ti o n, whi ch w ill be th e firs t of its kind in fiv e years .

Speak in g to Concrete, th e Uni ve rs ity sa id of th e p ro pose d ac ti o n: "Thi s is a na ti o nal di s pute a nd uni ve rs ities have bee n e ngage d in pro t rac ted negotia ti ons w ith t he UC U over pe ns io n refo rm .

"We a re aware of possib le ac ti o n o n Ma rch 22 a nd Ma rch 24 a nd regre t a ny di s rupti o n it may ca use to o ur s tud e nts. Only a s ma ll minority ofUEA s taff have voted for s trike ac ti o n a nd th e Uni ve rs ity will co ntinu e to fun cti o n as nor ma lly as poss ibl e o n th e affec ted days."

Th e Uni o n of UEA s tud e nts di s pl aye d so lid a rity wi th th e UC U, An o ffi cia l s tate me nt from th e s ugges tin g t ha t th e di sp ute was a Uni o n sa id : "It is esse nti a l th a t th e d irec t res ult of rece nt un ive rsi ty Stud e nt Uni o n s upp o rts th ose w ho a re protes tin g in defe nce o f hi ghe r bud ge t c uts.

edu ca tion . Th e Union will always s ta nd by tho se who a re defe ndin g edu ca ti o n fo r curre nt a nd future s tud e nts."

Philip Thomas

Hindus have nowhere to worship on campus Continued from page 1 Th e motion s ta tes tha t th e Un ion be lieves th e Ch<1 pl ain cy "a ppea rs mu ch mo re like a co nve nt io nal Chri s tia n Church" th a n a tru e 'mu l t i -f~1ith ' cha pe l.

Wh e n t hi s 1·e po rtc r <~t t en d e cl on e of llind u Society's wee kly mee tin gs, in cluding a n in-de pth ta lk on a n introdu ction to Hindui s m, it beca me clea r how me mb e rs fro m th e mu ch w id e r co mmun ity co uld use UEA as a hub for Hindu wors hip .

Co mmunity a nd Stud e nts Rights Office1: Da n Yo um <J ns, has co nfirm ed he is in talks with the Dea n of Stud e nts <J nd the Cha pl a in cy. li e says that "s tud e nts pro pos ing th e moti o n we re cl ea r th a t <1 w hole range of s itu a ti o ns might work" in cluding us ing fac iliti es a part fro m th e Ch a pla in cy in t he sa me w<~y t hat ls i<J mi c stud e nts have <1 sc p a r<~ te praye r roo m elsewhe re o n ca mpus.

No o ne from th e Dea n of Stud e nts Offi ce o r th e Cha pl ain cy was avai la ble for comm e nt a t this tim e.

Davi d Murphy

Medics bind together for injured teammate Tim Bates News Re po rte r A UEA Medi cs rugby ga me was inte rr up te d tw ice las t wee k, fi1·s tly to ca ll a n <J mbul a nce fo r one of its pl aye rs, a nd t he n fifty minu tes la te r, to help th e <J mbulan ce off th e fi eld of pl ay.

Seco nd -year tra in ee doc tor, ll ywe l Rawlin s, was inj ured in th e away ga me to Ha lt, fr ac tur in g hi s leg in a s lippe ry tac kl e. Wh e n he co ul dn' t be moved, he told th e othe r pl ayers to co ntin ue the ma tch in a n adj ace nt field whil e he wa ited fo r th e a mbul a nce to a rri ve.

Whe n th e . a mb ula nce eve ntu a lly ar ri ved, fifty minutes la te r, th e ga me was s to pp ed aga in as th e tea ms helped Mr Rawlin s in to th e a mbul a nce, on ly to fi nd th a t th e ve hi cle had beco me st uck in th e mud .

The fo rwa rd s from both th e Medi cs tea m a nd Holt go t toge th er, to effecti ve ly sc rum th e ve hi cle bac k o nto th e roa d, w he re it was a bl e to co ntinu e to th e h os pit <~ l w ith o ut in cid e nt.

Des pite th e lo ng delay be fo re th e <1 mbul ance a rri ved, Mr Ra w! in s

w<Js n't s ho rt of a ny med ica l experti se, as hi s team is e ntire ly made up of fe ll ow med ica l s tud e nts, w ho te nd ed to hi s injuri es as bes t t hey co uld until he lp a r rived.

Dun ca n Wa tt, club ca pta in of t he UEA Medi cs tea m, sai d th a t th e club we re "not in an y w<Jy di sa pp ointed in t he a mbul a nce

se rvice. lt was jus t o ne of th ose th ings".

A s pokes pe rso n for th e a mbu la nce se rv ice sa id th ey a im ed to respo nd to 7 S%1 of 'Iife threa te nin g' ca ll s w ithin e ight minu tes, a nd tha t they a lways wo rk to di s patch th e ir se rvices as soo n as poss ibl e.

Mr Rawlins, s pea kin g fr om hi s bed in No rwich a nd Norfo lk Uni ve rs ity Hos pital, sa id : "''m okay a t th e mome nt, ju s t wa itin g for th e swe llin g to go dow n so I ca n h <~ve th e ope r<J ti o n".

Ha lt we nt o n to beat th e dimini s hed Me di cs s id e, winnin g th e ma tch by 29 points to 7.

ISSUE

6

25~

CO il CJ"l' t C. Il I.! \ VS@ UC(I.dC. ll k

"Frankenfood" myth dispelled by new Agricultural MSc UEA have laun ched a new agricultura l course, du e to comm e nce in Se ptemb e r. Th e MSc in Su s ta in a bl e Agri cultu re a nd Food Security wi ll be th e fir s t of its kind in th e UK to ex pl o re va ri ous agricultural techniqu es geared towa rd s address in g th e wor ld food cr is is.

Th e introdu cti on of thi s cou rse wil l res pond to th e Fores ight 11e port o n Food and Fa rming Fu tures released thi s mo nth , w hi ch cla im s th at ove rh au ling food produ cti on w ill e ns ure eno ugh foo d to ca te r a po pul ati o n li ke ly to grow by SO pe r ce nt wi thin th e next 40 yea rs.

Ta ught by ex perts at th e Ce ntre for Contemp ora ry Agri culture, thi s on e-yea r deg ree w ill un cove r th e lates t developm ents in i1Ti g:_1tion, mac hin e ry a nd pl a nt bree din g, as wel l as di s mi ss th e mi scon ce ption s of ge neti c modifi ca ti on.

Th e leader of thi s co urse, Professor John Turn e r of UF:/\'s School of Biol og ica l Sc iences , sa id: "Gradu a tes of thi s exc itin g new course w ill he in s trum e nta l in a pplyin g th e lates t sc ienti fic meth ods to tac kl e thi s global cha llenge". li e we nt on to say th a t those who ta ke th e co urse "w ill be part of th e solut ion ".

Rachael Lum

Former Norwich City player graces LCR stage Form er Norwich City sta1; Di on Dublin, a ppea red not on th e pi tc h but on th e s tage to perform his oth er great pass ion that is mu sic, a nd s ho wcase a un iqu e in strum ent of his own inve nti on las t wee k.

Dublin a nd his ba nd Th e are supporting Esta blis hm ent Britpop 90s band Ocea n Col our Scen e, who rece ntly appea red at UEA. Th e fo otball er turn ed musician has admitted hi s excitem ent at th e chance to a ppea r alongs id e Ocea n Colour Sce ne, and th e opportunity to play hi s six-s id ed electroni c instrum ent personally dubbed 'the Du be'.

Dublin enjoyed a 20-yea r profess ion al fo otball ca ree1; which sa w him play for Ma ncheste r United, Asto n Villa and Celti c, before fini s hing hi s ca ree r with Norwich.

Philip Thomas

LSE director quits over links with Libya •

As protests co ntinu e in Libya, the directo r of the London School of Economics has left hi s post.

Alex Mansell News Re porter

The London Schoo l of Economics has bee n th rus t into th e spo tl ight of the Li byan revo luti on after deta ils e merge d link ing th e Lond on uni versi ty to Muammar G<Jddafi's crum blin g regim e. it ha· been revea led that the LSE had rece ived £300,0 00 of a proposed £1.5mil lion from a cha ritab le wi ng of the regime, th e Ga ddafi Inte rnati onal Chari ty and Develo pm en t Found ati on. This fin a ncial donation was intended to be used on deve loping a research program on North Afri ca a nd to create a scholars hip fund fo r und erprivil eged Libya ns, of whi ch th e £3 00,000 in qu es ti on has already bee n s pent on .

Th e brea kin g of thi s news prompted a protes t by LSE stud ents wh o we re ange red with th eir uni ve rsity being associated with Gaddafi 's regim e in Libya. Around

150 s tude nts staged a protest outsi de th e office of form er LSE d irecto1; Sir Howa rd Dav ies, whil st 12 stud ents ma naged to directly stor m th e offi ce. Th e LSE res ponded by stating that is was reco ns ider ing its fin a ncial ti es with Libya "as a matte r of urge ncy".

Th e afte rm ath of th is in cid ent and su bseq uent med ia backl as h aga ins t the LSE, dubb ed the 'Libya n Sclwo l of Eco nomics' by so me tablo id news papers, has bee n felt mos t by Sir Howa rd Davies w ho res igned from his post as LSE directo r on 3rd Ma rch. In a statement made by Dav ies, he admitted that "th e re puta ti on of the schoo l is my respo ns ib ili ty a nd it has bee n da maged a nd I think that I need to ta ke the res ponsibility for th at".

Whil e th e LSE had bee n fostering a fin ancia l re lations hip with th e Gadd afi regim e, Dav ies had a lso bee n visitin g Libya to advise th e regim e on how to ma nage its

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The library of the Lond on School of Economics stale sovere ign wea lth fun d. Th ough Dav ies acte d as <111 l'co nomi c envoy for th e Briti s h Gm ernm ent w hile wo rki ng in Li bya, he cla im s to have made "a grave perso nal error" in doin g so. /\n un fo rtun ate se ri es of eve nts fo r the LSE beca me eve n wo rse w hen ev id ence a mse to s ugges t th at Sa if Ga dda fi, so n of Li bya n d icta tor Mua mm ar Gacld afi, had pl agia ri sed parts of his post- doctorate th es is whil e s tudyin g at th e LSE from 200 5.

Va ryi ng claim s have s ugges ted

that Sa if Gaddafi's PIID co nta in ed unref'e renced mate rial, a nd that he rece ived ex tens ive help from Libya n acade mics.

Th e LSE has s in ce co nfi rm ed that it is inves tiga ting these all ega ti ons of plagia ri s m.

In th e wake of num erous acc usa ti ons th at have bee n damagi ng to th e LSF: 's publi c im age, a n inde pe nd ent inqui ry has bee n a nn oun ced to exa min e th e relati ons hip between th e Unive rsity and Libya, both financially and academica lly.

UEA student set to storm MTV Ant Firth-Ciark News Re porte r UEA PhD stud ent, Co ntext MC, is to feature on MTV after hi s mu sic vid eo received ove r 10,000 Yo uTube hits within a week.

Co ntex t has bl essed ve nues nation w id e with hi s da rk, th oughtprovo king Dup-llop so und ; pl ayed alongs id e th e likes of Shy FX, Fri cti on and Ru sko a nd has co ntinu ously see n support from radi o stati ons s uch as BB C 1 Xtra as well as bein g highly th ought of in the bl og s ph ere.

Over th e pas t few month s, rewa rd s fo r th e las t three-to- four yea rs of hard work ha ve bee n sta rting to pil e up.

Th e beginni ng of 20 11 saw Co ntext's new s ingle, Off With Th eir Heads, get de buted by l xtra.

Spending a month deve loping a mu sic video of th e track, w hi ch fea tures Ve rtex of grim e crew Marvell, he released th e vid eo on YouTube to rece ive 10,000 hits in th e first week.

Within 10 days of Co ntext's video being upl oaded to YouTu be, MTV

co ntacted th e MC a bout wa nti ng to di scuss hi s vid eo in th e ir next acqui sit ion s mee tin g a nd a week later th ey acce pted hi s vi deo to their roster and upped it on their we bs ite.

In res pect to his deve lopm ents, Co ntex t had thi s to say: "To be honest, it's th e latest in a se ries of releases whi ch have reass uringly exceeded my ex pectati ons. I neve r ex pected my debut EP which was made in my bedroom to be pl ayed so wid ely on BBC Radi o 1, but it was, and I never expected a music vid eo whi ch I made myse lf fo r £ 100 to ge t pl aylis ted by MTV, but it has. I think it goes to s how that th e mu sic industry is not th e horribl e, ev il pl ace peo pl e see m to pretend it is." i\s if this was n't enough fo 1· one of UEA's ow n PhD students, he's now bee n long- listed out of th ousa nd s of ac ts fi ghting to play Glastonbury's main stage. With th ings moving so fas t, w ho knows w hat else is wa iting just a round th e co rn er for thi s hard wo rking MC? As the man himself sta tes: "I don't play a gam e for th e sa ke of playing it: I pl ay it to w in , so kee p your eyes pee led".

ISSUE 254

7

Tuesday 15th March

Schoolhouse license looked into after complaints

Go Global week hits campus â&#x20AC;˘ First Go Global week celebrates the multicultural community at UEA, bringing students together in a variety of ways. â&#x20AC;˘ International Party sees over a dozen societies display their talents in the LCR. Mia Wecker News Reporter

just six months after opening. The Schoolhouse bar on Earl ham Road is to have its license looked into owing to complaints to the City Council about the antics of its intoxicated customers in the surrounding areas.

The bar opened for business in September last year and targets the student market. Increasingly popular with students, their license is already under review after complaints from those living in the area. The complaints reported to the City Council specifically concerned the noise and "rowdy behaviour of intoxicated customers leaving the premises".

Residents have had until the 15th March to feedback any comments to the City Council's licensing department and they will now be considering if the matter should be taken up further with the Licensing Committee.

Mike Harris, the manager at the Schoolhouse, says he is confident they will "be okay" and said that there have been no complaints whatsoever since he took over the venue on the 3rd January.

Da n Pirozzolo

For many years, the UEA Union of Students has hosted an annual International Party. This year however, they decided to extend the event into a whole week of international events celebrating UEA's multicultural body of students.

Go Global Week featured a variety of events, as well as deals on offer around campus, including performances in the square, free international food, special 'Go Global' themed menus in Vista and Zest, as well as photo galleries in the Hive displaying the best student snaps from all over the world.

Go Global Week started off on Monday 7th March, with a Japanese workshop featuring free language and origami lessons, followed by UEA Careers Using Languages Day on Tuesday, where students could obtain information about how to use their language skills to travel and work abroad.

Wednesday saw a Global Voices Session and the finale of the Globe Spotting Competition taking place in the Hive; but it was the much anticipated International Party that attracted the largest crowd,

UEA NAM lecturer sings for science Susanna Wood News Reporter

Open meetings to be held after explosive Union Council A series of open meetings surrounding the role of the Women's Officer are to be held after a contentious motion was brought to Union Council.

The motion to look into creating a Gender Equality Officer was shrouded in controversy after a powerpoint presentation on the topic was sent to just male members of Union Council prior to the meeting.

featuring performances from over a dozen societies (Brunei Sac, Indian Soc, Afro-Caribbean Soc, to name but a few), as well as food stands offering free nibbles from around the world .

Thursday was designated Global Careers Day, with a series of 30-minute seminars on various topics including 'Why volunteer' and 'Using a recruitment agency'.

This careers fair was followed by a screening of Samson and De/ilah and a Bhangra Party in the Blue Bar. On Friday, students had a chance to learn some dance moves, with an Indian Dance Workshop and ballroom dancing lessons on offer during the Fairtrade Tea Party in the LCR; there were also career consulting sessions for Chinese students and a screening of the Romanian film Police, Adjective.

Go Global Week concluded with a special International themed Quiz in the Blue Bar on Sunday.

According to Emma Hume, a third-year DEV student and performer at the International Party, "the whole week was a huge success; I hope Go Global Week will continue next year".

Given the positive reception of Go Global Week 2011, there is a fair chance it will.

A UEA lecturer has been using unusual methods to raise awareness of neurological conditions.

Steve Smith, who lectures in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, writes and sings songs that demonstrate his expert knowledge on the subject of conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, Multiple Sclerosis, stroke, and Huntington's Disease, and the impact they have on sufferers and their carers.

A regular speaker at medical conferences, Smith is now being

asked to perform his songs .alongside his more conventional methods. Smith explained: "The songs are true, though in some cases they might be inspired first by one particular individual or family, and then changed to protect identity and to include some aspects inspired by some other people."

"I haven't got a good imagination for song writing," he added. "I just put down stories as I experienced them or as someone I have nursed or their loved ones told me."

Despite the serious subject matter, Smith's songs are often light-hearted, comical and

with one particularly arresting number containing the catchy chorus "Baby you can trust me, I'm a neuroscience nurse". Other popular titles include the poignant "Who Cares for the Carer?" and "Immune".

Steve has performed at the Huntington's Disease Association AGM in Telford, and at The European Huntington's Association conference in Belgium.

He has also serenaded conferences in Copenhagen, Spain and Toronto, when invited by the World Federation of Neuroscience Nurses (WFNN).

Smith has expressed the hope that the songs will make difficult

conditions more accessible to people. "For people who haven't any experience or knowledge of these conditions and how they can impact on a fa mily, this is a chance to get to understand ."

Alongside his blossoming singing career, Steve Smith is also planning a 5,000 mile motorbike ride across Europe. joined by his two sons, he is hoping to raise money for charities such as Scope, MIND and the Huntingdon's Disease Association.

He has also written a book, Neuro Care Manual: A Guide to Neurology for Nurses & Family Carers, which will be published on March 15th.

ISS UI:: 25 4

8

co ncr ete. ne1vs@ u ea.ac. u k

UEA students host science fair at Norwich Castle Norwich Cas tl e Mu se um has hos ted a fun s cience e ve nt for childre n in Norwich in conjunctio n with students from UEJ\.

Th e 'Lo ok Who's Talkin g' eve nt took pla ce over Sa turday March 12th a nd Sund <ly Ma rch 13th as pa rt of Na tion a l Sc ie nce a nd Engin ee rin g Wee k 2 011.

Th e w ee ke nd fea ture d m a ny e ntertaining e vents for chi ldre n of a ll a ges, s uc h as ma kin g o pti cal illu s ion s and th e unu s ua l ac tivity of see ing how anim a ls communi ca te thmugh their poo.

Oth e r highli ghts in clud e d lea rnin g ho w ba ts co mmuni ca te, how Mo rse co d e w as used durin g th e Se cond World Wa r, how to ma ke a cup a nd s trin g te le ph o ne a nd how yo ur ne rves co mmuni ca te with yo ur hea rt.

Youngs te rs in Norw ic h co uld see a te le phon e s witchboa rd fmm th e 192 0s , di sco ve r how th e ir eyes see and th e ir ears hea r, a nd win prizes by tes ting how fas t they could react to s ound.

Th e re w as a 'wild' th e m e to ma ny o f th e lea rnin g ex pe ri e nce s.

Chi ldre n could make colourful anima l t- s hirts a nd le arn about th e hidd e n m essa ges in a li o n's man e, a d e er's antl e rs o r a p eacock's p lu mage from the many know le d gea bl e natural hi sto ry curators at th e mu s eum .

Students fro m UEJ\' s s choo ls of Biologi cal Scie nces and Allied ll ea lth Profess ion s he lped orga ni se th e fun -fill e d fa mi ly eve nt in th e Mu se um 's natura l hi s tory ga ll e ri es .

David Murphy

Communications Officer narrowly

avoids Libyan mission The re ce nt me e ti ng of Union Coun c il nea rly res ulte d in th e Communi ca ti o ns Offi ce r, To m Do lto n, be in g se nt to Libya in order to te ll Colon e l Ga ddal"i o f th e Union' s di s ta s te for hi s a cti o ns. 'l'h e ori g in a l m ot io n of s olid a rity was r asse d in cludin g th e res ol ve: "To se nd Tom Do lton to Libya to te ll Ga dd a fi w ha t w e think o f hi m. Ph ys ica ll y".

How eve r, thi s resol ve was la te r re mo ve d from th e motion a ft e r th e Communi cation s Offi ce r na rrowl y pa ssed a n e m e rge ncy m o tion e nt itl e d "Tom d oes n't wa nt to go on holida y ".

Diversity targets proposed •

Diversity targets will be se t fo r universiti es to justify ch argi n g full amo unt of £9,000.

Stacey Knapp Ne w s Re porte r

Co m e 2 01 2, Eng li s h u ni ve rsi t ies see kin g to c ha rge th e max imum tuition fees of £9,000 pe r yea t~ co uld face hav in g to s pe nd up to £9 00 o f thi s in co m e o n unive rs ity access for poo re r s tud e nts.

The Offi ce for Fair Access (OFFA) Dir ec to t ~ Sir Ma rtin Harri s, be li eves th a t fa ilure to m ee t th e s ugges te d leve l of fin a nc ia l s upp o r t cou ld lea d to "poot·c r s tud e n ts fee lin g th ey ca nn ot a ffo rd logo to uni vers ity". 'l'h e OFFA 20 12 g uid e lin es have th e re fore e nco urage d uni ve rs iti es w hi c h have a "low pro po rti o n o f und e r -re p rese nt ed st ud e nts ," o r s tud en ts fro m low in co m e fa mili es, to pay at le a s t 15% o f a ny tuiti o n

fees a bove £ 6 00 0 .

The pi'Oposa l a ls o in clud es inc reased s pe ndin g o n b ursa r ies a nd sc ho lars hips. f-a ilu re to m ee t th ese pro posa ls m ea ns th at OFF/\ ca n re fu se to si g n th e nex t a nnu a l access ag ree m e nt, preve ntin g th e uni ve rsiti es fr o m cha rg in g s tud e nts a ny thin g a bove £6 0 0 0 pe r yea r.

The proposed la rge ts fo r fin a nc ia l s upp o rt se t by OFFA a re curre ntl y o nly a s ugges te d , a nd not m a ndato ry be nchm a rk. Acco rdin g to ll a rri s , th e co nce rn is th a t th e pe rce pti o n of in crease d tuiti o n fees a nd un ce rta in fin a ncia l su ppor t may di ss ua d e th e poo rer s t ude n ts fro m cons id e rin g a tte ndin g uni ve rs ity.

De puty Pr im e Mini s ter Nic k Cl egg sa id th at t he access ag ree m e nts w o uld hav e a pos iti ve

impact w ith h ig h-achi ev ing s uc h as Oxfo rd , uni ve rs iti es Ca mbrid ge a nd Exe te r. Th e OFFA ta rge ts wo uld e nco urage th e m to confo rm to th e 1 5% targe t, th e re fo re "dra m a ti ca lly in cre a s in g" th e intake of poo re r s tud e n ts.

Howeve r, acco rd ing to th e 1 99 4 Group o f researc h uni ve rs iti es, th e ta rge ts a rc s till s ubj ec tiv e as t hey a ll ow ind iv idua l un ive rs ities to p ri oriti se fundin g an d set th ei r ow n meas ures . thi s fl ex ibility in Des pite fi na nc ia l s upp o rt a nd fee cha rges, un ive rs iti es as a w ho le say th ey a re d e di ca te d to ex pa ndin g a dmi ss io ns

and pro v idin g mor e e qual o ppo rtuniti es, with th e Ru ssc ll Gro up s pe ndin g up to £75 milli o n a yea r o n access proJects.

Thi s commitm e nt is o nl y be ne fi cia l prov idin g th a t no t a ll un ivers iti es c ha rge th e m ax imum £90 0 0 fee, as it wo uld lea d to a lac k of Gove rnm e nt funding a nd s upp o rt, direc tly impac tin g th e un iversi ti es a nd the ir a bility to su pp o rt poo re r stude nt s.

Dav icl Will e tts, th e Uni ve rs iti es Mini s te r, has e mpha s ise d a need for uni versit ies to imp rove access ibil ity in ord e r to ju s tify th e full a m o unt o f £9,0 00 in fees.

Plans in place for "Greater Norwich" Catherine Martin Ne ws Re porte r Norwich cou ld s oon be known a s "G reate r Norwich," following plan s ma d e to bui ld 37, 000 ne w hom e s in a nd a round th e c ity and a mixed res id e n t ia l a nd co mm e rcia l d e ve lopm e nt in Trowse .

Pla nning in s pec to rs have a pprove d blu e prints th at m a p out a s trategy for 3 7,000 hom es to be built be twee n No rwi c h a nd a na ti o nal pa rk at th e Broa d s . Thi s wo uld crea te up to 27, 000 new job s, and wou ld pave Lh e w ay for d e ve lopm e nts like th e cco- to w n at Rac kh ea th , th e Lo ng Stra tto n by pass, a nd th e No r w ic h no rth er n di s tributo r roa d.

Thi s a pprova l i ~ no t se t in s ton e, a nd w ith coun ci l e lec ti o ns o n May 5 th in No rwi c h, Broa dl a nd, a nd South Norfo lk, vo te rs could le t th e ir lo ca l po liti c ian s kn ow w ha t th ey think o f th e pl a ns.

Supp o rt e rs be li eve thi s g row th would c rea te job s a nd ho m es in a "prop e rl y ph ase d way," a nd would e nsu re t he a rea is no t v uln e ra bl e to d e ve lo pe rs m a kin g spec u la ti ve a ppli ca tion s .

Criti cs say th a t th is pla n would in s ta ll a new to wn th e s ize o f Th c tford be twee n No rw ic h a nd th e Broa ds, whi c h is not eco nomi ca ll y

v iab le . ja m es Fros t. direc tor o f Norfo lk Campa ig n fo r th e Protec tion o f Rural Eng la nd , w ho is aga in s t the g rowth plan, points out th a t "with 3 7,000 hom es, yo u a rc ta lking about 100,000 pe opl e to address a ge nuin e ho us in g nee d of 5,250. it d oes n't a dd up."

Furth e rm ore, 37, 000 ne w ho uses w o uld m a ke Nor w ich a c ity th e s ize of Nott in gha m , "whi c h no bo dy rea lly w a nts," acco rdin g to Fros t. li e ca ll s th e pl a n a " hi g hleve l po liti ca l a mbiti o n".

The plans for the res id e ntial/ co mm e rc ia l d eve lo pm e nt in Trows e a re not nea rl y as big in compa ri so n. T he [ 1 OOm sc he m e would have a lm os t 7 00 ne w ho m es built plu s a ne w m a rin a o n th e Hi ve r We ns um , w ith roa d, pe d es tri a n a nd cyc le b rid ges ove r th e rive rs We ns um a nd Ya t·e.

An e nvironm e nta l re port on th e s ite found th a t sc hoo ls in th e a rea co uld co pe w ith la rge r numb e rs o f pupi ls a nd th e curre nt tra nsp o rt infras tructur e co uld acco mmod a te ex tra tra ffi c. Th e re po rt says th a t thi s d eve lo pm e nt is "s tra teg ica ll y imp o rta nt (for Nor w ic hl in te rm s of emp loy m e nt, h o us in g a nd s us ta in a bl e rege ne ra ti o n".

Th ese pl a ns a rc a key e le m e nt o f th e d e ve lo pm e nt

s tra tegy fo r Norw ic h, whi c h is th e re d eve lo pm e nt o f vaca nt a nd und e ru se d land in t he b u ilt-u p a re a .

Th e area is o ne o f th e la s t ma jo r brownfi e ld s ites in th e c ity. In light

o f thi s, Chri s Lec min g a di rec to r o f La npro Se rv ices, th e pl a nnin g con s u ltants w ho hav e led t h e d es ig n o f th e d eve lopm e nt pro jec t, sa id : "peo pl e acce pt d eve lopm e nt w ill occ ur th e re".

ISSUE 254

Tuesday 15th

9

Ma r~h

The lessons of the Middle East What do the revolutions across the Middle East and Northern Africa tells us about the human pursuit of freedom? Charlie Wallace questions the nature of Western intervention and asks what the past few weeks can teach us about Iraq.

Charlie Sheen: still hi-winning?

James

Charlie Wallace What we are seeing now across the Middle East, in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and in many other places is fantastic; as one protestor said 'the fear has gone'. They wa nt, to quote Blackadder, 'peace, freedom, and a few less fat bastards eating all the pies'.

This is the natural way for a country to gain freedom, and I get the feeling that, if we hadn't invaded Iraq, now would have been the time when the Iraqis would have overthrown Sad dam of their own volition.

But Ido feel conflicted on this issue.

There have been many moments in history wh~n I've wished that rather than sit idly by we'd intervened, for example, the genocide in Rwanda.

Saddam Hussein was a twisted and evil person who shouldn't have been allowed near sharp objects, let alone the controls of a country. But was it really for us to go in and oust him for them? Were we really the people to for the job?

We've seen Gaddafi's personality cult collapse around his ears, so could this not have happened with Saddam? I would, in fact, be in favour of committing troops to Libya; now they've started this themselves we can help, in a purely ancillary role, under their command. The British owe it to them to undo the damage done by Blair selling 'crowd control' equipment to Gadaffi. If the Libyans

were in control it would be their war.

But when we are at the fore, things can backfire. We've seen the photos of Abu Ghraib and other such atrocities. I can never forget a photograph I saw in a newspaper of a small child sitting in a pool of blood screaming hysterically because his parents and sister had just been shot in front of him; some marines had mistaken them for terrorists.

"Saddam Hussein was a twisted and evil person who shouldn't have been allowed near sharp objects, let alone the contro ls to a country."

It is this kind of thing that perpetuates anger and hatred, and no matter how well-reasoned your argument that Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator who needed to be taken down, it will be these images that will survive in people's minds.

I was discussing this with some people when someone posited that what I'm saying 'pre-supposes that the invasion and subsequent selfdemocratisation by the Iraqi people didn't contribute to the momentum of democracy in the Middle East'.

Possibly. I also realise that this is a massively complicated issue, and that there is a strong argument that lack of investment and an after-plan were the real causes of the mess Iraq now finds itself in. But I just can't help getting the feeling ...

Sexual harassment: are women the only victims?

Fiona Ho ward March 8th saw the lOOth anniversary of International Women's Day, a celebration of women's equality and their political and socio-economic achievements.

On the surface, it's the sort of raise your glass and a pat on the back festivity that suggests

the equal footing accorded to men and women in the collective consciousness of the 21st century mind. For anyone using the facilities in the Union, however, these kinds of values seem to have gone down the drain.

Girls may have noticed the new posters in the Union House bathrooms outlining a zero tolerance policy on sexual harassment and the importance of speaking out when these instances occur. While this campaign might be

a well-intentioned attempt to make girls feel safer when going out, it ultimately raises questions about gender equality at the University.

It is true, there is nothing more disconcerting than unwanted attention on a night out, and sexual harassment should never be accepted in any circumstance.

However, by only being displayed in the women's bathrooms, and not the men's, these new posters enforce an outmoded culture of victimization of women; that

sexual assault is a female problem only. Men may not as often be subjected to sexual harassment, but it certainly happens, and the lack of posters in the gents undermines those instances. This is the type of behaviour that propagates a culture of silence among victimized men, compounding inequality and risking both sexes' safety.

In the wake of a lOO-year fight for equality, shouldn't both sexes be encouraged to make their voices heard at equal volume?

Dixon Charlie Sheen's celebrity status has recently dulled and lost its shine due to his very public mental breakdown.

Sheen's demise was typified by his 36-hour cocaine bender which was spent in the company of five prostitutes. After subsequently being sacked from Two and a Half Men, Sheen has gone on to vent his bizarre frustrations through viral videos and crazed public displays.

Some of Sheen's antics have been quite humorous and have garnered a large amount of attention from the media who have been eager to document every further step he takes towards self destruction.

"The viewer and the media are laughing at Sheen rather than with him ."

Sheen's videos run under the banner of'Sheen's Korner', and allow him a platform to voice his opinions.

One video, titled 'Torpedoes of Truth', featured a gaunt and strung out Sheen venting incoherently about "trolls", his autobiography titled Apocalypse Me, and 'trees' in a comedic fashion, with Sheen stating at one point his desire to "marry a tree". He has developed a catchphrase which simply involves him shouting "winning!"

All of these actions are amusing to witness, but the viewer and the media are laughing at Sheen rather than with him.

The media have been quick to openly laugh at Sheen's downfall and have shied away from the serious psychological issues that he is displaying. He requires a therapist and a ,break from the spotlight rather than being splashed over the cover of many a celebrity gossip magazine. Unfortunately, he only serves to worsen his predicament by fuelling the media with his viral videos.

Sheen's torpedoes are only serving to quicken the sinking of his career.

The views in Comment and Opinion represent those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect those of Concrete

ISSUE254

10

co ncrete.o pi n ion @uea .ac.u k

The Inconvenient Truth With th e end in sight for some students, fin al deadlin es and exams will be greeted with the scary p rospect of 'the next ste p'.

But what is in store for future graduates? Emma Parrott looks at the murky world of job applications Aa•• Whtm I g ro\ up, I'm going t o b t- Pr1m~ Mini led

Em ma Parrott

Tod ay, I am going to me nti o n the unmentionab le. it is one of th ose horribl e ni gg ling thou ghts, one that may occur to yo u eve ry now a nd t he n, but o ne, for the mo s t part, we don't like to me nti o n.

Yet, I reckon I'm not a lone in say in g it is a thought that is increasingly cl ist ract i ng.

So, he re it goes. Th e qu es ti on is: was com in g to univers ity a foo li s h deci s ion?

Thi s is in no way a cr iti cism of a ny pa rt of my un ive rs ity expe ri ence.

I have found my lecturers to be inspirational, teaching has been insightful a nd cha ll e ngin g, th e ni ghts o ut a nd friends have bee n lifechang in g and the oppor tuniti es I have bee n give n have been eyeo pe nin g. I w ill leave UEA a more e nlighte ned, intelli gent a nd co nfid e nt individu a l.

Yet, with my final dea dlin e just two month s away, a nd with th e haze of bee r funne ls, pi zza ta keaways, Mercy Thurs days, se min ar readings a nd essaywriting beg innin g to clear, I'm forced to start loo kin g to the future. I s uppo se I ca n't s pe nd th e rest of my life thinkin g th at waking up in lim e fo r Je remy l<yle is a n ea rl y sta rt.

Th e truth is we a re a ll at univ e rs ity beca use we a re, in w ha teve r way, ta le nted a nd s ma rt individuals. You wo uldn't be here otherwis e.

Ev e ryon e kn ows a st ud e nt w ho th ey think 'ca me to un ivers ity for th e sa ke of it'- but it is rare for a nyo ne to beli eve that th ey are th e mse lves th at indi vid ual.

Cha nces a re th a t mo s t of us have goo d qu a lificatio ns previous to co min g here a nd have littl e reason to believe th at, o nce a rm ed w it h a goo d deg ree , life s ho uld prov e to o diffi cu lt.

Bloody he ll , if janet StreetPorter ca n beco me edito r of The In depe ndent on Sunday then s urely the re's hope for us a ll .. .

So yes, the first half a do ze n rejection e mai ls stun g s li ghtl y.

The n a few mont hs late r the

rea li sation th at a no th e r ha lf a do ze n a ppli ca tion s we re neve r even a nswe red panicked me somew ha t. You see, th e rat ion a l part of yo u knows this is reject io n but the o ptimi st likes to th ink th ey will evcn tu a ily ge t b<Jck to yo u.

Soon enough you give in , fe e lin g e mbarrasse d you eve n tri ed to a pply for paid jobs, a nd lo ok to the work ex pe ri ence route . it soo n beco mes clear th a t a bo ut 90% of work ex pe ri e nce placements arc unpa id , an d more wo n't eve n pay yo ur travel expenses beyond zo nes 1-6 on the London Und e rg round ; I wou ld be paying to go to work for fre e. Ouch. St ill , you need the ex perience, so you take the two hours or so neede d to fill in app li cat ion forms. ll erc's a heads up : the first rejection yo u get fro m an unpa id pos iti on is th e low po int. Your You r ing yo ur ego 's batte red. mum to moan abo ut how ski nt and un e mplo ya bl e yo u a re. But the optimism re ma in s, so yo u continue app lyi ng.

Twenty applic<~tions on a nd th e rea li sat ion hits you: for eve ry o ne of us, th ere arc thou sa nd s more, a ll with equally good d eg re es, eq ual e nt hus iasm and, ofte n, be tter expe ri e nce.

You rin g yo ur nan, who as ks why yo u have n't ema il cd Davicl Camcron directly and as ked for a job. But you s tay po sitiv e, ri ght?

That is, until I got a ph o ne CJ !I thi s week from my gra ndp are nts, ca llin g to say that my co us in , who is 1·efus ing to go to un ivers ity beca use s he is sca red of th e de bt, has been accep ted o n a fo ur year NHS co urse during wh ich s he w ill be pa id to train to be a para mcdi c.

11 er boy fri e nd is joining the a rm y.

Th ey will both be on fairly good wages, stra ight. from co ll ege, aged 18 . My boyfri e nd a nd! will have a combined debt of about £55,000 .

A he lpful o nlin e tool inform s me that on a sa lary of £30,000, it wo uld take me jus t 16 yea rs to pay off my de bt. Awesome. Especially giv en tha t I'm curre nt ly strugg lin g to get a £0,000 sa la ry job.

I don't rea lly do ubt th a t my decision to go to uni ve rs ity wa s th e ri ght one. But, gos h, w ith g radu ate un empl oy me nt at a 15 year hi gh, my fa ith is ce rta inly be in g tested ri ght now.

ISSUE 254

Tuesday 15th March

The Big Society or the Big Cover- up?

Is The Big Society a neat way of covering up governmental spending cuts or a return to the neighbourly Britain of yesteryear? Joshua Resoun and Jack Brinded look at the arguments involved and ask what is The Big Society really all about?

The Big Idea behind the headlines Joshua Resoun "We do need a social recovery to mend the broken society, and to me, that's what the Big Society is all about." The words of Prime Minister David Cameron have been quoted dozens of times over the last few months. Headlines of the Big Society have hit newspaper after newspaper, and although the Big Society may be Cameron's mission, what exactly is the Big Society?

Well, for Cameron, the Big Society is all about giving power back to the people, getting them to take more responsibility for their own communities, rather than relying on the government to do

everything for them.

For me though, the Big Society is more than a simple 'Big Idea'.

For me, it is about examining and revising the relationship between private and public, between government and community. This relationship in recent years has seen the balance tipped towards the public sectors and towards governmental power.

This idea of revising the relationship between the various strands of society makes perfect sense. For example, if a local neighbourhood complained of litter in their local park, why not form a group to clean up the park, rather than simply wait on the Government to clean it up? This is what the Big Society is all about, at least in part.

Cameron wants to ferment a "volunteer culture" amongst the

British people, which is certainly desirable. Although making deep cuts to the volunteer sector will certainly impede on the Big Society's growth, the ends are certainly justified by the means.

A further problem of the Big Society is the public's perception of the Big Society itself. Some see it as a mere rhetorical cover for the cuts, others see it as cover for a new Conservative-led privatisation drive. Arguments can be made for both these perceptions, but what is usually brushed under the rug is the good that can come from the Big Society.

A prime example, and one which received very little media attention, is a new pilot scheme which was launched back in September 2010. This pilot scheme aims at using private investment to cut reoffending rates. It's currently

being tried at Peterborough Prison on inmates who have been given sentences of less than a year.

Prisoners of this nature cost the taxpayer £50,000 a year, yet this scheme - if successful - hopes to save the public £10 for every £1 that is invested in this way.

The scheme sees investors place £Sm into various rehabilitation programmes, and if the reoffending rates are cut sufficiently, the investors receive £8m, equal to a 7.5 per cent return if this was in the commercial bond market.

We can only hope that schemes such as this are successful, especially if the Government hopes to cut public expenditure sufficiently.

Cameron's "mission" did not begin since becoming Prime Minister - he's been ranting

on about this for years. The Sustainable Communities Act of 2007, pushed through with Conservative support, was but one of many first steps Cameron has acted upon to see his vision of a Big Society fulfilled.

The Conservative tradition of self-help is evident throughout the Big Society, or the one Big Idea, that if successful, may be able to solve a variety of problems facing Britain.

If people feel that they have a genuine stake in the community, which they themselves can contribute to, either through donations, a few hours of volunteering here and there, then people are less likely to, for lack of a better phrase, be a nuisance. No matter how you may perceive the Big Society, I would say that it's not only admirable, but desirable.

The true face of the Big Society?

Jack Brinded Recently it's been claimed by Conservative-apologists that we mud-bloods have simply misunderstood the Big Society.

Of course, they fail to mention that after the austerity cuts really hit, voluntarily distributing the pro-cuts propaganda on the Government's behalf will be practically the last surviving strand of the third sector.

Before 9am on Valentine's Day, 400 people braved the cold to stand strong against the Tory-led Norfolk County Council's austerity budget. They were not only

the council-workers soon to be jobless; amongst the crowd were volunteers and charity workers who David Cameron pretends to be empowering with his campaign of lethal cuts. I think they understand perfectly well what the Big Society stands for.

Between 2008/09 the total Government funding of voluntary organisations was £12.8bn - an indispensable chunk of the sector's income.

New Philanthropy Capital currently estimates the sector's income is being slashed by up to £S.lbn.

Such a reduction will decimate grassroots voluntary projects that help society's most vulnerable, not encourage them. At that level this type of money is the difference

between dignity and suffering, life or death.

If further proof were needed

that the Big Society is essentially a lie, last week the Tory-run Westminster Council, one of the

richest in Britain, presented us a nightmare vision of what is to come from the Conservative Party's snake-oil salesmen when it announced plans to create a by-law to ban the free provision of food.

As well as making it impossible for volunteer soup kitchens to function, the Council also proposes to make it an offence to sleep rough in Westminster, while butchering the funding for local hostel projects by £5m. Put simply, they would like to outlaw homelessness.

This shows us that ideological Tory cuts - which the Big Society is used to excuse - will enable the wealthy to cleanse their streets of the poor, attacking local voluntary services they rely on in the hope that they are forced to leave. That's

no Big Society, that's economic apartheid.

This is why it's so important that we turn out in London on Saturday March 26th. The mass demonstration taking place will step up the fight for a better, more caring society; one based upon the needs of the people, not the profits of the few, where each and every man woman and child has the right to a decent and dignified life.

The Union of UEA Students will be providing free transport to what promises to be a momentous event, and tickets are available from the box-office. With the rest of the country set to struggle for a brighter future, we can't allow our fellow students to go underrepresented.

This is our fight too.

Read something here that's got your blood boiling? Need to get it off your chest? Email concrete.opinion@uea.ac.uk and we will get your voice heard

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Tuesday 15th Ma rch

Strolling through Strasbourg's streets Lauren Razavi takes a walk around a clus tered and creaking city, s traddling th e Rhin e. Ca ught between France and Germany it now find s itself the cultural capita l of a reinvented continent.

Tropical Thai trek AvaniShah Tra ve l Write r

Stras bourg is ofte n sa id tu re prese nt th e ultimate Europea n city, a nd it's easy to und e rs ta nd w hy. Ble ndi ng toge th e r Fre nch a nd Ge rm a n cultu re, its bord e rs we re s hifted bac k a nd forth pe riodi cally durin g th e wa rfa re o f th e twe nti e th ce ntury. it mi g ht be ass um e d th a t s uch a pl ace wo uld have d eve loped a di s jointed cultura l id e nti ty, hu t Stras bo urg is quite free fro m a ll of th at. Th e o nl y thin g that gives away th e city's tumu lt uo us pa s t is its s tree t na m es, cro ssed quite in co ns is te ntly be twee n th e Pre nch a nd Ge rm a n la nguages. it's easy to see, how eve r, th e s ignifica nce of Stras bourg in Euro pe as a w ho le. ll o me to bo th th e Eu ro pea n Co urt of Hum a n Rig hts a nd th e Eumpea n P<lrli a me nt, th e city see ms ri ch w ith a co nce rn for Euro pe 's s ta te o f affai rs. Ye t

"The region of Alsace- Lorraine seems to have mastered the art of living wonderfully." eve ryd ay life he re is a pproac hed with th e cas ua l, un ass um ing s ta nce th at trave ll e rs have com e to expec t from continental Europeans ove r th e yea rs. Mo th e rs play, teac h a nd s pea k to th e ir chil dre n as th ey move throu gh th e a ntiqu a ted me trop olis, la id -bac k a nd see min gly quite un co nce rn ed a bo ut life. Se rv ice in res ta u ra nts a nd s hops he re is

reass urin g ly - bu t not ir rita tin gly - unhurri ed. The regio n o f Al saceLor ra ine seems to have mas te red th e art of li v ing w o nd e rfu lly.

Th e po rt of Stras bourg is t he seco nd la rges t o n th e Rive r Rh ine, a nd th e w ho le o f Stras bo u rg's city ce ntre is e nco mp assed by a rin g of wa te r. Th e re's a ta ng ibl e wa te ry th e me thro ugho ut th e city, a nd t hi s se tup makes fo r so me beautiful a nd uniqu e -l oo kin g b r id ges wi th in te res tin g ta les of crea ti o n be hind th e m. To urin g th e city by br)at, th e n, is a n in cre d ibly rewa rdin g s ta rt to a ny trip to Stras bou rg; from th e bea uty of th e Old Town lo th e biza rre sple ndo u r of the m od e rn Europea n Pa rlia me nt buildings, it see ms t he bes t way to ex pe ri e nce this di s tin cti ve place is from th e wa ter.

The Stras bo urg l oca l ~ are known as Al sa ti a ns (n a med a fte r t he region of 1\ lsa ce- Lurra in e), nota bly a nd ra th er a mu s in gly th e sa me na m e awa rd ed to Ge rm a n She ph e rd d ogs to s pite th e Ge rm a ns a ft e r World Wa r I. Th ey're la rge ly fri e ndly coo pe ra ti ve, pa rti cul a rl y a nd in co mp a ri so n to th e ir Pa ri s ia n co unte rp a rts, who too ofte n see m a dve rse to hea rin g fo re ig n a tte mpts to s pea k th e ir la nguage. Th e Al sa ti a ns a re pre pa red to li s te n, wa it, res pond a nd corre ct; s parkin g up co nve rsatio ns is easy, a nd th e bes t p laces to ea t a nd thin gs to d o will fre qu e ntly be revea le d durin g s ponta ne ous con ve rsa tion s with th e loca ls.

Th e Un ive rs ity of St rasbo u rg

is curre ntly th e bi gges t uni ve rs ity in Fra nce, a fac t w h ic h see ms to acco u nt fo r th e myr ia d o f tre ndy ha ngo uts di s pl ayed o n s tree ts a ll ove r th e Europ c<m cultura l ca pita l. The Uni vers ity we lco mes a va ri ety of Pre nch, German a nd o th er in te rn a ti o na l st ude nts each yea r, re mindin g us of th e m ixi ng o f cu i ures tha t has h isto ri cally taken place here, a nd indeed a dva nc ing this t ra di tio n in a m od e m a nd Pe rh a ps it is th e pos itive w ay. no ti ceable Alsatia n b r idgi ng of cu ltures whi ch ma kes th e loca ls so pl easa ntly ope n to for e ig n atte mpts to co mmuni ca te a nd ma ke fri e nds.

Th e Fre nch have a ve rb, fl a ne r, w hi ch tra ns la tes ro ughly as 'to wander aro und aim less ly '. In Stras bourg, to fl a ne r is actu a ll y o ne o f th e most re wa rdin g thin gs to d o; you 'll find yo urse lf face to face with ghas tly mod e rn stru ctures mad e o f glass on e mo me nt a nd qu a int, bea utifu l ha lf-ti mbe red Lownhouses th e nex t. Yo u'll find yo urse lf tra cing th e scope of th e ri ve r ri g ht around th e city's ce ntre a nd th en los in g yo urself in th e qu intesse nti a lly Euro pea n bac ks lreels o f co b bled s tone.

Towe rin g over most of th e ci ty is Strasbou rg's magn ifi ce n t Go thi c cath ed ra l, o ne of th e most fa mo us s ig hts fo r trave ll e rs to sec here. Loca te d in the Old Tow n a nd s u rro und ed by Med ieva l-style s tree ts ;md s qu a res, th e ca th edra l a rea rea ll y se ts th e to ne fo r th e ty pi ca lly Fre nch la ndsca pe of Stras bourg's ce ntre. ll's ce rta inly ea sy to see w hy thi s magica l pl ace has bee n d e cl a re d a UN ESCO Wo rld ll eritage s ite in rece nt yea rs.

Th e typi ca l touc hes o f Fra nce a re rea d ily a va ila bl e in Str;1s buurg; a ba ke ry o n every s tree t co rn e r, ge nero us o uts id e sea tin g fo r a ciga l'ette a nd a ca ppu cc ino, bea utiful bo he mi a n hipste rs roa min g th e la nd scape. IL's not just th ese e le m ents that make t he place so e nchantin g howeve r; it's a ls o th e a dditi o ns th a t o nly Stras bo urg ca n p rov id e.

Six w ee ks s pe nt li vin g o ut o f a ru cksack, no s pace fo r ha ir s tra ig h te ne rs, a clim a te w he re make -up m e lts o ff a nd o nl y fo ur pa irs o f s hoes - w ha t cou ld be worse?

Try a rr iv in g in Chi a n g Ma i, Th a il a nd, a ft e r a twe lve ho u1· bu s jo urn ey, to ga lliva nt throu g h th e ra info res t fo r d ays o n e ncl . In s tea d of indul g in g in re tai l th erapy a t th e Sund ay Wa lkin g Ma rke t, or v is it in g th e in c re dibl e a rchitec ture in a c ity o f te mp les, thi s w rite r was headi ng fo r the jun g le.

On th e journ ey, th e w ond e rfull y to ur g uid e, Goo d , na m e d occas io na lly sto pp e d lo po int o ul various cree p ing g ree ne ry. Yo u ca n s n iff al s p ices, bl ow thro ug h g rass

whi s tl es a nd bile into ' fruit' which m a kes yo ur m o uth ex pl od e w ith th e hea l. If yo u' re no t swea ti ng a lready, yo u d efinite ly w ill be now, th e jungl e s pinnin g arou nd you.

Neve r w ill the pros pec t of s lee p be so excitin g -eve n if it's in a La hu ba mb oo hut, p ro pp e d aw kwa rdly on a hill s id e, where a s ho w e r m ea ns a hose fro m a ba rre l of r ive r wa ter a nd a be d is a m a t be nea th a mosquito ne t. Yo u ca n laze a r o und a n id y lli c campfir e, ea tin g fr es hly ma d e food a nd lea rnin g Th a i pu p so ngs la te into th e ni g ht.

As th e tre k goes o n th e trees no lo nge r see m so d a untin g, hut p rovide mu c h nee d e d s ha d e .

Swi m mi ng in wa te r fa ll s ca n be th e perfec t way to co o l clown . to o.

Tht> sw ing in yo ur st rid e, however, may fa lte r as yo u wa lk into the nPxt jun g le ca mp , yo ur reside nce fo r t he ni ght. On ce th e sun sets. thl•re's no e lec t r ici ty to switch on. You' ll have to b ite th e bu ll et, pray you don't s tumbl e in to th e mu d dy toilet ho le, a nd di s tract yourself with a round of so ngs <lnd g.11nes until morning fi na ll y arrives. it's a ll wo rth it th o ug h - and luckily mc1ssages in Th a il a nd co m e cheap'

Holkham's golden sands Georgi e Adolpho-Couling Trave l write r Th a nkfull y, th e c ha nce of di gg in g out yo ur s now boots a t thi s Lim e of th e yea r has s ig nifi ca ntl y d ec r ease d , but o ur s un s till ca n' t d ec id e wh e th e r to s hin e o r hid e cowa rdl y b e hind a ra incl o ud . So whe n its ha ph aza rd a pp ea ra nces leave yo u daydrea min g a bo u t t he s umm e r, sa ti s fy yo u r nee d fo r s un sea a nd sa nd w it h a trip Lo ll o lk ha m beac h - Norfolk's ve ry ow n ve rs io n of th e Ba ha m as 1 En joy a sce ni c dri ve thr o ug h coas ta l v ill ages like Cley a nd Stiffl<ey, o r ho p on a tra in Lo Cro m e r a nd ca tc h th e coas t ho ppin g bu s se rv ice fo r a s littl e as fo ur po und s . A sa nd y b oa rcl w;llk s ha d e d by soa rin g pin e t rees w ill lea d yo u o nto a n in finite s tre tc h of gold e n s and, fr a m e d by a fo res ted bac kd ro p. Th e se nse of space is ove r w he lmin g as yo u loo k o ut ove r th e pl ayful d un es lo th e fr o th y blu e wa te rs . Wa lk fo r m iles a lo ng t he s ho re lin e in u t ter tra n q ui lli ty, o r sit w it h a p ic ni c a nd e nj oy th e s ound o f th e waves .

Wh e n yo u're no t s ha d ed fro m th e bu sy wo rld o n o ne of

Britai n's m os t bea utifu l beac hes , ta ke a loo k aro und J-lo lk ha m Jl a ll , a s tu n nin g e ig htee nt h ce ntur y co untry ho use, o r s troll a ro und th e swee pin g pa rk th a t s urround s it for a c hance to fee d t he loca l deer pop ul atio n.

Fo r a las le of so m et hin g a u t he n tic, Th e Rose Ga rd e n Cafe offe rs a u ni que ra n ge of ho m e m a cl e p r o du ce a nd takes its na m e ve ry se r io us ly, bo a st in g a

b ea utiful rose ga rd e n, d e li c io us rose le m o na d e a nd c ha rmin g ly d eco ra te d c hina . Situ a te d close lo t he beac h, it is a n id ea l pl ace to fini s h a day tr ip.

If word s a ren' t e no ug h a nd yo u n ee d <1 b it o J' Vis ua l pe rSU<lSio n, make s ur e lo catc h Jl o lk ha m beach in a ll its g lo ry as Gwy net h Pa llrow ge ls No rfo lk sa nd b e t wee n her loes in th e c los in g sce ne of Shakespeare in Love.

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Tuesday 15th March

Christmas Onboard the Reunification Express Jeremy Dales boards Vietnam's Reunification Express to journey through a land that sparkles of throbbing hearts, perfumed waterways and sleeping dragons. hristmas Eve in Hanoi was always going to be a noisy affair. The Vietnamese have a great love of fireworks, and throughout the narrow streets of the Old Town there was the continual crackle of small arms fire as strings of bangers sparked and jumped around on the pavements, filling the air with blue smoke.

By 6pm it seemed as if the entire city was on the move, as an endless buzzing ribbon of two-wheeled traffic unfurled around Hoan Kiem Lake. Crossing the road in Vietnam requires a certain technique - you need to adopt a zen-like fatalism and shuffle out into the stream of oncoming traffic which will then, in theory at least, flow around you.

The city is rich in French colonial architecture, with the elegant facades of government buildings overlooking wide, treelined boulevards, and you can sit in a cafe over croissants and superb Vietnamese coffee as you watch the world go by. As the capital city it has a reputation for being sleepier and more austere than Ho Chi Minh City in the south, which everyone still calls Saigon, and indeed the Socialist iconography is more abundant in Hanoi; this is after all still a Communist country, complete with Hammer and Sickle flags and stirring billboards depicting a heroic workforce building the country together. You can visit the Hoa Loa Prison, known as the 'Hanoi Hilton', where captured US pilots were held during the Vietnam War, and a trip to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum

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is a popular excursion for locals and tourists alike; each weekend crowds of Vietnamese queue up to shuffle past the embalmed figure of the former Viet Cong leader and founding father of modern Vietnam.

Despite this tangible history, Vietnam has moved on, and with a booming路 economy and a large section of the populati.on born since the war ended in 197-5, the past, as the saying goes, is another country.

The aptly titled Reunification Express ~s the train which traverses the length ofVietnam, taking around 40 hours to cover the 1,750km between Hanoi and Saigon. A warm rain was falling at the 'Ga' (from the French 'Gare' for station), and with three blasts of the hooter the train slid slowly along the platform and everyone rushed to board. The carriage for 'Soft Sleeper' had four berths pe.r compartment, and there was a samovar at the end of the corridor with hot water to make tea or noodles. The t,rain began to move, and soon we were rattling through the night, heading south. We passed small shacks that lined the edge of the tracks, and the moon hung low in the sky, reflecting off the distant paddy fields and silvering the water.

Hue saw some of the fiercest fighting in the Vietnam War which the Vietnamese call the American War - and the Imperial City still bears the scars. Bullet holes pockmark the walls of ancient pagodas and there are large sections of clear ground where you can discern fragments of masonry and sometimes shrapnel lying

amongst the undergrowth. The North Vietnam'ese hung on to the citadel for four long weeks in 1968, fend ing off repeated assaults by US troops, in a battle which was later portrayed in Kubrick's film, Full Metal jacket. Today, nearly 40 years later, tourists amble around the site, past ornate courtyards and reconstructed temples, clutching guidebooks and ice creams.

~~we

set off into the misty morning, gliding past jungle-clad hills serrated like a dragon's spine, along the slow, green river."

To the south of Hue lie the tombs of the Imperial Emperors, and the best way to see them is to take a dragonboat alon.g the Perfume River. We set off into the misty morning, gliding past jungleclad hilJs serrated like a dragon's spine, a long the slow, green river.

At the Thien Mu pagoda there is the slightly incongruous sight of a small Austin car parked in a garage with offerings of flowers and incense laid before it. The car belonged

to Thich Quang Due, the Buddhist monk who committed suicide by setting himself alight in an act of self-immolation in 1963. When his body was recovered, our guide told us solemnly, they found that his heart was intact and still beating, unscathed by the flames. As we left the pagoda she turned to face the car, pressed her hands together and bowed her head in prayer.

The railway runs south alongside Highway One, the route that became known as 'The Street Without Joy' after successive battles were fought along its length during the war. Hue lies near the old DMZ - the euphemistic 'Demilitarized Zone' - but little evidence remains; the foliage has swallow~d up the hilltop landing strips and grown over the bunkers. The trees here are all saplings, none more than 30 years old, a legacy of the Agent Orange that was used as a defoliant.

Small figures waded knee-deep in mud behind water buffalo in scenes from a Chinese watercolour, and a man stood fish ing in a pond that was perfectly circular, formed by a bomb crater. ~t times the railway comes within sight of the coast, and in the distance the ocean rolled away into an amnesiac expanse of blankness. This region is the border between the old North and South Vietnam and yet feels part of neither; a bizarre mountain hinterland swallowed up in the mist.

South of Da Nang lies the town of Hoi An, the narrow streets lined with traditional Chinese

architecture, l~yered pagoda roofs sheltering kitsch dragons. The Old Town has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and there are several historical sites to visit, such as the Japanese Covered Bridge or the Chinese Meeting Halls, entry to which is done by a coupon system, with one ticket giving access to five sites. Hoi An is famed for the number of clothes shops with tailors offering made-tomeasure clothes - they'll do a suit for you in 24 hours, and one shop window was decorated with faded photocopies of a 1980s British high street catalogue, with long-haired men in stonewashed jeans. In the road outside, flocks of girls cycled primly along wearing white ao dai pyjamas, gliding across teeming intersections like exotic birds of paradise.

At night on the waterfront the heady scent of incense drifts from a small shrine. Boats moored beneath the palm trees have eyes painted on the prows, and sway like gently nodding dragons. During the full moon, small candles are placed in paper lanterns and are floated down the Thu Bon river, their reflections spilling outwards in ripples of light across the water as they are carried along. One by one they became smaller, some overturning and sinking abruptly as a wave caught them, some being swept serenely downstream, spinning in the current until they were no bigger than a firefly winking in the darkness, and then they were gone.

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John Lennon - Imagine Frank Turner - Love, Ire & Song Billy Bragg - 0 Freedom Tori Am os - Yo George Frank Turner - Sons of Liberty The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter The Black-Eyed Peas - Where Is The Love Bob Marley - Redemption Song U1 - Sunday Bloody Sunday Woody Guthrie - This Land Is Your Land Bob Dylan - Th e Tim es (They Are A-Changing) Billie Holiday - Strange Fru it

he melding of p0litics and music is not a new concept. As far back as recorded history goes, music - in one form o r another - has been a pivotal form of self-expression and creativity, and this has often been the case in a political context. Where in recent years we have seen a huge increase in political apathy, we have seen no such increase in musical apathy. If anything, more and more musicmakers are able to engage with more and more people through a range of new technologies and events.

Political protest and political expression have an energetic life in our co.ntemporary societies, and perhaps quite an unexpected life, actually. Modern protest singers like Billy Bragg and Frank Turner sing songs about the loss of liberties, sticking their finger up to 'the man' and celebrating in~ividualism through the medium

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of music. And they do it to sellout audiences of all ages, in venues throughout the UK. Music and politics share many of the same goals - highlighting problems in communities, social injustice and issues of everyday life. Both are mediums of bringing things that are important to people to the attention of a wider audience.

Traditionally, of course, the genre of music that has historically been used most to convey political messages is folk. The genre, which has been defined as "music transmitted by the mouths of the lower classes" has been tremendously influential throughout history, and particularly in the "second folk revival" of the later 20th century which featured artists such as The Watersons, 'Martin Carthy and Bob. Dylan playing important roles in its re-emergence. These days, we're seeing another revival of folk music, and one of the most

(/Let's be honest, a lot of people would be more likely to listen to their favourite musician talk about the importance of voting than David Cameron or Nick Clegg."

important contemporaries is folkrocker Frank Turner, whose music often seems to centre on political themes.

Armed with first class honours in a history degree from LSE, the title track of Frank Turner'$ 2008 album Love, Ire & Song, proclaims "that the values and ideals for which many had fought and died, had been killed off in the committees and left to die by the wayside". Vibrant political messages run through the veins of his music, perhaps showing that music is a much more effective means of conveying a political message than politics is these days.

53·year-old mus1c1an Billy Bragg has even gone so fa r as to write a book about politics entitled The Progressive Patriot. The book centres on an exploration of English national identity, arguing that English socialism can reclaim the 'patriotism' that is traditionally associated with right-wing politics in the UK. An outspoken opponent

of fascism, racism, bigotry, sexism and homophobia, as well as a supporter of multi-racial Britain and a defe nder of liberal freedoms, Billy Bragg has caused quite a ruckus in his embrace of the connections between politics and music. "0 freedom, what liberties are taken in thy name," Bragg sings on his 2008 album, aptly titled Mr. Love and justice. Bragg has written articles for The Guardian for a number of years and is often a target of the British National P~rty, who disagree with many of his views concerning a multicultural Great Britain.

Over in the US, it seems people have noticed the connection between politics and music, and have had the initiative to engage and exploit this for the good of the country, and for the good of democracy. Founded in 1990 and engaged fully during the 2008 US presidential election, Rock the Vote is an American organisation which

(/Music and politics share many of the same goalshighlighting problems in communities, social injustices and issues of everyday life."

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uses music, popular culture and new technologies to engage and incite young people to register and vote in every {,IS election. The nonprofit, non-partisan organisation claims to give young people the tools to identify, learn about, and take action on the issues that affect their lives, and leverage their power in the political process. Through its alliance with MTV, Rock the Vote has received the support of a range of major-label musicians in the US including Maroon 5, Sheryl Crow, Rage Against The Machine, The Black-Eyed Peas, Coldplay, Christina Aguilera, Green Day and many more.

The idea, nevertheless, is an admirable one: engage young people through the mediums that matter to them. Let's be honest, a lot of people would be more likely to listen to their favourite musician talk about the importance of voting than David Cameron or Nick Clegg.

"Music doesn't lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music."- Jimi Hendrix "Music is the voice that tells us that the human race is greater than it knows."- Napoleon Bonaparte "My generation's apathy. I'm disgusted with it. i'm disgusted with my own apat~y too, for being spineless and not always standing up against racism, sexism and all tttose other -isms the counterculture has been whining about for years."· Kurt Cobain "The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." · Plato

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azy, drunk and trouble-free is how most adults would describe the student lifestyle, assuming it to be without stress. While for some this might be true, there are two main problems that plague every student's life.

Money worries are undoubtedly the first. At th is time in the year, ha lf way thro ugh the spring semester, student loans are running low, overdrafts are running high and stress levels are creeping up alongside them.

Food is one of the main culpritswhether you're a ready-meal fan or more adventurous with your cuisine, constantly having to buy ingred ients and kitchen staples can easily raise costs. Being organised can help: pla路n your meals in advance and do a shop online of exactly what you need so you're not tempted to impulse buy. Delivery is quick, and with the wide choice of supermarkets (Asda is particularly cheap), it is the smartest way to make sure

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you have everything.

Convenient but costly takeaways are the easiest way to sink further into your overdraft.

Whet her it's down to pure laziness, or coming in late after a night out drunk and hungry, a Dominos or a Mr. Pizza seems like the best option. Once in a while this is inevitable but w ith two or three nights out a week, most stude nts end up spending more than they realise on the odd drunken kebab. Prepare something in advance and leave it in the fridge so when you get in you are less tempted to splurge.

You'll get some stick from your mates but think about the extra money you'll have by the end of the semester for the last few nights out.

Nights out in general are expensive for st udents, especially with something happening most nights of the week. Making sure you go out on a student night is a must, as is knowing of any drinks offe rs happening at the time. Pure offer 拢1 drinks on a Thursday

"Make sure you h ave your campus card with you at all times - it doubles up as a student discount card} getting you discounts on things fr om clothes to food to alcohol. Guard it w ith your life!"

night; Lola-Lo's offer 拢1 jaegerbombs on a Wednesday night, and most clubs offer discounted entry wh~n a valid student card is shown.

Attending society socials is always a cheap night out. With reduced entry and free alcohol, that a lone should convince you to get more invo lved with societies!

For shopping generally, make sure you have your campus card with you at a ll times- it doubles up as a student discount card, getting you discounts on things from clothes to food. Guard it with your life!

The second stress in student lives is the current threat of looming exams. Exam timetables coming out so late means that, especially fo r first years, exam dates are a mystery until late into the semester, which can make it hard to get your mind into 'revision-mode'. There are ways of dealing with this. lt may have been drilled into students since secondary school, but knowing your 'learning style' is invaluable. If you learn visually,

get highlighters out and posters up early. If you're getting stressed with revising, take a break and have a drink (preferably not alcohol, but whatever works ...) and wait a while - you won't learn anything by cramming in as much as possible. Just take your t ime and start early regardless. lt never hurts to be prepared.

If you feel that anything is getting too much, there is a lot of help available to a ll students. 路 lt's always best to get help if you need it. The Union Advice Centre can p rovide help and support for lots of different problems: getting help with finances, employment, academic and housing p roblems can all be sorted out in complete confidence.

Similarly, UEA Employability can help you develop your job skills, such as writing a CV and attending interviews. Also, the Dean .of Students Office are more than happy to help wit h all sorts of problems you may encounter.

If a ll else fails, t he Union Bar is probably the best bet!

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con crctc.fcJ tu res@ ucJ.Jc.u k

hiswcck,jJpJn finds itself in the midst of a national crisis and at the mercy of Mother Nature, following an carthqu<lkc 8000 times stronger than the one that devastated Christchurch JUst weeks ago.

The fifth largest earthquake worldwide in the last hundred years has thrown the whole island chain eight feet from its original geographical location.

The earthquake, which shook the city of Sendai for over two minutes, measured 8.8-9 on the l{ichter scale, and struck with more explosive force than the world's largest nuclear test in USSR. Arguably more terrifying than the earthquake itself was the devast,llion caused by a tsunami more powerful and destructive than any in living memory. Ten metre high waves hit japan's densely populated coastline ,Jl estimated speeds of 500 miles per hour. it is difficult to comprehend a worse outcome with our television screens heing inund,1ted with images of cars and houses heing swept away like toys. Ten thousand people arc feared dead, 300,000 are living in shelters, and millions are living with no basic survival provisions in the form of water, food or electricity.

Crops, buildings, livelihoods and the infrastructure much of the population is reliant upon

T

have been destroyed.

Four nuclear power stations shut down automdtically and other power plants burst into names, leaving 5.5 million people without power.

The SltU<ttion may only get worse ,1s japan prepares itself for the possibility of another earthquake exceeding magnitude seven in the next three days.

"The situation may only get worse as Japan prepares itself for the possibi lity of another earthquake" The terrible events of the weekend act as a chilling reminder of the powerofnature. Sitti ngabove the confluence of live tectonic plates, japan is accustomed to regular earthquakes. For decades japan has h.td d system of education, campaigning and awarL•ness to prepare its people for such l'ventu~llitics. Buildings have been designed to be earthquake resist<lllt, and government warning systems arc in pl<lCC. even with such levels of technologie<ll and economic commitment, japan has been devastated by its strongest earthquake since the 1860s. The epicentre wa ·so close to the coast that a t best there was o nly l ive to ten minutes to warn people to gel to higher ground before the

tsunami hit. /\s for preVl'nting the pmblems faced by japan's nuclear industry, doubts have crept into the minds of an alrL\tdy scl'ptical general public as to the safety of nuclear power sUl1ons. The way in which japan is struggling to control the buildup of pressure and meltdown of nuclc;u· I'L'<tctors will give \Vl'ight to .1rgumcnts backing renewable .1nd non-nucle,tr forms of energy to compens<lte for the inevit<lble shortage in the future. This has <llrcady reson.tted internationally as 50,000 protestors look to the streets of (;ermany on Saturd<lY in anti nuclear protests.

The possibility of such an event hitting lesser developed countries with little econo mic and infrastructural ability to cope with such mass destruction is a disturbing thought. Of course, natural disasters are frequent oCCUITenccs in the developing world, hut the level of lil'struction in j,tpan illustrates our vulnerahility and inability to prepare tor <llld deal with events of such m.tgnitudl'.

As global temperatures inLTe.lse, predictions in sea level rise and imTeased frequency of extreme weather also seem inevitable. The question remains whether we will ever achieve the insight a nd technological cap<lhilities to defend ou1·sclvl'S against nature.

18 LIFESTYLE

ISSUE 254

www.concrete-online.co.uk

concrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.uk

Is NOS the laughing matter it appears to be?

Concrete examines the prominent nature of'NOS' or Nitrous Oxide on UEA's campus and aims to shine an illuminating light on the issue

I

Drew Nicol Lifestyle writer

As many of you will know if you attended any of the major festivals last summer, the new popular face of recreational drug culture is Nitrous Oxide (NOS) or laughing gas.

This drug is taken by directly inhaling the gas from N20 canisters using devices such as whipped cream dispensers.

Although laughing gas itself is not new, its use as a recreational drug is, and its popularity has spread from the festival camping ground to universities all over the country.

This is due to the fact that the N20 canisters are legal and easily purchased due to its other, more innocent uses. This is similar to the Mephedrone, or, 'Meow Meow', craze which caught the attention of the media and public authorities last year after it was revealed to be passing itself offlegally as plant food.

Drug users are using increasingly inventive ways to pass off otherwise very potent and intoxicating drugs in a legal form . This has blurred the lines between safe and dangerous substances. it has created a grey area in which drug users can operate safe from the authorities. Many students are also finding themselves confused about whether the drug they are being offered is still as harmful in legal form and whether usual standards apply.

Concrete spoke to a UEA student

I have nearly maxed out my overdraft with a month of the semester left, do you think a student credit card would be a good idea?

who has tried NOS on a number of occasions. What was clear from the answers given by the student is that NOS seems to have been given a reputation as a safer drug than other common narcotics. This seems to stem from the relevantly short 'buzz' time as well as the apparent lack of side effects. The legality of laughing gas has also added to this ir:nage of it being different and more accepted than other drugs such as cannabis.

The interviewee stated: 'how bad can it be if it's legal?'

When the interviewee was asked how the drug felt, he replied: "If you do it properly you get a sort of buzzy and calm feeling through your body and it's almost like standing next to a really big speaker. If you take it when music is playing you can really feel the bas~.. .it's weird, but it only lasts like less than a minute".

He was also asked why he took it.

He stated that "it's better than other drugs because you don't have to worry about side effects or bad trips

".

people think its safer and it doesn't have any of the negative stigmas"

I

or anything ... and it's cheap". Finally, the interviewee was asked why 'NOS' had become more common than other drugs such as cannabis or cocaine?' He believed that it was "probably because people think it's

lead to more long term financial problems. Another option may be an employment agency that may provide some employment to help you through this difficult time.

Whatever you decide, good luck and take care.

2nd year Politics Student

Clive says: Talking to a financial advisor at the bank may help. They may suggest raising your overdraft limit for a short period of time until your financial situation improves.

Credit cards of any kind may

I'm thinking of whisking away my girlfriend for a romantic weekend for her birthday over Easter but haven't got enough money to take her abroad, where would you suggest?

3rd Year Maths student

--~-------------------------

â&#x20AC;˘

safer and it doesn't have any of the negative stigmas. I've seen people who would never try weed do it because it they know it won't ruin their night. Plus how bad can it be if it's legal?"

However, what must be remembered is that regardless how safe it appears, inhaling NOS is still drug abuse and if administered in its pure form, without supplemental

May I suggest a nice weekend in the countryside with very tranquil surroundings?

Some coach companies do very good deals and they may also provide a hotel of your choice for this very special weekend.

May I also suggest a nice bunch of flowers. I hope you both have a very nice and romantic weekend.

I hope I have been some help, enjoy yourselves and take care.

oxygen, it can cause hypoxia (low levels of oxygen in the blood). This can cause headaches, brain damage, or in extreme cases, death through suffocation.

A link could be made with the comment by the interviewee that students otherwise adverse to drugs were willing to try NOS, and the status of cannabis as a 'gateway drug'. It could be deduced that the similar effects of NOS and cannabis,

i.e. a calming effect, seems to lull people into a confidence to try it.

The idea of the calming. mellow effect is more inviting to first time drug users, than the more daunting effects of other party drugs such as ecstasy or cocaine. NOS has the potential to take over, or at least join Cannabis as a 'gateway drug' which will give students a taste of the drug culture which may prompt them to try more potent narcotics.

ISSlJ[ 254

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Tuesday I Sth M<Jrc h

The finer foods ofNowruz, Persian New Year To celebrate the Persian New Year, Nowruz, Lauren Razavi shares two traditional dishes usually included in the annual festivities

Sabzi polo va mahi (fish served with herbs and rice)

Bite-sized baklava

Sabzi polo V<J m<Jhi is a perfect way to test out your rice making skills, something th<Jt is of great import<Jnce in Iranian cuisine.

The white fish can be substituted with the cheaper alternative to cod if you'd prefer. Serves 6-7.

For the rice:

1 cups basmati rice Y2 cup chives 2 cups dill I clove of fresh garlic, crushed 2 1/! cups n.~t-leaf parsley 2 cups chopped coriander y, cup huller 1 tsp ground saffron, dissolved in 4 tsp hot water lthspsalt

Ingredients:

For the fish:

I large white fish (around 2 lfl \hs), cleaned and scaled 6 tsp butter 1 ~ tsp salt 1 /l tsp pepper I tsp turmeric 1. Using a colander, wash the rice several times in warm water and then le<1ve it to soak in a ldrgc howl. Ensure the water covers the rice completely.

2. Fill a large pan with water, <Hiding approxim<ltely 1 thsp of salt before bringing it to the boil.

pan and boil it Ior S-1 0 minutes .

Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

4. Drain the rice Jnd mix one cup of it with the saffron water. Chop the herbs finely.

5. /\del a generous spoonful of butter to the bottom of a new pan and lhl'n add a layer of plain rice fo llowed by a layer of herbs until you run out of both.

6. Finish with one final layer of the saffron rice and another generous spoonful of huller.

7. Cover and steam on a low heal for approximately I 0 minutes.

8. Sprinkle the fish with salt, pepper and turmeric; brown it on both sides in butter in a frying pan or on a skillet.

9. Finally, lay the fish on the top of the rice <llld leave for a few minutes. The rice on the bottom of the pan w ill create crispy fried rice and the navour of the herbs will be absorbed into the fish, giving beautiful navour.

1. Drc1in the rice, ddd it to the

• 16 sheets filo pastry • 200g unsalted butter, melted • tJ cups ground almonds • 3 cups icing sugar • 2 tsp ground cardamom • I cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup boiling water • y, cup chopped pistachios !.!'reheat oven to 150' C. 2. Melt the butter and use a brush to grease the bottom of cl 2/3 inch deep baking tin.

3. Put ,1layer offilo pastry over the bottom and brush this with butter. l{epeat until there are four layers of buttered pastry.

4. Mix the almonds, cardamom and

icing sugar and spread the mixture over the pastry, pressing it down with the hclCk of a spoon.

5. i\dd another four sheets of buttered pastry.

6. Cut into squares. !'our the rem,lin ing butter over the pastry.

7. Bdke tor 25-30 minutes before increasing the temperature to 200°( for I 0-15 minutes until the lop is golden brown.

8. Mix the pinches of cardamom with the sugary water and let it cool.

9. Remove from baking tray from the oven and pour the sugary water/ syrup over the top of the haklava.

10. Sprinkle with pist<JChio nuts and then allow to cool.

Making lifestyle choices in relation to sex: celibacy Fio na Howa rd Lifestyle writer Sex is great. From Cosmopolitan to GQ the health benefits of it <lS a fun extracurricular clCtivity have been lauded; so why would you volunt<lrily give it up'!

Being young is ;lll about experimentation, and there's no better- time than university to spread your sexual wings. So, the choice to he cc lib;tte when there's a virlU<ll smorgasbord of depravity available may seem strange. But with the rich and li1mous from Lady Gag<1 to the beloved Stephcn Fry practicing nookie-frec stints, it's becoming

en vogue. Instead of jumping in the S<lCk, why not consider the be n efits of being eel ihate'?

There arc many reasons to be celibate, t h e most obvious being it puts you at far less risk to all those n;tsty STDs rife amongst students. For this write!~ though, it bo ils clown to empowerment. The <Jbility to pick who you sleep w ith without judgment is one of the wonderful things about moving away from home. It's far easier to let your u rges get the bette r of you, hut the discipline to say no gives you the power, bu il d ing self-conficlence. What's more, it gives you time to eva luate, building your relationships on

more than just lust. Remember, when you wer-e young and just <l touch was electrifying'! There is a reason why foreplay is so good; think of celibacy like t h at.

Most people have h;1d tll<lt awkward hook up culminating in you both furtively averting your eyes in the Hive. Another benefit of celibacy is avoiding that. T<1king a break ;1lso gives you a chance to get to know your own sexua lity that much bet ter; what turns you on and wha t turns you ofl. /l.s a life t ime choice, celibacy migh t be a hit much. ror ;1 short per iod, howevec it could be the gre;Jtesl th ing you do ... or not, as the case may be.

I

20 LIFESTYLE

ISSUE 2S4

www.concrete-online.co.uk

concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk

Novel breast milk ice cream displays Lady Gaga's frosty side I

Christine O'Sullivan Lifestyle writer

A tiny Covent Garden ice-cream parlour owner, Matt O'Conner, has combined ice cream and breast milk. Their new flavour, Baby Gaga, was first served two weeks ago, consisting of breast milk with vanilla pods and lemon zest. Lady Gaga's lawyers are threatening to sue this London ice cream parlour as they believe the ice cream is "aurally, visually and conceptually similar to Lady Gaga," demanding its name is changed or face court action.

Despite Lady Gaga having pushed the boundaries of taste and decency, including the memorable outfit made entirely from raw meat, she claims this product to be "nausea-inducing" and "detrimental" to her image.

The shop paid women ÂŁ15 for 10 ounces of breast milk before Westminster council seized its supply last week after complaints from two members of the public, leading the ice cream to be tested for viral infections.

The shop owner insists that "every possible precaution" was taken over the recipe.

The lcecreamists Limited voluntarily agreed not to make or sell any more breast milk ice cream while it is being tested and screened for viruses and other impurities.

They chose the name as the word 'gaga' is often of the first discernible phrases to come from a baby's mouth. Surely the name gaga cannot be copyrighted? Lady Gaga has admitted that her name was taken from the Queen song Radio Gaga so should she really be accusing another of copying?

{(The shop paid women

ÂŁ15 for 10 ounces of breast milkll This leads to the ethics of breast milk ice cream. Is it right to pay women for their breast milk? Should breast milk ice cream be sold? Some people believe human body products should not be exploited as food; others believe it is not much different to cow's milk, echoing the views of the milk donor, Victoria Hiley, saying: "we've become estranged from our own mammal-hood and

recoil from breast milk while we drink cows' milk without a thought". And, of course for vegans, this argument revolves around not believing that any animal's milk should be turned into ice cream.

lt will remain a controversial subject and as of the lOth March, Westminster Council has said the product is safe for human consumption. So, would you try Baby Gaga, the breast milk ice cream?

Could you edit Concrete?

Applications are invited for the position of Concrete Editor for the period September 2011 to May 2012.

The position is only open to current students at the University of East Anglia, is a full-time paid position, and may be taken as a year out during a degree or directly after graduation.

The successful applicant need not have previously been involved in the production of Concrete, but must be able to demonstrate the following: o

Excellent grammar and editing skills.

Team leadership and management qualities. o Good organisation and time-keeping. o An understanding of the needs and structure of the Concrete society. o Knowledge of Adobe InDesign CS4 and Photoshop CS4. o A keen eye for design and mistakes.

o

Students interested in applying for the role of Concrete Editor should submit a CV with covering letter, a proposal that outlines any changes they would make to the newspaper (no longer than 1000 words), and a completed application form (available from the Concrete Office).

Applicants are also expected to produce one computer-designed page of Concrete that incorporates any future creative ideas for the newspaper (applicants will be given full access to the Concrete Office's design software).

All applications should be sent to the current Editor, Danny Collins, by emailing concrete. editor@uea.ac.uk. The closing date for applications is 3pm on Thursday 31st March.

If you would like to know more about the role of Editor, or have any questions concerning your application, there will be a Q&A session in the Concrete Office on Monday 21st March at 1pm. If you are unable to attend this session, applicants should email concrete.editor@uea.ac.ljk, or visit the Concrete Office during working hours.

ISSlll 25•l

21

co ncre tc.editorial @uea.ac.uk

Pole position for UEA dancers Carmina Masoliver UEA Pole Dancing

(ClotlovisP from top left) Sara h Cha ndl e1; l l,m na h Cox, Joanna Vanot, Kayte McCann, Maria Alam b ri tis, Charlotte Silve r, Carmina Masolive r-Ma rlo w, Polly Ro hcy, Step h:lllie Pa lme1:

Sa t u rday 19th November saw the UEA Pole Danc ing Club travel in the early hours on a m in i-bus to Kent University. Taking place was t he first Inter-University Pole Fitness Competition, ran by 'Pole For IJ aNd I' Wi th winni ng poles as prizes in each category prov1ded by 'X- Pole' The categories included Flegmners, In term ediate, Advanced, Men's and Doubles.

The cl ub at UEA was only founded in 2007, but with over 50 active members a lrea dy, it is growing fast. Howeve1~ it currently only has female members and aims to ex pan d u po n th is.

UEA co m pe ted in all categories ,1par t from Men's . Eac h individual com p eting deserves· recognition and pra1se for their part in the day. l.ouisa Sa gave an amazing routme as ,1 Beginner (h,wing only sta r ted in September) , showing great courage and independence Stephanie Pal mer performed a beautiful routllle in the Intermediates, and Sarah Ch,mdler braved the Advance category; whilst others showed stacc.1to t ricks and spins, he entertained the crowd w1th a fl u id dance Final ly, the dub was proud to bring home Fir~t Place for the Doubles category w1th Carm ina Maso!Jver-M.lrlow and Charlotte Silver. Alt hough there was only one other

Stephanie Pa lmer Inte rmediates.

pe rfor ms

th e

act in this L.Jtegory. they were agalll~t some advanced competition with thr mixed sex pa1r.

Wit h t h is win, the club hope to co n tin ue to ex pand ,md s how everyone t he beau ty, grace and, most Importantly, en1oyment ot po le d anci ng at UEA.

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•

22 INTERNATIONAL

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www.concrete-online.co.uk

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ISSUE 254

concrete.international@uea.ac.uk

Around The World in 7 days This issue, in conjunction with UEA's annual International Party, Concrete International looks into the colours of the Caribbean while celebrating the Persian New Year.

International Party 2011 Rachael Lum

-

International Writer For most international students, it was a night that called out to them each year. In accordance with the Union's Go Global Week, the International Party made its annual comeback with its gastronomic delicacies and dazzling performances from all around the world.

With the collaboration of the various clubs and societies in the university, it is widely regarded as the most unique event at UEA. What other event on campus brings together a collage of cultures with traditional costumes, food and music?

The evening started with the crowd gathering around the food booths in the LCR. There was a selection of traditional food from different countries prepared by UEA's international students, from the Welsh cakes, 'kuihs' (mini cakes) by the Bruneian and Malaysian societies as well as Hellenic snacks to the savoury cuisines such as spiced rice and noodle dishes.

Featuring the best of both the Eastern and Western world, the food tasting was a stimulating adventure for the students' taste buds. Not

an hour.

The highlight of the night was the societies' performances, a vibrant showcase of the different cultures and rhythmic beats. Some of the many performances included were the classical dance routines of the Indonesian Society and the upbeat ones by the Afro-Caribbean Society, the dombra (traditional Kazakh instrument) recital, the energetic Capoeira, )amnesty and rounded off with the Indian Society's performances.

Students could also have their photos taken professionally for a reasonable cost, whether it is to remember the beautiful traditional attires by or for personal reasons.

At the end of it, all the colourful societies merged to form a mosaic in the world disco, where students could party all night to the same musical beats.

Although there was less club participation than the previous year, the International Party 2011 served its purpose of celebrating the university's cultural diversity by introducing a myriad of flavours to the tongue as well as musical traditions from all over the world.

Definitely an LCR night that is out of the ordinary and no less interesting than it is every year.

Happy Norwuz!

Lauren Razavi International Writer Nowruz, also known as Persian New Year and roughly translated as "The New Day", has been celebrated in Iran and various other parts of Asia for several thousand years. This year the festival falls on Sunday 20th March, a day before the Spring Equinox - the 'official' beginning of spring according to a range of ancient nature-worshipping pagan religions.

Like many cultures and religions, Persians have always celebrated the turning of the seasons, paying particular attention to autumn and spring. The beginning of the New Year is celebrated with feasts, spring cleaning and family gatherings in the Persian culture.

The beautiful Nowruz table is perhaps the most important aspect

of the festival, holding symbols that represent prosperity, health, life, love, purity and luck for the year ahead. Traditionally, seven different foods are displayed on the Nowruz table, each beginning with'S' in Farsi (the Persian language). Garlic (sir) is a symbol of health and well-being; coins (sekkeh) stand for wealth; apple (sib} represents happiness; hyacinth (sonbol) signifies success; wheal or lentils (sabzeh) corresponds with greenness and peace; oleaster (senjed) indicates a wish for friendship, and wheat germ pudding (samanu) signals sweetness. Other items commonly found on a Nowruz table include vinegar (serkeh), sumac berries (somaq) and clocks (sa'at) .

Also included on a Nowruz table is a copy of the Koran, elevated a level above the other items on the table as a sign of graciousness, a

mirror representing purity and goodness, and coloured egg which encourage fertility and productivity in the coming year. Goldfish are usually included too, living in a crystal bowl for the duration of the festival, and indicating liveliness and dynamism.

Nowruz celebrations can be traced back to Ancient Iran, and even get a mention in a lot of prehistoric Iranian mythology.

With increasing Western interest in the Middle East and its politics, culture and religion, Nowruz is one of the most interesting and important celebrations of the Persian calendar, and one most Westerners will find fascinating. If you're interested in creating your own Nowruz celebration, you'll find two traditional Iranian recipes for Nowruz in the food section of this issue of Concrete.

Carnivals of the Caribbean Isabelle Carty International Writer When many people think of the Caribbean they cannot help but envision sparkling blue seas, palmfringed white sand beaches and the golden sun. It has long been the playground of the rich and famous with its luxurious high-end resorts and relaxed atmosphere. However. the Caribbean is much more than this. With its tropical forests, exotic wildlife, verdant plantations, hypnotic rhythms, delicious cuisines and a plethora of activities, the Caribbean instantly becomes the ultimate holiday paradise.

Each island has its own distinct colour and flavour which when blended together generates an almost perfect multifaceted atmosphere to savour and enjoy and this is never

more evident than during carnival season. As the season rapidly approaches, the Caribbean beckons with its celebratory vibes. Vibrant colours, dancing in the streets and carnival parades with troops of all ages are enough to make carnival something everyone must experience at least once in their lives.

There are many carnivals to explore from Reggae Sumfest in Jamaica to Trinidad's legendary Port of Spain Carnival - the parties go from sunrise to sunset and then the evening entertainment begins! There are a whole host of activities to occupy your time from boat races and beach barbecues to talent shows, pageants, balls, concerts and of course dancing in the streets.

Yet there is also an aspect of art, culture and folklore that becomes prominent during carnival. lt is a

time to re-explore each island's history and its rich culture and traditions. Costumes worn by parade participants and dancers were historically believed to bring good fortune and to calm or ward off angry spirits. Immense amounts of hard work, creativity, energy and patience are put into these co tumes, shows and organised events for the whole island to enjoy.

Each island's carnival is different buttheatmosphere is just as infectious no matter where you are. For days and sometimes weeks, the people of the Caribbean express themselves socially and artistically and are more than happy to share the experience with visitors from all over the world.

Everyone, including the spectators, is a part of the celebrations and carnival becomes not only an enjoyable event but a way to celebrate life.

ISSUE l54

23

concrete.tu rf@uea.ac.u k

Are the EU playing dirty? â&#x20AC;˘ Chris Leach reports on th e EU vote on the decision to start importing oil from the Tar Sands oil extraction in Alberta, Canada Chris Leach Turf Repo rter The EU and the Canadian Government are involved in talks surrounding a possible tr<Jde agreement that would boost Britain's involvement in the world's most environmentally destructive project: the tar sands oil extraction in Canada.

A deal, if ag reed, would enable the passive now of dirty unconventional oil to feed into the lucrative markets associated w ith the EU. Some Jre heralding it as undisturbed <lccess to the resources of Canada. The proposal f(Jr a Canada -European Union Comp rehe nsive Economic and Trade Agreement (CEll\) was originally l;nmched hack in May 2009 to enha nce the flow of goods between the two areas. The proposal has the potentia l to undermine the stricte r tar sa nds regulation in Canada and stronger clim<lte policies in Europe.

Uecent negotiations hit a major setback following sevcr<l l leaked documents that suggested Canada

was on the verge of pulling out of the agreement if Europe maintained its environmen ta l clause for oil imports.

The intended Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) orders a ll EU fuel suppliers to reduce the carbon footprint of fuels by 6% by 2020. The drive to clean up Europe has been met by huge criticism from Canadian officials, who say the directive would constrict a possible future market for tar sands.

Canada's minister for international trJde, Peter Van Loan, denied reports outlining the scrappi ng of the deal by e mphasising that the issue of an F.U fuel directive will be addressed separately.

The vast tar sands span an area the size of England across the great wi ld erness of Northern Alberta. Extracting the oil requires huge quantities of hot water; deforestation of pristine borcal forestry and forceful removal of native communities, not to mention that one barrel of crude oil is needed to produce eve ry two barrels from the sands. This puts Alberta's oil as one of the most environme nta lly and

socia lly damag ing proj ects and it is consequently referred to as 'dirty oil'.

So are the EU playing dirty? What is being sacrifi ced because of our daily dependence on oi l? Why is the EU and Canada so ready to become dirty oil pimps"' it comes at a time when human energy is being used to move away from the strangle hold this finite energy resource has over us and propel humankind into an crJ of green, sustainab le technology. The question is whether this is a glimpse into our future or in the name of progress, is it taking two steps back? minister hi gh lighted: One "The EU should send a clear signal now that it is serious about its climate commitment and about the decarbonisation of transport fuel".

The negotiations arc sa id to be in their final stages with a decision expected to be announced later this year.

The questions that shou ld he on everyone's lips are: "who stands to goin the most with this trade agreement, a nd will green technology win the day?"

â&#x20AC;˘

Undercover coppers damage environmental movement Tim Miller Turf Reporte r Over th e last two months th e media has been flooded with reports of undercover police officers in the environme ntal movement.

Particular attention has been drawn to the case of Mark l<ennedy, who spent seve n years deeply entrenched in act ivi st groups, going as far as hoving sex and forming close re lationships with those he was observing.

The story goes further than this, however: l<ennedy cou ld be dcscril)ed as an agent provocateur.

He faced charges of attempted arson in Berlin, attacked Irish police officer at Jn EU summi t and helped train other activists in less benign activities.

The e nvironmenta l movement against anthropogenic global warming is largely peaceful, an d if l(c nncdy 's job was to monitor violent activists it is reasonable to assume that this co uld be achieved without taking such a forward rol e: l<ennedy has been described as "indispensable" to activ ist circl es.

Th e three cases of uncovered police officers reveal altitudes towards political dissent in its many forms. it is important first to highlight the reason why ac ti vists undertake mass protests, direct action and other political activities.

Issues such as climate cha nge a nd air pollution are largely left out of th e political Jgenda; they are not typical bread and butter issues that will rake in the votes, they conflict with corporate interests and in the curre nt socio-eco nomic system there is no real financial incentive to deal with them. This is why people choose to exercise less orthodox political actions- to raise awareness of issues a nd to pressure the privileged few who arc within the political arena.

Environmental movements show the age nda setting present in the Government, but the use of undercover police officers asks deeper questions: Do the powers that be wish to discredit these issues to the public?

The ro le of l<ennedy as a n agent provocateur s uggests a n effort

to further crush environmental movements, by a llowing th e media to paint them in a more negative light. What is even more shocki ng is that eve n after l<ennedy was discovered, the attack on a movement that has global common interests in mind con tinued. Th e police suggested th a t l<ennedy's promiscuity was necessary in o rd er for¡ him to "fit in " in activist circles - apparently promiscuity is a way of life for activists on the left of th e politicJI spectr um .

What is encouraging is the fact that activists involved in non-violent disobedience arc in creas ing ly found innocent or given less se riou s charges on the premise that they arc motivated by the desire to d efe nd t he interests of humanity a nd sa feguard our fragile, indispensable and only planet. Cameron's "greenest government ever" must re move the e nvironmenta l movement from their spy in g pr iorit ies if they arc to even attempt a trace of accountability in regard to the most serio us threats to hum a nity ever faced.

24

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ncrete' erby

ISSUE 254

concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk

I

University of East Anglia, Norwich, 23rd March 2011 - Order of PlaylOam LCR- Boxing (scheduled to last all day) Sportspark- Men's Tennis (1st and 2nd teams, Tennis courts from lOam); Taekwando (Dance Hall); Trampolining, Fencing (both Hall 3 at 10.20) ttam

< oltwy l•wltls Am rlc.111 h!oth 11 (Anwttc ,ml ooth 11. plldl Sportspark- Men's Volleyball (Hall 2 at 11.20)

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( un 1 f, 11 o 1111 C.hectlcadmg Sportspark- Women's Tennis (Tennis courts)

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Highlights at Colney Fields

ISSUE 251

SPORT 25

www.concrete-online.co.uk

Tu esday 15th Ma r·ch

WEDNESDAY 9TH MARCH 2011

BUCS J.EAGUE Coventry Women's I UEA Women's Rugby I

Golf UEA 1

4-2

Netball Nottingham 4

Notts Trent 1

60-17

UEA 2

BUCS CONFERENCE CUP SEMI-FINA I.S Badmin to n Notting ha m Wl 8- 0

UEA W1

Coming up this week at UEA: It promi s e s to be a noth e r a ction -pac ked week at th e Sports pa rk thi s wee k with s eve n teams in actio n, including Rugby Ml (Colney, starts 2pm) a nd Badminton Wl (Barclays Arena, 1pm) . Hockey Ml and Wl a re playing back to back on th e Astro pitches· from lpm.

INDEX We're runnin,q a comparative tah/e of' UEII's sport' leum.\· as /t.•.;tet! on the lll/CS webstle, W\'\'\\'.hucs.org. uk '/'he tahle com pares the various tea ms UEII fields

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UF.A Me n's Wa te r Po lo tea m trave ll ed to Ba th Univers ity to ta ke part in th e BUCS Na ti o na l Se mi -Fin a ls . Th e tea m e nte re d th e co mp e titi o n boas tin g an u nde feated reco rd for th e season within th e ir BUCS leag ue, a nd ha d hi g h ex pec ta ti o ns o f pe rfor min g we ll.

Oppos in g th e m e n we re th e stro ng tea ms o f UC L, Ply mou th a nd Ba th .

Th e tea m s ta rte d very st ro ng ly w ith a co nfid e nt victory ove r UCL. UEA go t th e goa l sco rin g und e rway, a nd a co m pe ti t ive firs t qu a rte r sa w th e le arn s m a tch eac h o th e r goa l fo r goa l, with th e sco re a t 3-3 a ft e r th e fir s t seve n minutes. Ea rly into th e seco nd qu a rte r UEA w e re awarded a 5 m pe nalty whi c h ca pta in Sa m Pa rry duly put

playe r in stra igh t sets.

This res ult was unfortun a te ly a s ign of thin gs to co m e w ith BUCS ca pta in Olive Me rrill a nd Suza nn e Rowl ey bo th los ing to ugh ma tches. Emily Wa rd- a lso ma kin g he r d e but as th e fo urth seed a fte r no t pl ay ing fo r ove r a yea r - put in a very good pe rfo rm a nce but was jus t ed ged o ut in a close e nco unte r.

Going into th e d o ubl es it was important to try a nd kee p th e sco re res pec ta bl e, howeve r Me rrill a nd Rowley w e nt d own 6 -2, 6-4 a nd Essex an d Wa rd lost 6 -2, 6-3.

Des pite be ing a di sa ppointing e nd to th e seaso n it was a s tro ng pe rfo rm a nce aga ins t an excell e nt Birm ingham s id e, a nd a fa r la rger te nni s cl ub.

Thi s season has bee n Wo me n's Te nn is' mos t s uccessful for fi ve yea rs, a mid-ta ble finis h a nd BUCS Cup Se mi -Fina l a ppea ra nce und o ubtedly a fa ntastic ac hi eve m e nt.

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13

UEA Wo me n's Te nnis to ok pa rt in a rgua b ly th e bi gges t ga me in th e cl u b's his to ry, trave lling to Birmingha m fo r th e BUCS Cup Se mi -Fina l.

Des pite a mi xed se t o f res ul ts in th e league, th e ladi es have enjoyed an im p ress ive r u n in the cup.

They face d a s trong Birmi ngham sq ua d, aga in st w ho m UE/\ have a lrea dy los t in the leag ue this seaso n. In itia lly the match was threa ten ed by heavy ra in - du e to th e fact th a t Bir m ingha m o nly had ou td oor co urts - b ut soon the clouds cl ea re d and th e s un ca me out.

The tie got u nd er way w ith l<e lsey Essex, an excha nge stud e nt fro m Me lbo urn e, mak ing he r de but as th e to p seed. Howeve r, it was no t a n ideal firs t a ppea ra nce, as s he s ucc um bed to a very s tro ng Birmingha m

,;, sam Parry rt.>'ni.p s lJ EA\ Vater Polo's season ahd·Iooks

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UEA Wom e n's Ru gby eased throu gh to th e BUCS Midl a nd s Co nfe re nce Cup Fin a l courtesy o f a n unb e li eva bl e 13 1 -0 thumpin g of Cove n try. ll av ing ac hi eved s uch a n in credibl e res ul t away fro m ho me, Wo m e n's Ru gby a re ju st o ne ga me away fro m w innin g th e ir league, brin ging th e hi ghes t-ra nked s id e in The Co ncre te Ind ex eve n closer to a drea m d o ubl e triumph.

Cove n try's d ec is io n to use o nly twe lve playe rs w as bound to cause compli ca tion s but UEA we re d ete rm ined no t to le t it hind er th e ir ga m e plan, and a ccordingly sco red a try w ithin ten minutes thro ugh Lo tt ie Va le.

Th e hos ts atte mpted to fi ght back but UEA's d efe nce proved too s tro ng, a nd rega ining possess io n o f th e ba ll led to a sw ift s uccess io n o f tri es, th e ma jor ity o f t hese ex pe rtly co nve rted by fl y ha lf Ni c l<ac iubs kyj.

Multipl e tr ies we re a lso sco red by Va le, l<ac iubs kyj, full -bac k Re becca Ho ne a nd w inge rs Ste ph a ni e Creasey <lll d Rac he l Scott, be fo re th e ga me wa s sto ppe d a fte r 6 5 minutes, du e to th e vis itors' unqu es tion a ble d o min a nce, with tb e score s ta nd ing at 1 3 1 -0.

UEA now face Le ices te r in th e BUCS Midl a nd s Co n fe re nce Cu p Fina l o n 23 rd Ma rch, hoping to ac hi eve th e ir seco nd triumph in th e space of a few wee ks as th ey ta ke on Nottin gha m 11 o nce aga in nex t w ee k in th e fin a l leag ue ga me of the seaso n.

Pres id e nt l<iki Oye mh e n is co nfid e nt in th e tea m's s uccess, co mm e ntin g yesterday: "We 're going to b rin g bac k th a t tro phy."

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9

Birmingham Wome n's 11 12 UEA Women's Te nnis I 0

0 131

a w ay. So m e exce ll e nt wo r k in p it attac k by Andrew Kin c h was rewa rded w it h seve ral se ndin gs o ut, to w hi ch UEA took a d van tage, in creas ing t hei r lead to 7-5 befo re the fin al w hi s tl e.

Due to u nfo rtu nate sc hed uli ng, UEA were imm e di ate ly requi red to la ke to th e poo l aga in s t hos ts a nd favo urites Ba th. With a s ma ll e r than usua l sq uad, the tea m we re un a bl e to e ffec ti ve ly ro ta te pl aye rs, a nd th e ir fa ti g ue beca m e a p pa rent as Bath reco rd e d a 2 -20 vi ctory.

T he to urn a m en t c ulmin ate d in a thrillin g winn e r-ta kes-a ll m a tch be twee n UEA a nd Ply m o ut h, w ith a cove te d pl ace in Na ti o na l Fina ls up fo r g ra bs. A re fres he d UEA ca m e

soa rin g o ut of th e bl oc ks w ith a n ea rly goa l fro m Lia m Ba rry a nd a co upl e of brea k away goa ls fr o m Sa m Pa rry. So m e excell e nt w ork in d e fe nce s up p ressed th e Ply m o uth a ttac ks , p utt ing UEA 4 -l up at the e nd o f th e fir s t qu a rte r.

A ti g hter seco nd q ua rte r saw bot h tea ms sco re a goa l ap iece, se tti ng u p th e p r-os pect o f a n exc itin g fina l ha lf w ith UEA leadin g 5-2 . Mo m e n t um cha nged w ith in th e ga me fo llow in g a n exc lu s io n aga in s t UEA, res ul t in g in a goa l to Ply m o u t h, w ho were s ub sequ e ntl y a bl e to sco re twi ce m o re, bringing the scores leve l e n te rin g in to th e fin a l se ve n minutes. Th e tea m unfo rtun a te ly co nceded agai n fo ll owi ng a rebo un ded s hot, a nd we re un a bl e to recove r~ eve ntu a lly los ing 6 -8 a nd m iss ing o u t on a s po t in t h is ye ar's Na tion a l Fin a ls.

UEA now loo k to build o n th e ir ex pe ri e nces leadin g into th e U-Po lo na ti ona l final s la te r thi s yea r; a nd co m pe tin g a t th e hi g hes t leve l of BUCS nex t seaso n.

26

rr;;;~;-----------------~~~~~------------:=====================~------------------------------~· ISSUE254 www.concrete-online.co.ul< concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk

Table Tennis counting on St. Andrews

I

u I

Sam Tomkinson Spo r ts Correspo ndent

Norwich City moved into the Cha mpionship promotion places followi ng a late 3-1 victory over Bristol City. Grant Halt netted an early penalty for the Canaries after Wes Hoolahan had been felled in the second minute, before City were stunned when the visitors equalised in the 65th minute through Albert Adomah.

Typically. however, Norwich kept playing until the end, netting the winner in the 89th minute courtesy of an incredible piece of skill from Henri Lansbury.

Andrew Surman then capitalised on an error in stoppage time to make it 3-1, a scoreline which better reflected the balance of play.

City now lie second, three points clear of Swansea City and seven behind QPR, hoping to consolidate their position with victory against Hull City.

Prior to this the Canaries dropped two points at home to Preston North End - winless in 2011 - after former Canary Chris Brown had given ' the visitors the lead. Top scorer Halt equalised b. e f o r e Hoolahan's ' audacious chipped penalty was easily saved, much to the chagrin of Paul

Following on from this the Canaries faced Leicester City, forcing countless saves from Foxes stopper Ricardo and eventually securing a 3-2 victory courtesy of strikes from Halt, Hoolahan and Aaron Wilbraham (left).

A visit to the Cardiff City Stadium was always going to be tough for Ipswich Town. Indeed this was the case as the Bluebirds dominated the first half, having a goal disallowed.

However after the break a jimmy Bullard-inspired Town secured a fine 2-0 win, their fifth in a row over Cardiff.

Bullard opened the scoring with a spectacular strike from distance before his free ( kick

¥

was deflected past Stephen Bywater four minutes from time. Manager Paul jewell later acknowledged the contribution of'keeper Marton Fulop, stating: "He kept us in the game."

Reading - on a five match unbeaten run - were the visitors to Portman Road and with Bullard unavailable Town fell to a 3-1 defeat, their eighth at home this season. The visitors settled the result with two goals in the last five minutes, before Connor Wickham's stoppage-time strike.

Leeds United provided an even tougher test for the Tractor Boys at Elland Road, but the visitors were able to grind out a hard-fought 0-0 draw, thanks in no small part to Fulop (left). Watford are next up for Ipswich, who recently resigned former winger Kieron Dyer from West Ham United on a onemontl1 loan deal.

Freddie Magee Sports Correspondent

The long journey to Leeds proved futile as UEA Table Tennis lost out m a tight play-off encounter.

Searching for a victory that would see them promoted to the BUCS Premiership, UEA narrowly missed out, losing 9-8. With captain Sam Collins still injured, the team remained unchanged from the lineup which had beaten St. Andrews in the first play-off game two weeks ago.

The visitors were on the back foot early on as Leeds claimed the first two points, Kit Lo and ]ohnny Bispham both unlucky to lose. Tony Zeqiri and Matt llaynes managed to turn things around, however, with victories in their respective matches to level the scores after the first rou nd.

Both teams then traded blows to leave the match fine ly poised at 8-8 with only the doubles to play. Haynes and Zeqiri stepped up to the table but saw their challenge fall just short as Leeds claimed the vital 17th point.

If UEA are to be promoted then they must hope that St Andrews come up with the goods against Leeds when they meet on Wednesday.

Max Mosley defends his corner •

D

espite a long career at the highest level of Form ula One, Max Mosley is perhaps not a na me commo nly associa ted with sport. Rather, his reputation has been tainted by scandalous

newspaper stories about his private life, w hich emerged in 2008 whi lst Mosley was sti ll President of the Federation lnternationale de 1!\utomobiles (FIA). world motorspo rt's governing body.

Now in the process of applying to the European Court of Human Rights to bring about a change in UK privacy laws, Mos ley took the time to speak to Concrete Sport Editors Chris King and Rob Schatten

Cami>aigner: Max Mosley (talking to UEA Vice Chancellor Edward Acton) is fighting for a change in wivacy laws

•

following a recent lecture at UEA, about his career in motorsport and the specifics of his case, amongst other topics.

Picking up a notable theme of his lecture, Concrete asked Mosley whether he believed the British press was too powerful, and not sufficiently accountable. "I don't believe the press as a whole is, but I do believe that the Murdoch group is," he responded. "It has been demonstrated frequently that they enjoy excessive influence over parliament and the government."

During the lecture Mosley made a point of defining the conflict between dislosure in the public interest ·and an individual's right to privacy: "I think that it can sometimes be very clear, one way or the other. Parliamentary expenses, in my way of th inking, were absolutely clearly in the public interest. A married couple having sex in their own bedroom isn't anybody's business."

When questioned on whether aspects of certain cases can bring them into the public mterest, as with Mosley's case, which was deemed by the media to be as such due to his background and the nature of

his actions, Mosley responded: "This can be true, parUcularly if the incident itself is not someth ing the public need to know, but its effect on what the person concerned does is."

On the issue of certain actiOns causing offence, Mosley was frank in his dismissal of such arguments: "Whether it offends people doesn't come into it because by definition it's in private. Fortunately it wasn't my thing, but when I was in my twenties you could go to prison for life in England for sodomy. lt's unbelievable now, to think, but that was just forty-fifty years ago.

"I think the essential test is whether it took place in private and between consenting adults, that's it, and if this is the case, it's their business. Unless they're damaging each other to the point where they become a burden on the health system or something but that's a bit way out."

Asked whether he believed he could win his case at the European Court of Human Rights, in Strasbourg. Mosley said: "I hope we will, but the Germans have a saying: in front of the courts and on the high seas you're in the hands of the Lord, it's completely unpredictable."

ISSUE 254

Tu es d:~y 15th March '--------------------~~~~~:=l~~~!:!:!:!:!:!:~:=.!~:!..----------------------~~~~

27

Football promoted after table-topping thriller I Mark Roach

Sp orts Corres pond ent

UEA Men's Football!

1

Bedford Men's I

0

UEA Men's f-ootb all have lwen crowned 13U CS Midland s Division 213 champion s follo w in g a hard fou ght 1-0 win away at Bedford I. Hav ing fini s hed with 23 points from 10 mJtches, UEA ca n still be matched by Ca mbrid ge if th ey win th eir re ma inin g four ga mes, but UE/\ w ill still win th e titl e due to head -to-head res ults. it wJs J solid finJI di splay from th e visitors in wh at was an eve n co ntest played out on th e hard a nd dry Bedford pitch.

Both sides started brightly, each J ltempting to s tring passes togeth er on the un eve n surface, Bedfo rd relyin g on so me las t ditch tackl ing to pr·eve nt lJEA tak ing th e lead.

After goin g in level at th e breJk, lJ El\ co ntinually pressed th e home sid e, forci ng <1 s uccess ion of defens ive erro rs a nd wea k clea rances.

Opportunities began to mount u p fo r UEA as striker Chu ka Obi s hot

wi de and M;llt !I nwa rd vo ll eyed over whil st one-o n-o ne. In the e nd it too k exce pti onal wo rk-ra te from Ni ck ll c<1 p to crcJ tc th e ga me's onl y goa l, as he d rove dow n th e right a nd pl ayed in ll owa rd to fini s h from s ix ya rd s, puttin g lJ F:A in fron t with fi ve minutes remain ing.

Despite intense press ure th e ye ll ows con tinu ed to defend we ll and th e ba ck four - w ho had bee n exce ll ent throughout - held tight to sea l the three points a nd league titl e.

After a lengthy wa it fo r a di visional title fo r UEA Me n's I, thi s tea m's triumph is a testament to th eir hard work a nd dedi ca tion th ro ughout th e seaso n, w hi ch hJs lead to thi s tre mend ous ac hi eve ment.

Pres ident Mi chae l Stead co mm ented: 'Tor th e effort th J t eve ryo ne at the club has put in this seaso n, the league is th e least we deserve. A winning me nta lity is some th ing Lhdl we sa id we wanted to ins till at th e start of the seJso n a nd th e league titl e is testa ment to that. "it's grea t to he part of this

win ning team, and I know everyo ne is exc ite d a bout th e poss ibili ty of wi nning th e loca l Sa turday league a nd th e jun ior Cup fin <J I at Ca rrow

Ro.1d at the beginn ing of Ap ril." li e con ti nued: "T he level of co mmitm ent s how n by th e tea m - a nd as a cl ub J mon gst the oth er

tc;Jrns too - has been brilli an t thi s season a nd h<Jv ing secu red two trophi es alrea dy, we still have a good cha nce of winni ng anoth er three."

.

Champions: President Michael Stead said the cl ub has a "good chance" of adding to their two tro phies wo n so far

• Sport Editors Chri s Kin g and Ro b Sch atten ta lk to fo rme r FIA Pres ide nt Max Mosley, s ubj ect to unrelenting tabloid press ure afte r a video o f him indul gin g in a n 'p rivate' sex pa rty with seve ral prostitutes emerged in 2008, and n early cost him his positi o n in PJ

-A career snapshot • So n of Sir Oswa ld Mos ley, who was leader of the Britis h Un ion of Fascists (1932- 1940), before hi s impri so nment • Fo und ed raci ng car co nstructor March Enginee ring in 19 70, befo re becoming invo lved w ith FO CA (Fo rmula On e Co ns tr uctors Associati on) a nd drafting the semina l first Concord e Agree me nt in 1981, resolving F1's ongoing conflict betwee n drivers a nd co nstructors - Formula OneMoving on to Fo r-nllll a On e, Concrete asked Mos ley what he thought w;Js hi s grea tes t achievem ent in th e s po rt li e re pli ed: "Getting ;1 grip on sa fety, whi ch was extre mely di ffi cult un ti l 1994 beca use nobody beli eved th at a nyt hin g needed to be done. Then at S;lll Ma ri no we had three li fe threa tening injuries and th e dea th s of Ro land l~atze n h e rge r <llld !threetime Worl d Championl /\yrton Senna.

"Thi s enab led me to beg in seri ous scienti fi c r·esea rch. For· in stJ nce th e helm et Massa was wea rin g las t yea r took fi ve yea rs to deve lop, but if we hadn 't done it he would have bee n

• Took up the FIA Pres id e ncy in 1993, re ma ining for sixteen years and overseeing a numbe r of safe ty innovations, including the European New Car Assessment Programme (E uro NCAP) • Had his career t hreatened after videos e merged of him taking part in an S&M orgy w ith a ll eged Nazi co nno tations, wh ich attracted oppro br iu m due to h is father's assoc iation w ith fascis m • Ma naged to survive a vote of no-confid e nce, but s te pped down a yea r la te r in favour of chose n s uccesso r Jea n Todt

kill ed. There are definitely a number of drivers wa lki ng aro un d now who wou ldn 't have been."

Wh en asked the reasoning be hind his deci sion to stay on in 200 5, hav in g prev ious ly mad e clea r hi s intention Lo step dow n, Mosley st<Jted: "I h<1d ide ntified jeJn Todt as my successor and agreed with him that I wo ul d s tep dow n in 200 5. llowcver he was offered a c o n tr~1 c t to become CEO of the whole of Fcrra ri , so w e agreed ;1 deal whereby I was free to stop at a ny ti me. I wo ul d proba bly have sto pped in 2007, bu t th en th e McLarcn art"zl ir happened."

On th e ca ncellati on of thi s sea son's ope ne r at Ga hr;J in, Moslcy offered the foll ow ing view: "Gc rni c

Ecclesto ne and Todt have both been cri ticised fo r not immcdi <J tely can cellin g but I think th ey probably did the right thing. Having sa id thi s I don't think they we re as cl eve r a bout it <JS th ey cou ld have bee n."

Mosley sa id of th e current state of affa irs in Formu la On e: "Th e fundam ental probl em is that Fl is still too ex pensive, <J nd it's ve ry diffi cult for tea ms to make a profit.

If the ind epe nd ent tea ms don't do Lh is' th c s port wil l collapse. You ca n't re ly on ca r compani es, who co me in when th ey wa nt and leave wh en th ey want - you ca n only rely on people w ho make a livin g from it." "!lad we not in troduced engin e res tricti ons in 2004, as Will ia ms

..

Criticis m: Mosley alluded to the excessive power of the Murd och press Fl's Patri ck Hea d pointed out, team s would still be using 200 engin es a seaso n, w hereas las t seaso n it was 20. Thi s is what has enabled tea ms to beco me profita bl e. it was around thi s tim e that Fr·J nk Wi llia ms and I had a wo nd erful co nve rsa ti on. He sJ id : "I've bee n cha nging my engin e on a Sa turday night for th e last forty yeMs", and I joked: "You've join ed th e 'we've always don e it that way' sc hool of ma nage ment." You jus t ca n't run a n operation Iike that."

As a parting question, Co ncrete

asked Mosley fo r a n id ea l definiti on of his profess ional legacy, to whi ch he re pl ied: "In motor·s port it wo uld be road safety. We tri ed to use Ponmrl a One to make a huge difference, p;ntic ul arly thro ugh Euro NCA P, whi ch has litera lly saved th ousa nds of lives. Wh en yo u sit down in th e arm chair yo u wa nt to think you've ac hi eved som ething, and to fee l that th ere a re a lot of peop le wa lking around now who wouldn't be makes all th e seve n in tli e mornin g departures wo rthwhi le."

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Derby Day 2011

Update: East Anglia

Concrete Sport presents the definitive guide to UEA's biggest annual sporting extravaganza

Sam Tomkinson recaps another impressive fortnight for both Norwich City and Ipswich Town in the Championship

Netball \Vin gaille of the year â&#x20AC;˘ UEA Netball on course for promotion following a dramatic last -gasp winner which saw them edge arguably the game of the season

I

Chris Teale

face of yet more handling and passing errors from the visitors, surging into a huge 23-9 lead. Northampton were unable to cope with UEA's tireless approach to rebounding. which saw them essentially nullify the visitors' attacking threat. At the halfway stage UEA held a commanding 23-13lead, having allowed their opponents to reduce the arrears slightly.

Northampton finally broke into their stride in the third quarter; demonstrating a vast improvement and greater fluidity in attack to score three early goals. With UEA 25-18 ahead, the visitors began to sense a comeback, but the hosts responded quickly to this possibility; regaining their shooting form to ensure a 29-25 lead at the end of the third quarter.

In undoubtedly the most frenetic period of the match, the fourth quarter saw both sides trade goals aplenty, with possession very evenly matched. Northampton fought back superbly to level the scores at 32 apiece, with the game turning into a battle of nerve and temperament.

With the scores tied at 37 all, it was going to take something special to determine the winner; and this was exactly what UEA produced, hitting a last-gasp winner in ¡ the dying moments of the game to snatch victory in what was an incredible fourth quarter.

UEA's tremendous win sees them keep up the pace at the top of Midlands Conference 38 Division, as they look to keep up the pressure on Cambridge 11 in pursuit of promotion.

Sports Correspondent

UEA Netball I Norhampton I

38 37

UEA Netball I came through 3837 in a pulsating game against Northampton I thanks to a last-gasp goal in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter.

The home side were looking to continue their good form which has seen them top Midlands Conference Division 38 - and extend their lead over Cambridge 11 with a game in hand on their title rivals.

Northampton were sure to present a stiff test, however, as they began the weekend third in the league - just three points behind the lead pair.

UEA jumped into an early lead after a quick start, but Northampton .quickly pulled a couple of goals back to reduce the deficit The hosts then moved to capitalise and assert their dominance as errors crept into Northampton's passing. and pulled 9-6 ahead, a lead they held until the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter continued in a similar vein, the UEA defence continuing to intercept passes, whilst the attackers took their chances well.

The home side dominated possession for vast periods at a time, and were soon able to make their advantage pay; exhibiting smart finishing and counter-attacking.

UEA were able to press home their advantage even further in the

UEA Boat Club bridge troubled waters I

Matt Scrafton Sports Correspondent

UEABC senior crews took part in the Quintin Hea(l meet on the tidal part of the Thames in central London in late January.

It was an event that offered the club a perfect opportunity to practice on part of the 7km course that is raced annually by Oxford and Cambridge, and will stand them in

good stead for the upcoming Eights Heads.

Conditions can be fairly gruesome (with race cancellations due to sinkings surprisingly regular) but the team were lucky to have relatively benign waters on race day.

For the men it was their inaugural race as an eight this year and both crews had their first chance to assess themselves . against crews from some of the top rowing universities,

D.urham, . that struck as they rounded one of inclu.ding Cambridge, Bristol and the big London clubs. the large bends. They overtook two The men went off 45th and had crews racing in a division above them a strong race, overtaking several and finished third in their division by crews to finish 20th overall out of 0.3 seconds to a¡ team that finished 78 crews, and a close second in well inside the top hundred crews their division despite being pushed during last year's campaign.

Had they not comically mistaken into slack water towards the finish due to multiple crews attempting to the position of the finish line and stopped racing just a fraction too overtake one another.

The women also had a good race, early, they may have done even battling through a nasty headwind better!

The men's crews also went to the BUCS head race at Peterborough and both the 8+ and 4+ pre-qualified for the BUCS regatta at the end of April, coming 5th and 6th in the intermediate category.

Overall these were very encouraging results against some stiff competition in difficult conditions, and they indicate that UEABC is well placed to enjoy a highly successful season.