Issue
10.02.15
308
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Uncertainty over postgrad referendum
Elliot Folan & Dan Falvey News editors Postgraduate students have been left uncertain about the future of their representation following a fall out between the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) and the Union of UEA Students (UUEAS). Over the past few months the GSA and UUEAS have held discussions on whether the two entities should join together in one body, and if so how this would work. However, the committee of the GSA announced last week that it will be withdrawing from discussions about holding a referendum regarding a merger between the GSA and UUEAS. The GSA has also said that unless its demands are met, it will urge postgraduates to reject the proposed merger come the planned referendum. The GSA committee claims that their views have not been listened to and that no details have been agreed on what would happen after such a merger. However, UUEAS has rejected these assertions and has pointed out that the referendum is not binding. Despite the GSA withdrawing from the discussions, UUEAS has announced that the referendum will take place from Monday 16th February to Thursday 19th February. Voting will be online at ueastudent.com, and will be open from 09:00 to 16:00 each day in Union House. The GSA is a separate organisation to UUEAS. This is because the GSA believes that: “Having a separate organisation to represent [postgraduate] interests and needs ensures that graduate issues do not get overlooked”.
However in spite this, both organisations have worked closely together in the past to ensure the concerns of postgraduates are represented and acted upon. The proposed merger was championed by Postgraduate Education Officer, Liam McCafferty, and former GSA President Oliver Steward. Steward, who resigned last month, has since commented that: “on a personal level I felt I could not carry on the role of GSA President due to institutional differences within the GSA”. Steward’s involvement and support for the merger has been an issue of controversy given that he was elected on the promise to keep the GSA independent. Speaking to Concrete last October on why he went against his election promise, he said: “I have had to change my mind, based on the realities of the situation. The GSA cannot remain an autonomous student representative body as we do not have the funds and resources to do so”. The referendum process begun in October, when Union Council mandated the student union to hold a referendum on merging the two organisations. As Concrete reports today, postgraduates make up fewer than 10% of Union Council, so the GSA was included in a working group to decide on the details of the referendum. The working group included Postgraduate Education Officer Liam McCafferty, Campaigns & Democracy Officer Chris Jarvis, new GSA President David Hall and Mature Students’ Officer John Taylor. However, the working group’s discussions have stretched over months, with McCafferty claiming in a Student Officer Committee
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meeting that there was no consensus amongst the members of the working group on whether there should even be a referendum. The working group did produce some initial proposals for referendum rules and timetables, and these were approved by the student officers late last month. In a statement emailed to all postgraduate students, the GSA committee criticised the “manner in which the referendum process has been handled” by UUEAS. They went on to say: “Our repeated requests for clarity and information about the union’s proposals [...] were considered not to be relevant, and were either brushed aside or only reluctantly discussed. “To this point we still have no idea, and consequently can’t tell the students we represent, what the future of the GSA will look like if the referendum goes ahead and a vote to become part of the union is recorded [...] If the union decides to go ahead with the referendum anyway, we would urge you to vote not to become part of the union”. The GSA cited that they had withdrawn from the referendum process “on advice from the Dean of Students”. However, they would be happy to re-engage with the process “providing [they] are treated fairly and are given a genuine say” and asked for UUEAS to agree on a clear proposed structure for how a merged GSA would work before putting it to referendum. When asked about the Dean of Students’ (DoS) involvement in the decision, a university spokesperson said that DoS “will not be drawn into political disputes”. McCafferty said: “Following years of under delivery for postgrads and a year of engaging
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Exclusive: Concrete polls Union Council
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LGBT+ History Month celebration
venue does valentine’s
with students about improvements they want, the union’s council approved an exciting new vision for postgrads last term that includes a new programme of postgraduate focussed activities, a sector leading Graduate Centre with Café Bar, Lounge and bookable space, and a new rep council designed to ensure the postgraduate voice is effectively represented. “As part of that we were mandated to ask postgraduate students, in an indicative referendum, whether they were happy to see the old GSA merge into the union. “We failed to reach agreement on the precise format of that poll but that won’t stop us running the poll and delivering on the promises we’ve made to Grad Students at UEA”. The referendum will ask postgraduate students the following question: ‘Should the Graduate Students Association become an autonomous part of the Union of UEA Students?’ Eligible voters will have the option to vote for, against or abstain.
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Editorial
letters editor TO THE
Student mental health at UEA Dear Concrete, I’d like to introduce myself as a new member of UEA staff, working in the Dean of Students’ Office (DOS). My role is ‘Head of Student Wellbeing’ and it’s a brand new one for the University. I really liked reading the students’ firsthand accounts about their mental health difficulties and successes in the 13th January 2015 issue of Concrete. What I found inspiring about the articles, was how open and real the students were when mentioning their mental health challenges. Of course it was very encouraging to hear about Ellen Musgrove’s experience of DOS on page nine. I know that many other students have also benefitted by coming to seek support from DOS. Indeed, in all the articles printed it seemed students were saying, perhaps in different ways, how helpful it was to pick up the challenge of seeking help and speak to someone. The Wellbeing Section in DOS, brings together Counselling, Disability and Mental Health provision. I have some great colleagues and all the staff in the Wellbeing Section share a professional interest in student mental health. We welcome all students who have concerns about their own or other people’s mental health to get in touch with us. Usually DOS has the type of support that students need, sometimes something more specific or specialised may be needed and we can signpost students to the appropriate internal and external agencies. In my 20 or so years working with students in universities I’ve noticed how the stigma associated with mental health difficulties has generally been reducing. This isn’t to say we can afford to stop working to make it easier for people to talk about their mental health, on the contrary there is still lots to be done. In terms of what we’re doing in the Wellbeing Section of DOS, we… • Provide counselling, disability advice and mental health advice (last academic year the Mental Health Advisers and Counsellors supported 532 and 841 students respectively and ran workshops and groups for many more); • Run mindfulness taster sessions and groups for developing greater psychological resources and improving mental wellbeing; • Put on workshops to improve sleep and for relaxation; • Facilitate peer support groups for students with mental health-related disabilities; • Bring NHS mental health services onto campus such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Stress Management and other NHS mental health services to university registration events for new students; • Support the Disabled Students’ Allowance application process for new
Complaints If you wish to make a complaint about an article in the paper or on the website, or about a social media post, please email the editor (concrete.editor@uea.
students with mental health difficulties during the registration events and as needed throughout the year; • Provide mental health first aid training to staff across the university; • Deliver the mental health training provided to staff through the university’s Centre for Staff and Educational Development • Give School-specific tailored mental health and self-management support (e.g. Pharmacy, Psychology and Medicine); • Provide specialised mentoring; • Have regular interaction with NHS services on a case by case basis for mental health conditions such as eating disorders, psychosis, self-harm, suicidal behaviour and personality disorders. So I welcomed very much the articles in Concrete. I hope the university’s senior management, the mental health service providers (both inside and outside the university), and the students’ union can find mutually supportive and effective ways to continue to provide an excellent environment here for students to preserve, and where necessary regain, good levels of mental wellness. Stephen Messinger Head of Student Wellbeing (Counselling, Disability and Mental Health) Dean of Students s.messinger@uea.ac.uk
Accurate and fair marking Dear Concrete, One of the things that all students on taught programmes have in common is that they submit coursework which is then marked by academic staff. But how can students have confidence that their work is marked consistently by different marker? I am writing in order to highlight how the university ensures that marks are accurate and fair. One of the things the university changed in the light of a successful union campaign in 2008-9 was the way that coursework is submitted and now all coursework is submitted anonymously. This ensures that, at the point of marking work, markers judgments are objective, as well as those of moderators and external examiners. All markers use a set of approved UEA Senate Marking Scales, or to assignmentspecific criteria which should be clearly communicated to students in advance. Having clear and transparent criteria and marking scales also means that students know what is expected of them. Basically, this ensures that students know ‘where the goalposts are and can ‘get the ball in the net’. In large cohorts it is common practice for markers to mark
ac.uk) to explain the precise nature of your complaint and to clearly indicate the relevant article, passage or sentence. We will be pleased to respond as soon as we are able.
a small sample of work and to check with each other to ensure a common approach is taken to marking and a consistent level of feedback is provided by all the markers involved But the marking process doesn’t stop there. Other checks and balances are in place to ensure fairness and consistency. Where work is not blind double marked, it is subject to internal moderation. This involves additional experienced markers reviewing and scrutinising the marks awarded on each module to ensure the marking criteria is consistently applied. Once internal moderation has been completed LTS staff carry-out routine ‘spotchecks’ to ensure marks are accurately recorded and reported via e-Vision. Marking standards and the overall quality of all degree programmes at UEA are scrutinised by experienced examiners from other institutions. Externals are experts in their field. They check and approve draft exam questions before papers are set and they review the marks of a sample of exam candidates. External examiners look very closely at the design of coursework assessments, the quality of student work, the appropriateness of the marks awarded by UEA staff, and the application of the university’s marking criteria and report their findings on an annual basis. In a new development in 2013-14 Schools undertook a Review of Assessment & Moderation. The purpose is to reflect upon the assessment strategies used and to identify opportunities for best practice in one course/ degree that can be shared. It also provides an opportunity to consider the processes of double-marking and internal moderation across programmes. If students are unhappy with a mark, they can request for it to be re-marked by a different marker. They may also submit an academic appeal or an academic complaint if they believe there has been a procedural irregularity of some kind in the marking process. These checks and balances are in place to help ensure that all parties can have confidence that marks awarded to students are fair and accurate, and that students’ achievement is properly recognised and rewarded. If you have any queries or concerns about the way that marking is conducted in your own School of Study, you can always contact your School’s Director of Teaching and Learning. You can also get independent advice from the Union’s Advice Service www.ueastudent. com/advice If you want to ask any specific questions Neil Ward (PVC Academic) and Connor Rand UG Education Officer will be in the Hive, Union House on Tuesday 17th February from 12:00 – 14:00. Dr Adam Longcroft Academic Director for Taught Programmes
Front page box photo credits Survey results & LGBT+ illustrations: Tom Etheridge Venue cover: Henry Boon
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Editor-in-Chief Geri Scott concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Deputy Editor Peter Sheehan concrete.deputy@uea.ac.uk Managing Editor Ella Gilbert concrete.managingeditor@uea.ac.uk Website Administrator Will Cockram concrete.online@uea.ac.uk News Elliot Folan & Dan Falvey concrete.news@uea.ac.uk Global Oliver Hughes concrete.global@uea.ac.uk Comment Joe Jameson concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk Features Courtney Pochin concrete.features@uea.ac.uk Science&Environment Jacob Beebe concrete.scienv@uea.ac.uk Travel Jodie Snow concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk Lifestyle Becca Bemment concrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.uk Sport James Newbold & Kat Lucas concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk Chief Copy Editors Helena Bradbury & Frances McKeown concrete.copy@uea.ac.uk Chief Photographers Will Cockram & Jacob Roberts-Kendal concrete.photography@uea.ac.uk Distribution Manager Amit Puntambekar concrete.distribution@uea.ac.uk
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Concrete welcomes all letters and emails, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Letters should be addressed to the editor-in-chief, and include contact details. All emails should be sent to concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk. We will consider anonymous publication, and reserve the right to edit for length and clarity. Anonymous article submissions are permitted. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the newspaper. No part of this newspaper may be reproduced through any means without the express permission of the editor, Geraldine Scott. Published by UUEAS Concrete Society ©2014 Concrete BMc ISSN 1351-2773
N EWS Labour pledge £6,000 fee cap Faith Rider News reporter In an exclusive interview with UEA:TV, local Labour candidate Clive Lewis has confirmed that Labour will cap tuition fees at £6,000 if elected in May 2015. The party already intend to introduce a ‘graduate tax’ on the earnings of those who attend university, with shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna suggesting the system would be ‘fairer’ than tuition fees. The National Union of Students has proposed an extra tax of between 0.3% and 2.5% of graduate incomes above £15,000 for a period of 20 years, with the highest earners paying the highest rates. Labour is currently struggling to work out how to pay for the pledge it has already made to reduce university tuition fees by £3,000. The policy was announced in 2011, in an effort to win over disaffected Liberal Democrat voters angered by Nick Clegg’s reneging a pledge to
scrap fees, and signing up to Coalition plans to triple the maximum university tuition fees. This new £6,000 cap is expected to be included in Labour’s general election manifesto, but it is not yet clear how the party plans to pay for the reductions. The cut may be financed with a corporate tax increase on banks, or with higher interest rates for betteroff students. Labour may also restrict the cut in fees to certain types of courses such as technical degrees, with other students paying the current £9,000. Chuka Umunna said introducing a fullscale graduate tax “as soon as possible is my priority”. He believes: “In the medium term, a graduate tax is the way to go. It’s fairer, more progressive, and it’s the way to clear up the unsustainable financial mess that has been created by the current Government under their system”. The shadow business secretary has also stated “the reason it has taken some time to finalise our policy is because the ground has moved from us on this issue”.
Get your goat, UEA, you’ve polled Amy Rust News reporter The Union of UEA Studenst got creative for National Voter Registration day with a herd of goats taking centre stage in The Square. The ‘Goats for Votes’ drive encouraged students to register to vote in Norwich South for the upcoming general election. In exchange students were able to pet the goats, receive Goats for Votes merchandise and try some award winning local goat’s cheese. Union officers and staff were also on hand to help students register online using iPads or
find out more information about their election choices. The goats were courtesy of Sam Stiggles, owner of Fielding Cottage, located just outside Norwich. Student turnout in the 2010 general election was 64% in Norwich South, however nationally only 44% of those aged 18-24 voted. The event was highly popular with crowds taking pictures with goats throughout the day. The drive is seen as particularly important for Norwich South due to the constitunecy being a marginal seat. Fewer than 300 votes would be enough to see the current Norwich South MP, Simon Wright lose his seat to another candidate.
Full results of Concrete’s first ever Union Council survey Page 5
Council plan bus and cycle improvements Susie Smith News reporter Norfolk County Council are to spend £4m on cycle and bus routes between UEA and the city centre as part of on of the government’s “growth deals”. The money awarded to the eastern region is part of wider plans to make Norfolk and Suffolk an “economic powerhouse”. The plans will create better ‘green’ access to the university and include quicker journeys to the city centre and “a bus interchange at the university site is a possibility” a Norfolk County Council spokesperson said. Public transport and cycle ways are largely used by students and better access to the city will not only benefit students on campus but possible additional routes could increase access around student housing in the city. A university spokesperson said: “We welcome the news the government has recognised the need to invest in sustainable travel in Norfolk and in particular the Norwich Research Park. The university meets regularly with Norfolk County Council, public transport operators and others who can deliver sustainable travel solutions, and this forum has already highlighted a number of areas for improvement. “We intend to continue to work closely with Norfolk County Council to ensure the funding benefits staff, students and visitors to UEA and the wider Research Park”. Simon Wright, the MP for Norwich South, said he was thrilled at the investment: “I’m delighted to see these plans get the go-ahead. They represent a huge recognition by the Coalition Government of the high value of Norwich’s future”. He added “East Anglia is finally getting the recognition it merits as a driver of growth”.
Greens’ election campaign launched Greens hint at scrap Dan Falvey News editor On Thursday 29th January, Norwich South candidate, Lesley Grahame, official launched her general election campaign at the Forum in the city centre. Grahame is a current Norwich City councillor for the Thorpe Hamlet ward and will be fighting to become the second Green MP to be elected to the House of Commons, following Caroline Lucas’ election victory in Brighton at the last general election. Speaking at the launch Grahame said: “We live in one fine city with a tale of two visions. There’s Green and there’s other. Politics as usual is a financial and ecological hole which the big four parties seem determined to dig deeper. The ‘business as usual parties’ have a single issue and that single issue is any kind of growth at any cost to anyone and of course the planet”. She went on to say: “The alternative is an evidence based, evidence seeking Green
ANALYSIS Megan Baynes analyses the Green’s launch.
W
ith less than 100 days until the UK flocks to the polls, the major parties have been battling it out for much of the last year. Last Thursday, the Green Party joined the fray. This seems
vision… It’s about aspiring to be a better society. Green values are those of caring, equality, internationalism and fairness. Those principles guide everything we do and we have the policies to make them real”. Leader of the Green Party, Natalie Bennett, also spoke at the launch. Giving the local candidate her full support, Bennett said: “We [are lucky enough to] have the force that is Lesley Grahame who has a real history and a track record. She is a person who people know they can look at and say ‘that is a real person who can represent me’”. While the event was well attended by members of Norwich Greens and the local press, UEA Young Greens did not make an appearance at the event. UEA Young Greens committee member, Josh Wilson said the absence of the society was down to timing issues: “The UEA Young Greens were of course invited to the campaign launch, like all local party members. However, we did not have a chance to organise to go as a group due to other pressures on the time of the committee such as the visit by Natalie Bennett”.
remarkably late for a party that is competing for one of the UK’s most precarious swing seats. With the seat held in the balance by just 0.7%, and the Greens narrowly winning the most votes in Norwich South during the local elections, it seems almost an afterthought for a party that repeatedly claims they are a force to be reckoned with. The lack of students present from the
of £9,000 student debt Dan Falvey News editor The Green Party is a prominent supporter of free higher education and when speaking to Concrete last week, the Green Party leader, Natalie Bennett, suggested that they will announce policies which help students currently at university paying up to £9000 tuition fees: “We will be launching our manifesto in late March and it will have full details of this but it would be utterly unreasonable to have a small group who were unlucky enough to be born in the wrong year [pay £9,000 tuition fees] whereas those born in the next year are in a different situation. I think the best answer for now is to say watch this space”. She insisted that there would be no ‘lost generation’ if her party was in power claiming that it was something she would “not allow to happen”.
UEA Young Greens is also intriguing. It feels suspicious that, in a student-dominated constituency, Norwich Green Party lacks the charisma to inspire their own student representatives into attendance. Personalities aside, the disorganised, last-minute nature of their campaign doesn’t come across well to voters, and could seriously damage the Greens prospects.
Union news round-up Proposal to rename student union’s Ethnic Minorities Officer At this week’s meeting of the Union of UEA Students (UUEAS) Union Council, on 12th February, incumbent Ethnic Minorities Officer Freddie Redfern will propose a motion to change the name of his position to “Black Students Officer”, in line with the pattern followed by the National Union of Students. The motion, proposed jointly with Campaigns & Democracy Officer Chris Jarvis, argues that “The term ‘Black’ is political, with its origins in the anti-racist and civil rights movements… Anyone considered ‘Black’ is from African, Asian, Arab or Caribbean heritage”. It adds: “the term, whilst acknowledging the immense diversity of Black communities, recognises the common oppression that seeks to hold back the advancement of people of African, Asian, Arab and Caribbean heritage….The term ‘Black’ should be used to empower our members in society”.
Boycott of Starbucks and Tate & Lyle products proposed Following on from a 2013 policy that prevented the Union from hosting or advertising firms that engage in tax avoidance, PSI 2nd Year rep Sam Jones is proposing a Union Council motion to boycott Starbucks and Tate & Lyle products. The motion, which will be proposed jointly with Liberal Democrat rep Yan Malinowski at the 12th February meeting of Council, argues that Starbucks and Tate & Lyle Sugar Group avoid tax in the UK, and that: “tax avoidance is immoral as it deprives the state of democratically set revenue that could be used to fund higher education, the National Health Service, emergency services and other public services”. If the motion is passed, all Starbucks and Tate & Lyle products – including prepackaged Starbucks iced coffee drinks, Tate & Lyle Granulated Sugar, Tate and Lyle Icing Sugar and Tate & Lyle Demerara Sugar – will be removed from the student union shop.
Proposal made to boycott Daily Star as well as The Sun Nightline rep Asia Patel, together with Campaigns & Democracy Officer Chris Jarvis, will urge Union Council at its 12th February meeting to uphold the 2013 boycott of The Sun and add The Daily Star to the boycott as well. Arguing that “the Daily Star is as problematic as the Sun and should be treated the same”, their motion notes that both newspapers publish “daily photos of topless young women” and argue that both “post controversial headlines perpetuating the oppression of mentally ill, disabled, and LGBT+ people, and ethnic minorities”. They add: “Stocking The Sun and The Daily Star is contrary to UUEAS aims of upholding values of equality for all, and of zero tolerance of sexual harassment and sexual assault in conjunction with the currently occurring campaigns”. Union Council is the representative body of the UUEAS. It decides policy for the union, elects members of union and university committees, holds union officers to account and raises issues of concern to students.
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Students’ union, Union Council and UEA Vice Geri Scott Editor-in-Chief An exclusive survey conducted by Concrete has found that most union councillors are leftwing, a plurality would back the Green Party at an election and nearly a third disapprove of UEA’s Vice Chancellor. The survey was completed by 93 union councillors, around the number that usually attend council meetings. It showed that Union Council is dominated by humanities students, undergraduates and home students. On the other hand female students, medical students, postgraduates and international students are substantially under-represented on council compared to their numbers in the wider student population. Despite women making up an estimated 58% of UEA’s student population according to UEA student statistics, they only make up 48% of Union Council. Postgraduates, meanwhile, make up only 11% of council despite constituting 21% of the student population. International students are acutely underrepresented, with 9% of councillors coming
from an international student background compared to 21% of UEA students as a whole. When asked about their political views, 47% of councillors identified as being either far left or centre left, 16% identified as being either far right or centre right, 13% identified as being in the political centre and 10% chose ‘other’ or ‘none of the above’. 14% did not know where to place themselves. However, one councillor felt this was not relevant as “councillors need to put students before politics!” When it came to the 2015 general election, when don’t knows (23%) and non-voters (7%) were excluded, the Green Party attracted the support of 38% of councillors, Labour 32%, the Conservatives 15%, the Liberal Democrats 9%, Ukip 2% and Others 3%. These results compare to an SU survey of the wider student population in late 2014, which showed the Greens winning 35% of students’ votes, Labour 28%, the Conservatives 18%, the Lib Dems 7%, Ukip 5% and Others 7%. Councillors were asked to rate the performance of the Union of UEA Students, David Richardson, UEA’s Vice Chancellor, and
finally Union Council on a scale of one to ten, where one was terrible and ten was excellent. Councillors have a mainly positive view of the student union, whilst responses to the Vice Chancellor were generally ambivalent. The majority of union councillors felt that they did not know enough about what the Vice Chancellor does to comment. Union Council’s performance divided opinions, with 40% of councillors rating council at 7-10, 34% rating at 5-6 and 27% rating at 1-4. Councillors could also expand on their rating by commenting on why they responded the way they did. A cross-section of comments can be found below, with their ratings afterwards. At the end of the survey, councillors could add a comment on any topic. One councillor felt that: “Neither council nor the union are generally representative, and there is also a lack of understanding amongst the student body as a whole as to how they operate”. Another said: “If you want to know what happens in Union Council, and you don’t sit on it, you can find it out but it’s not really obvious”.
“People don’t have enough interest in Union Council and this could be because we spend so long discussing trivial matters that don’t make a real change that anyone can notice. I ask my club for their opinions or how they want me to vote and no one replies because people just aren’t interested”, another said. However, others were more positive, with another respondent saying that “hopefully the idea that councillors are to have a proper election period will increase the involvement among next years Councillors”. When approached for comment, UUEAS Campaigns and Democracy Officer, Chris Jarvis, said: “The results of this survey demonstrate that there are still gaps in our democratic and representative functions, but they also show that the steps we’re already taking are the right ones. This year, we have a dedicated member of staff looking at issues for postgraduates and international students for the first time, as well as a separate member of staff working with nursing students. We hope that this will improve the way in which we are able to represent those students as well as increasing engagement in all the union does”.
On UUEAS...
On the Vice Chancellor...
On Union Council...
“It’s all navel gazing, rebranding and pointless catchphrases.” [1]
“He is paid too much!” [1]
“Union Council is powerless, yet still manages to waste everyone’s time.” [1]
“Ukip-gate, poor NUS delegate elections and low council turnouts.” [2]
“Because he gets paid too much of my fucking tuition fees!” [1]
“Controlled by highly opinionated people who do not represent general student body.” [3]
“He hasn’t been responsive to student demands.” [1] “I am very disappointed with the Union this year.” [4] “It no longer seems to be led by students, and students seem to have less say in big decisions.” [4]
“Completely unaware (or am I uninformed?) of how he benefits the university!” [1] “It’s still early days, but we still haven’t divested.” [2]
“We were not consulted on the restructure. Unio is not good.” [5] “Officers need to be more visible to average students.” [6] “Good at democracy, bad a managing and treating employees well.” [6] “The Union has a lot of good things going on, but it has some problems in terms of organisation and I feel it’s quite distant from the students - not an entity that they would ask for help with confidence.” [7]
“I am yet to hear of anything good happening that he can take credit for, but I’ve heard a fair amount of bad things issuing from his high office.” [2]
“There’s a lack of involvement among the union councillors, which is turn affects the atmosphere.” [4]
“No visible impact.” [3]
“It’s annoying that a lot of people do not show up.” [5]
“He has shown willingness to break away from the structure students are tired of seeing, but lacks support and the power to make the right changes for students.” [3]
“Too much emphasis on hopeless, brainless left-wing causes such as ‘Free Education’, and voting on the whole takes far longer than it should. But nonetheless what Union Council has done and accomplished, and the ideas it has embraced, have been impressive.” [6]
“It’s a tough job, I wouldn’t fancy it!” [5]
“There are always some issues to smooth out, but overall things haven’t gone too badly.” [7]
“He’s barely been in office, it’s not fair to comment until he’s had some time to actually do something.” [5]
“Improvements have been made in services but not in democracy.” [7]
“I haven’t seen or heard that he’s done anything really, so I have no real opinion on him.” [5]
“For many students at UEA, the work of the Union is still very abstract and not particularly engaging.” [7]
“I don’t feel I have been personally affected by the Vice Chancellor.” [5]
“I feel that on the big things, the Union gets it right, but it can sometimes get carried away.” [7]
“I’m not really aware of what he’s been up to...” [6]
“I believe they are trying hard to make some positive changes.” [8]
“Even though Union Council’s aim is to represent the students, I feel like people’s views are often shot down by union officers. Voting is often pointless as the officers have already made up their minds and deliver such persuasive speeches that any other councillors views are made to sound wrong.” [3]
“He did offer to meet students, but I don’t agree that universities should run for business.” [6]
“Good attempt at representation, but too bureaucratic and makes decisions past its jurisdiction.” [6] “While there are moments of progress, most of what I’ve experienced at union council has been infuriating - in that a lot of what happens is dilly-dallying or baseless, tiresome accusations of misogyny (and other social justice nonsense) and the such, which really halt the democratic process in my opinion.” [6] “We try hard to change things but it is often long and confusing.” [7] “Passed some very good motions such as housing coops and sanitary towels.” [8]
“Still settling in but some early promise.” [7] “They seem to be fulfilling a lot of the propositions voted for in council.” [8] “They’re always doing a lot to support a variety of students/events.” [8]
“He seems to be trying to bring a fresh approach and engage with students.” [8]
“I think the Union does a generally sterling job” [9]
“It’s far too early to say, but I think that he has got the measure of the job, but could do more to tell us what he’s up to.” [8]
“Really impressed that the Union are finally starting to take representing postgraduate student seriously!” [10]
“Like the Queen, not many people care about what they do.” [10]
“There are always things that could go better, but for the most part there hasn’t been trouble.” [8] “I think that, despite its flaws, Union Council does good work and that the decisions it makes are the right ones.” [8] “Really great to see so many engaged students turn up to discuss key issues.” [8] “Most of the decisions seem to be made without council, eg Unio.” [8]
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s expected, a non-centre party -– indeed a party that is for all intents and purposes a socialist one – won the recent election in Greece, defeating the incumbent New Democracy Party (equivalent to the Conservatives in the UK). Although Syriza itself is an alliance of varying leftist groups, and even a right-wing group forms part of the coalition government, it is the first time an openly anti-austerity party has won an election in Europe since 2008. Even Hollande’s France maintains a pro-EU stance despite being under the facade of Socialism. With the economic hardships in Greece it’s no wonder that Syriza won the election. With anti-austerity as its main policy, the party looks to offer hope to people that have suffered greatly due to the austerity policies imposed, which have reduced the Greek GDP by some $10,000 per capita. With proposals to raise the minimum wage, reinstitute benefits, and provide greater power to the unions, Syriza can seriously be considered a party for the people. When looking at the European Union, Alexis Tsipras’ stance on anti-austerity has created a stir within the EU. Brussels has warned Greece to stick with the austerity policies. But aren’t these policies the main problem here? The massive debt that Greece has incurred (around £239bn) can’t be cured with cutting public sector jobs and reducing government spending. Once again it’s the constant repeat of bailing out the private sector while the public sector suffers. Its needs something less conservative and stagnant, it needs a change. Syriza has halted the propositions from the EU and the International Monetary Fund to increase privatisation. Surely the answer here is to have more centralised control, privatisation when a country is in enormous debt is the last thing that you want. Job creation should be the main issue here. Whether you are in debt or not shouldn’t the main priority here be what’s best for the people? The more people that are employed, the more income tax is generated, and the more public consumption exists when more people have income. All of this can be taxed, raising the funds necessary to pay Greece’s debts. The Eurozone, in which 19 countries (including Greece) have adopted the Euro, has been in meltdown for quite a while now, in what is known as the ‘Eurozone Crisis.’ What is important to acknowledge here is that it hasn’t just been in Greece where economic problems have taken place, thanks to austerity policies. Spain is also going through a depression magnified by these policies. Italy, Portugal and Ireland among others have also suffered. One thing is for sure, austerity may reduce a deficit but it does not alleviate the societal consequences of economic damage.
Net neutrality to turn Bright-Line, says FCC chief Albert Paella Global writer The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, the US equivalent of Ofcom, revealed last week his intention to pursue stringent anti-prioritisation rules for Internet Service Providers. In an article in Wired last Monday, Tom Wheeler outlined plans to introduce so-called ‘Bright-Line’ legislation to the Internet; a concrete set of rules dictating exactly what is meant by an open platform. His proposals, he claims, are designed to protect the Internet from threats to its founding principles for years and decades to come. Bright-Line laws are by definition clear-
Syriza The left strikes back Cameron Sparkhall
Photo: Flickr, Martin Schulz There needs to be an alternative route when dealing with debt-ridden countries. Greece may go through with the ‘Grexit’ (leaving the Eurozone) and hopefully they do just to show how worthless and painful the austerity cuts have been for many Greek citizens. One of the main advantages of the European Union is the concept of ‘pooled sovereignty’, that members can help each other out and can stick with each other through thick and thin,. However, the recent forceful austerity policies imposed by Brussels resembles the bullying nature that the EU has shown itself to be. Moreover, the burden of supporting the weaker Eurozone economies falls on the strong – and in this case the strong is (as ever) Germany, whose economy is continuing to grow. Yet the Germans are growing frustrated with the constant demand for money from the IMF - and should Greece leave the Eurozone, return to the Drachma, and attempt to default on its extensive debts, they could incur the wrath of Germany and the rest of the Eurozone. When looking at future European elections, the Syriza election could have
cut; once written, their interpretation is unambiguous and the punishment for breaking them severe. Current examples include America’s statutory rape laws, where if one party is a minor and the age difference is large enough, the other party is automatically found guilty if the sexual activity is proven. There’s no wiggle room at all; if the criteria are met, the punishment is pre-determined. Bright-Line is designed to send a clear signal to any would-be wrongdoers that their intentions are unjustified to the point where society has rejected any attempt at justification in advance. It’s the legal equivalent of ‘No means NO’; do not pass GO, do not collect £200, do NOT break this law and expect to get away with it, no matter how good your lawyer is. The prospect of the imposition of such powerful legislation by the FCC is in line with President Barack Obama’s comments in November, when he called upon the Commission to implement the “strongest possible rules” to ensure the continuation of net neutrality for the benefit of the American people, millions of whom had posted on the FCC website to protest against the attack on
positive outcomes. Firstly it could advocate reform to the debt structure and how the EU will respond to it, left-wing economics could therefore take a foothold within a major international organisation. Also it could get rid of the ‘dangerous left-wing’ myth that is so prominent within the media. Mehdi Hasan published an article recently for the New Statesman saying how the media portrays the colossal fear of left-wing by using words such as ‘extreme’ or ‘radical’, he mentioned how the press covered Alexis Tsipras as a “love child of Karl Marx and Che Guevara”. That fear is, as mentioned in the last issue, representative of a fear of change. The Greece election result has sparked two opinions from both David Cameron and Ed Milliband. Cameron tweeted after the results that “the Greek election will increase economic uncertainty across Europe”. Economic uncertainty? The Tories are purporting the idea that through their reduction of the defecit the economy is fixed. Yet the ever increasing inequalities and povety within Britain tell a different story entirely, I suppose it’s only “economic uncertainty” when there is a
Photo: pmcvariety net neutrality by Internet Service Provider Verizon this time last year – a court case which saw two of the FCC’s three original Open Internet rules struck down, and left ISPs free to charge users varying amounts for the same data speed. Tom Wheeler’s statement last week is a clear indication that the FCC isn’t going to let this slide. Under the organisation’s 81-year-old
different approach that benefits the many and disregards the elite’s interests. Meanwhile ‘Red Ed’ tweeted: “It is the responsibility of the British government to work with the elected government of Greece for the good of Britain and Europe and not to play politics”. With cutting the ties of the unions, Milliband’s approach is weak and once again serves as a reminder of what a let-down the Labour Party really is: a scared party. The main question here is will Syriza stick by their promises and will we see the emergence of true socialism? Will Syriza be unable to find the money to fund its goals and collapse? Will the Grexit happen, and if so, what will the consequences be? 98 years ago, socialism took over power in Russia. Two years later, the Fascist Party was born in Italy from socialists disgruntled with its failings. The same language is used in the media to describe ‘extreme’ left-wing parties as it is for ‘extreme’ right wing ones - either way, Greece has a real opportunity to become an example for the rest of the EU. An example of taking the risk of drastic change, and reaping the rewards.
Title II powers, it has the right to enact almost any legislation to ensure equal access to the phone lines, up to and including setting tariffs. While Wheeler and his team are unlikely to go quite that far, the fact that he even made mention of Title II in his article, especially in the same breath as Bright-Line legislation, is a clear signal to ISPs that taking on the FCC head-to-head is a bad idea. Verizon may have won the battle, but a combination of huge public protest, perceived moral obligation and vehement presidential support of net neutrality has left the FCC with no choice but to ditch the gloves for Round Two. Wheeler has shown his full hand, and all of a sudden we’re reminded that it’s a bad idea to argue the rules with the people who make them, especially if your argument is against the spirit of the game. It’s often claimed that big business holds the real power in the Western world, and in America in particular. But in the case of net neutrality - with the government, the regulators, the people and the legal system working together to fight for equality – it might just have bitten off more than it can chew.
COMMENT Concrete’s Election Countdown Caitlin Doherty
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ust in case you have been living under a rock or have spontaneously lost all television and Internet connection, the General Election is now less than 100 days away, and it seems politicians are straining in any way, shape or form to get their faces on TV and slogans in our heads. It is believed that May will see one of the closest fought elections in British history; the Telegraph reports that there is less than one percentage point between Labour (33%) and the Conservatives (32%), the slow growth of Ukip and The Green Party has shaken up previous stronghold seats and Westminster Parties are still facing the repercussions of September’s Scottish Referendum. It would be foolish for anybody to try and predict what the House of Commons will look like come 8th May. Therefore, when David Cameron spontaneously announced that he wouldn’t be taking part in televised election debates, it came as a surprise not only to everybody in the House of Commons, but the rest of the country. Had Cameron given up on a win? Given the uncertainty surrounding polling day, surely it would make sense for the PM to grab any airtime with both hands? Cameron’s objection was the exclusion of the Green Party, whilst an invite was extended to Nigel Farage and Ukip. However, proposals released in the last week have won over the PM, not only with the inclusion of Natalie Bennett, but with offers also given to the SNP and Plaid Cymru; Seven politicians in total. It’s easy to see why the debates could now be considered pointless: Should the 2015 debates follow the same structure as the popular 2010 debates then in the name of equality all participants will be allowed one minute to introduce themselves at the beginning of the broadcast, and one and a half uninterrupted minutes to conclude their arguments at the end of the programme. With almost 20 minutes of a 90-minute broadcast consumed with formality how much policy discussion will we get to hear? Even if there is discussion on important issues such as the economy, welfare and the NHS, its potential merit is doubtful; with seven ego-filled podiums, grown up tantrums and a political shouting match seems inevitable. Despite the fact that 80% of constituencies are safe seats, the debates will be of great importance in uncertain seats such as UEA’s own Norwich South. Norwich South has never been secure, regularly swinging from Labour to the Conservatives and then back again, before the student vote secured a Liberal Democrat MP in 2010. In May it’s predicted that the seat will either be retained by Labour, or, thanks to their growing popularity amongst students, provide the Green Party with their second MP. Undecided voters in uncertain areas such as this could find that one good speech from a candidate wins their vote and the party a place in Parliament. Will these debates have any influence whatsoever on the final outcome of the election? Only time will tell.
Sam McKinty on the implications of an antiausterity regime in Greece Page 9
The true value of the Nap Nook Juliet Donaghy explains why the new nap room on campus is a fantastic and long-overdue service. s of Tuesday 3rd February, UEA is the first UK university to have an official nap room: the Nap Nook, upstairs in the union building. Yinbo Yu and Liam McCafferty proposed the project to the students’ union in response to student requests, and the project has been championed by Holly Staynor, our Welfare, Community and Diversity Officer. Ross Hills (under the direction of Francis Ashcroft) has worked hard on the ground to create a dreamy oasis – painting the walls in soothing blue and purple tones; hanging black-out curtains, drapes and soft fairy lights; and providing comfy bean bags and mats for students to rest on. The Nap Nook might seem silly at first, but it represents a commitment to positive change and to making our university a more accessible place. It’s great that there’s always something going on at UEA, but in a busy place like this it can be difficult to find somewhere peaceful to take a break. Students living on campus can pop back to their rooms, but for the rest of us it can be more difficult. There is strong evidence that students’ grades and well-being will benefit from the chance to take short, goodquality naps, but for students with mental and physical health conditions the Nap Nook will provide a lifeline. The calm environment is an essential space for students who need to meditate or rest a weary, aching body. A little way into my time at UEA, I started falling asleep in my lectures. I tried taking in coffee and snacks, but nothing worked – no matter how interested I was, or how much I needed to make decent notes. I then started dropping off and missing my stops on public transport, and feeling lethargic and confused for long periods of time. At one point I was sleeping from 20:00 in the evening (not great for a social life) to midday the next day (unable to get up any earlier). After months of fruitless medical appointments and inconclusive blood tests, I was finally able to get a diagnosis: “chronic fatigue syndrome”, or “ME”. At first I wasn’t best pleased. “They have diagnosed me” I told my parents “with being tired all the time. My constant tiredness… is caused
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by constant tiredness”. However, I did get a referral to a specialist service at Bowthorpe Medical Centre, where I was assessed and advised to meet a physiotherapist for advice. My physiotherapist was lovely, but I was sceptical about the centre’s advice for managing my condition. How could I fit meditation and nap breaks into my overloaded schedule? Nonetheless I tried to follow their guidance and take a ten-minute break every hour during the winter holidays to rest my mind and body. I was surprised to find that this enabled me to stay focused and work productively for much longer in the day. My fatigue gradually became more manageable and predictable. However, I worried this progress would be lost when I went back to uni.
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his is why I was so delighted to hear that the nap room proposal was going ahead. I went to try out the Nap Nook the same day it opened. I thought it unlikely I would be able to fall asleep, but I was hoping for a quiet place to do my breathing exercises. It was glorious. The room uses CCTV to help users feel safe and secure, and for some reason it also smells really good. I was a bit worried at first about the white noise system used to cancel out background sound, but the gentle whoosh on the speakers reminded me of waves on a tropical beach. I lay down, did my breathing exercises and fell into sleep. I woke up naturally one minute before my phone alarm rang, feeling fresher and better rested than I had done in a long time. The Nap Nook is wonderful, but it can’t survive without the support of UEA students. I hope the project will be expanded in the future to provide more room and more home comforts such as soft blankets and meditation guidance. At present it’s a great resource for anyone who needs a break and a fantastic opportunity for students like me to achieve the best we can during our time at university. Please try out the room if you think it might be helpful to you, and spread the word far and wide.
Photos: Will Cockram
UEA needs to do more for transgender students Elliot Folan Concrete columnist
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his issue of Concrete is a pertinent one for LGBT+ issues, falling as it does within LGBT+ History Month. So it seems important to draw people’s attention to a part of the LGBT community that is often forgotten and is still badly served on our campus: transgender students. The term ‘transgender’ is a broad one that is used to refer to anyone whose self-defined gender does not match the gender they were assigned at birth. (In contrast, people whose gender does match their assigned gender are described as ‘cisgender’.) Many trans people are women and men, and use the more wellknown pronouns of ‘she/her’ and ‘he/him’. Others – like me – are non-binary. This in itself is a broad term and non-binary people can use many different pronouns (indeed some still use he/him and she/her); personally I use ‘they/them/theirs’ pronouns. Now, given that an estimated 3–4% of UEA students are transgender, you’d think that things would be relatively OK for us at a
university often lauded for being ‘progressive’. That is not necessarily true, and it’s well past time for us to stop assuming that UEA is OK for everybody, because it isn’t. Just recently, a trans woman was kept out of the women’s changing facilities in the Sportspark by a staff member who told her there were no single occupancy changing rooms – even though there were – and told her to either use the Men’s changing rooms or not bring a bag to the gym. This in itself highlights the need for university staff to be trained on transgender issues, but it is by no means an isolated example. University staff frequently misgender me and use the wrong pronouns, as do students. I have had abuse shouted at me and been laughed at for the simple act of walking while trans. Prejudice and ignorance are still rife, and UEA does not even officially recognise the existence of non-binary students. Most campus buildings lack gender neutral toilets, including Union House, which not only forces non binary students to misgender themselves when peeing, but also denies trans men and trans women a safe space to go to the toilet on days when they don’t feel as confident in
their gender. So what should be done about this? Well, a start would be having some student union policy on transgender issues, but the Union of UEA Students doesn’t mention transgender students in any of its LGBT policies. This is despite the fact that trans people are significantly disadvantaged in society and that for the last three years the position of LGBT+ Officer has only ever been held by a cisgender student. In the three years I’ve been a student that lack of trans representation in policy has persistently remained. In fact, the only policy I know of that was in any way targeted at trans students was a gender neutral toilets policy. Introduced in 2012, it is only now being implemented in time for September 2015 thanks to the work of this year’s union officers. But the fact that it has taken so long to implement such a basic requirement is a poor verdict on the student union’s priorities in the last three years. UEA should be more active on trans rights and trans issues, and the SU should be strongly advocating for a more trans-inclusive campus. It’s time to shout louder about transgender rights.
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Comment
Is Prince Philip the best candidate for the Australian Honours?
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f you look at all the psychological profiling about bombers, they typically will look at porn. They are literally wankers. Severe onanists”: free speech at its finest. It is reassuring to read these words from our esteemed Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. In an interview with the Sun last week (truly a newspaper of the people) Boris aired his views loud and proud about bombers and terrorists in general. Recall Theresa May’s new anti-terror powers, the mayor’s cracked the case! A quick search of citizens’ browsing history on the look out for any rudey-doody websites and hey presto! Terrorists apprehended. Forgive the saturated satirical cynicism, but consistently irresponsible words such as these from Johnson leave me in a state of disbelief. This is a man with great responsibilities in a public office. A man that has been tipped to be next leader of the Conservative party, and so a man that holds a high public profile. Some may view his words as just another amusing outburst from our quirky mayor (‘Boris is at it again!’...’Johnson for Prime Minister!’) but I find his superficially flippant remarks, in fact, rather calculated and damaging. He has built his knight’s armour from a jester’s wardrobe, cladding himself in mildly-offensive-yet-quirkily-funny actions and words. It is easy to think of him as some harmless fool when chuckling to ourselves at sights of Boris stuck on a zip-wire. Let us not forget that he is a well-educated man who studied at Eton college (where he changed his name from Alex to the more eccentric Boris) and went on to read classics at Balliol College, Oxford. He was and is part of a generation of undergraduates at Oxford that have come to dominate British politics and the media today. I am impressed by his acting capabilities and ability to navigate this media-centric society so inventively. But we must keep in mind that this is an act and Boris Johnson is playing for the long game. Our country does not need a new era of outlandish gentrified rulers calling the shots and showering us all in verbal diarrhoea. It is certainly not constructive to blame this radicalisation of British jihadis on the assumption they are “very badly adjusted in their relations with women”. Rather than playing up to the media exposure and adding to his wacky characterisation, Johnson could be far more productive by interacting and engaging with the wider British Muslim community; instead he is driving a wedge further into the wound, cackling as it festers.
Jodie Snow Travel editor
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Photo: Flickr, BackBoris2012 Campaign
It is dangerous to ignore politicians because they have a comedic character Sam Naylor says that we should beware the charms of the buffoons I would have no problem with his desire to act the clown if it involved dressing up like a fat hippopotamus and dancing to Kate Bush. It would certainly add a new buzz to Saturday night entertainment on the BBC. But it is comments like this that I feel are Johnson’s method for sparking a reaction, whether it be that of disgust from people like myself or hilarity from others - neither of which are helping to find a solution to the growing recruitment of jihadis from many western countries. Nor do I think it is simply a case of Muslim communities dealing with this burden alone.
Yes, I agree that Muslim authorities and clerics hold far more sway and influence over young Muslims than western politicians, though we should be encouraging ties between our Muslim communities and the wider population. It is on increased education and unification of cultures that we should be focussing our energies; not trivialising the radicalised or piling the pressures of this widespread issue solely on the shoulders of Muslim authorities. Perhaps Boris could swap job roles with the Chuckle brothers? At least more would be accomplished and less offence caused.
The Church of England is slowly modernising, says Meg Bradbury he 26th January marked a historic moment for the Church of England, as the Reverend Libby Lane was consecrated as Bishop of Stockport, the first woman to be made a bishop since the denomination’s founding by Henry VIII in 1534. This was following decades of campaigning, which finally resulted in a ruling by the general synod in November 2014, giving the final seal of approval to the legislation on the ordination of female bishops that passed through Parliament earlier in the year. The service, which took place at the York Minster and was attended by more than a thousand people, was led by Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, who said that he had been “praying and working for this day” and that it was “high time we had women bishops”. The issue of female bishops has been the subject of longstanding debate. Those who oppose the idea have argued that the Bible teaches different roles in worship to men and to women, and requires male headship in the Church; they would deem it unsuitable, for example, for Bishop Lane to have the power herself to ordain other bishops and priests. Whilst her appointment can be viewed as a triumph for those who have fought for
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gender equality in the Church, the dispute is example, allows only baptised men to be far from over. There was an indication of this ordained in any position of authority. even during her own ordination ceremony Nevertheless, this may signify for many a when the Rev Paul Williamson stepped turning point in Christianity, not just relating forward, claiming the fact that it was “not in to gender equality, but representing a general the Bible” to be the existence of an “absolute trend towards modernisation in the Church as impediment”. a whole. It is clear that the Church of England Archbishop Sentamu responded that is not the only denomination to be taking the consecration of women as bishops was such steps; this is a role which is frequently now lawful in the eyes of the Church and accredited to Pope Francis, who, during of God, and, to the Bishop Lane’s visible his time as pontiff, has been embarking on relief, when he asked a second time there what many are calling a quiet revolution of was no opposition, and the ceremony the Roman Catholic Church. Particularly continued. However, Rev Williamson’s memorable moments of 2014 include his actions demonstrate that there is still presiding over the marriage of 20 couples at serious discord within the Church on the Vatican, including some who had been this issue, and that attitudes aren’t going cohabiting, had been previously married to change overnight. Indeed, it has now or were single parents, and his statement been 21 years since the ordination of about the theories of evolution and the Big the first female priests in 1994, but of Bang being perfectly compatible with a the nearly 8,000 Church of England belief that God created the universe. priests in the country, still only 1,781 Whilst the Church continues to are women. Similarly, there are 101 face the challenges of modernisation, Church of England male bishops, but and is likely to do so for a long time to only 30 female bishops worldwide. come, Libby Lane stands as a symbol Other denominations of Christianity to the world that it is nonetheless are even further behind; the doctrine Photo: moving in the right direction, one of the Roman Catholic Church, for Wikimedia female bishop at a time.
n Australia Day 2015, the Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, awarded his nation’s highest accolade to our very own Prince Phillip. Media outlets worldwide described their shock at such a decision. The most pressing question concerning the whole event is why, in a 21st century world is one of the most powerful nations honouring a man who in 2002 visited Australia and asked a group of indigenous Australians if they “still threw spears at one another?”. Prince Phillip is famous for his cultural faux pas during his international royal visits. In 2003 he told the Nigerian Prime Minister at the time, who was wearing his cultural dress, that he looked like he was “ready to go to bed”. Not to mention his notorious 1986 remark to a group of British students at a Chinese university where he told them that they would go “slitty-eyed” if they stayed there any longer. Bill Shorten, the leader of Abbott’s opposition, correctly stated that it was “anachronistic” to give their “top award to a British royal”. The obvious criticism of Abbott’s actions is that on Australia day he chooses to honour a man that seems to remember a time when the British happily colonised Australia and claimed it as a country for themselves. A more pressing concern should be the cultural impact of awarding Australia’s highest accolade to a man who has time and time again proved that he in incapable of understanding other cultures besides his own. We appear to often excuse people of the older generation for their soft racism and bigoted remarks as they were ‘raised in a different time’. Yet in excusing them we are expecting that they do not change and continue to disrespect the people that make up our 21st century, multi-cultural society. It is wholly concerning, therefore, why Abbott has chosen to honour Prince Phillip. In doing so, he is worryingly perpetuating the belief that people ‘of a certain age’ do not need to learn and understand and appreciate other cultures as they were raised in a ‘different time’. It is exactly this stereotype that is upsetting. We so readily excuse people that are ‘different’ in opinions because of their age even when they target people who are ‘different’ in culture and background. Shorten was correct when he said that Abbott was being anachronistic. Abbott has taken a huge step back in terms of 21st century racial and cultural understanding by celebrating a man who seemingly stands opposed to the cultural differences that Australia should be celebrating. The only enlightening part of the whole event is the unsurpassed criticism from the world’s media of Abbott. It is refreshing to live in a world that stands up against its political leaders. Photo: Wikimedia, Steve Punter
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ou’ll have noticed the electoral shockwaves coming out of Greece in the past couple of weeks, and big shockwaves they are, with the election of the first radical left political party in the history of the EU. Syriza received 36.3% of the votes, causing mass celebrations from supporters all across Greece and, perhaps most gratifyingly, a congratulatory Tweet from Hugh Laurie. For many Greeks, the changes that Syriza offer are long overdue. Gender equality, LGBT rights and an end to police brutality. Perhaps, though, the changes that will have the greatest effect on the Greek people, and the people of Europe, are Syriza’s rejection of austerity policies imposed by the European Central Bank, the IMF and the European Commission. Syzira’s electoral win signals the failure of the country’s austerity driven economic strategy, with the party’s young leader, Alexis Tsipras, set to become the first Eurozone leader to reject austerity measures put in place to pay back a staggering £180bn EU bailout loan. Whilst the effect of the changes for Greece will clearly be significant, it would be naïve to ignore the effect these changes will have on the rest of Europe. With good reason, the European political forces are concerned by Syriza’s success. Prime Minister David Cameron took to Twitter to vent: “the Greek election will increase economic uncertainty across Europe. That’s why the UK must stick to our plan, delivering security at home”. Similarly, the chief of the German Central Bank Jens Weidmann noted that “it is clear that Greece will remain dependent on support and it’s also clear that this aid will be provided only when it is in an aid programme”. Essentially, Weidmann is suggesting that Greece is still under the economic control of Europe, regardless of
Photo: Wikipedia, frangiscoDer
Sam McKinty looks into the repercussions of Syriza’s election victory in Greece Syriza’s best wishes. It’s unlikely though that any of the semantics will affect Tsipras, who ran a campaign and won his mandate on a platform of using the threats made by European leaders in his favour. In the past week, Tsipras sat down in Brussels with all the European heavyweights,
including Cameron and Merkel, to discuss his plans for the future of Greece. With a clear mandate and a fresh victory in his pocket, he should be able to put aside any suggestion of further austerity for Greece. Contrary to the idea that Tsipras’ calls for an end to austerity are just angry rhetoric filled
with misinformation, Stavros Drakopolous, along with many other economists, suggests that “most economists agree that the level of Greek debt is unsustainable and needs some form of renegotiation... The huge amount of debt hampers and drags on long-term economic growth that will bring a reduction in unemployment and an increase in per capita income. The need to provide debt relief, which is very likely to bring economic relief, is in the interest of the EU too”. If the suggestion that a reduction in Greece’s debt repayments will be in the EU’s interests, then what effect will Syriza’s victory have on the other struggling european economies of Spain, Italy and Ireland? Pablo Iglesias, leader of the Podemos movement in Spain, joined Tsipras at a Syriza rally in Athens, praising the road to change that Syriza’s victory has forged across Europe. Politicans in Ireland and Italy have also praised Tsipras’ success. Matt Carthy, an MEP in Ireland, noted that victory for Syriza could improve Ireland’s chance of obtaining a better debt deal from the EU. There can be no doubt, therefore, Alexis Tsipras’ success in leading Syriza to victory in Greece will lead to sweeping social, and economic changes across Greece. The biggest changes, though, will be the way other bailout nations will deal with austerity in the future. Yes, it may be true to say that if you receive a loan, you should pay it back, but if it’s detrimental to a nation, and arguably the EU, then at least renegotiate the terms, much like the 1953 London Agreement, where German debt from before World War II was written off to stimulate economic growth. Germany are now the largest economy in the EU, so if the strategy clearly works, why not apply it to Greece?
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You may have ‘herd’ about the buzz happening in The Square last Thursday, you may have been there, you may have even touched a goat! The Goats for Votes events was great! But don’t forget what it was all in aid of! Register to vote in the General Election at www.gov.uk/ register-to-vote
ueastudent.com GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES WEEK
NAPNOOK
The Napnook is now open! This is the first of it’s kind in the UK. You can book a 40 minute slot to have a quick doze and recharge your batteries, which will hopefully make your day more productive. Full details and how to book can be found at ueanapnook.org.uk
POSTGRAD REFERENDUM This week the Students’ Union called an indicative referendum of
postgraduate students on the question: “Should the Graduate Students Association become an autonomous part of the Union of UEA Students?” The Referendum was called as part of the implementation of Policy 1602: Transforming the Graduate Student Experience at UEA passed by Union Council 30th October 2014. All postgraduate students are invited to consider the topic and discuss the question at a General Meeting of postgraduate members in the Grad Bar, Union House from 6pm on Wednesday 11th February. This time is also the deadline to submit a nomination to lead the “Yes” or “No” campaign. To nominate yourself please email Tony Moore on anthony.moore@uea.ac.uk.
National Student Money Week
• Look out for a special drop in money advice stand in the Hive on Tuesday lunchtime. There will be loads of useful info on money matters and a Union Advice worker and a Student Financial Adviser from Dean of Students’ office on hand to answer your questions • New information on interns’ rights and the advantages and disadvantages of using companies who bundle your utility bills together • A week long competition in The Shop. Guess the price difference between 2 baskets of shopping (one branded, one own brand/value products) to win a basket of goodies. • A Carbon Crew clothes swap event on Thursday.
An opportunity for international students and UK/ EU students interested in working overseas to find out about opportunities to work in different countries all over the world, including China, Japan, Malaysia, USA, Australia and Europe. Each day there will be ‘Job hunting in…’ session with link ups to alumni and employers. There will also be a ‘Doing business in...’ and invite SMEs and students to attend and network. As part of the week Careers Central will also run a virtual Global Careers Fair and host the Careers using Languages fair on campus. For a full programme of events go online. LIVE! HIGHLIGHTS > TUESDAY Damn Good presents 40s v 50s @LCR > WEDNESDAY Crown the Empire @WF Lewis Murphy @WFS > FRIDAY Propaganda @WF > SATURDAY A List @LCR Meltdown @WF / 36 Crazyfists @WF / Lola Colt @WFS FREE FILMS Tuesday Films of Culture and Liberation: LGBT HISTORY MONTH SPECIAL: Blue is the Warmest Colour starting 7pm, LT3 Sunday Box Set Marathon: Basketball Movies LT2, Starting at 12 noon
FEATURES
Joe Jameson: can just ten songs make him love Taylor Swift? Page 17
The Cumberbatch Controversy
Photo: Wikimedia; Sam Hughes. Below, Wikimedia, Nasa fter Benedict Cumberbatch’s interview on the Travis Smiley Show, the twittersphere erupted. But why? Did he confess to murder? Shoplifting? Beating up old ladies in his spare time? No. He used the word ‘coloured’ in reference to black people. The media deemed it so controversial, the event acquired it’s own nickname, ‘coloured-gate’. After extensive backlash, highlighting the word’s out-dated and potentially offensive nature, he made a profuse apology, calling himself an idiot and a complete fool adding: “I can only hope this incident will highlight the need for correct usage of terminology that is accurate and inoffensive”. But, why the uproar? Well, ‘coloured’ is still considered offensive because it recalls a time when casual racism formed a part of everyday life. “[It] was used to describe anybody who was not white, which may imply that to be white is ‘normal’ or default”, says the charity Show Racism the Red Card. "If we consider it, every human has a skin colour, so technically we are all coloured”. But those so swift to condemn should take a step back and re-examine what was actually said. Cumberbatch was arguing that black people get a raw deal in acting: “I think as far as coloured actors go it gets really difficult in the UK, and a lot of my friends have had more opportunities here [in the US] than in the UK
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Megan Baynes examines Benedict Cumberbatch’s controversial comments and looks at race in the British film industry.
and that’s something that needs to change”. So the huge irony here is that he’s being accused of racism for actually defending black actors in an industry that still remains hugely unequal. What makes this even more unfair is that it was not too long ago that ‘coloured’ was considered a perfectly socially acceptable term. Historically, as the Oxford English Dictionary states: “Coloured was adopted in the United States by emancipated slaves
as a term of racial pride after the end of the American Civil War”. It replaced ‘negro’, and the even more offensive ‘nigger’, terms traditionally associated with slavery. There is even a worthy American body called the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Would those same critics dare condemn them of using out-dated terminology? In 2008 Carla Sims, communications director for the NAACP in Washington, DC, said “the term ‘coloured’ is not derogatory, [the NAACP] chose the word ‘coloured’ because it was the most positive description commonly used [in 1909, when the association was founded]. It's out-dated and antiquated but not offensive”. To date, there has not been a movement to change the name of the organisation to use a different term. Terminology changes over time and is adapted based on cultural context and trends. In many countries across the world, the term ‘coloured’ is still considered acceptable. More confusingly, in America, black people are still referred to as ‘people of colour’, as we have heard from American playwright, novelist and critic Bonnie Greer; are we to judge her also? Selma star, David Oyelowo has defended Cumberbatch, calling the whole affair ridiculous. “When you look at what he was actually saying it's clear that he’s a huge supporter of black performers”, Oyelowo said, speaking at the UK premiere of Selma, in which he stars as 1960s civil rights activist
Martin Luther King, Jr. “To attack him for a term, as opposed to what he was actually saying, I think is very disingenuous and is indicative of the age we live in where people are looking for sound bites as opposed to substance”. Indeed, Cumberbatch’s own apology appears to be written from a standard script, with a slight hint of despair and sarcasm suggesting the ridiculousness of the situation. Even The Red Card, the UK’s leading anti-racism charity, said that they applauded Cumberbatch’s message to highlight Hollywood’s diversity problem, albeit whilst questioning his use of terminology. “The lack of representation of people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds within certain industries in the UK is an issue which needs addressing”, said a spokesperson for the charity. Therefore, despite the backlash there has been a positive outcome from ‘colouredgate’, as these anti-racism organisations have been given more media attention, helping to drive support for their cause. A cause that Cumberbatch was trying to promote in the first place. He tried to defend his black colleagues and friends, and criticise the deep-rooted inequality in the British film industry but instead, Benedict Cumberbatch has been made to grovel, profusely, to the public for forgiveness over a simple misuse of terminology. Once again, Twitter and the rest of the media has completely missed the point.
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Features
Photo: Flickr, ronpaulrevolt2008. Below: Wikimedia, Eva Rinaldi fter Pitch Perfect actress Rebel Wilson claimed that her size is a benefit to her comedy because it’s not fun to laugh at more slim and attractive women, we have been left wondering whether this is a real and unspoken issue in our society. Wilson not only commented that being bigger is an asset, but that more attractive comedians usually “don’t have great personality anyway,” which highlights another issue of people having to hoard something other than attractiveness to make them interesting. If we start by taking a look at the basic statistics we can see that women are already a minority in comedy, where the only big names in the UK we can think of are those women with larger frames such as Sarah Millican, Jo Brand, Miranda Hart etc. which is astonishingly fewer than the amount of male names that pop into our heads. It is true that these women all use their size to their advantage when on stage, but does that mean that they would still be funny if they didn’t and if they were socially considered as the right size? According to Rebel Wilson, yes. It seems that women can either be beautiful or funny, but not both. If a woman goes her life not getting attention through her looks, she needs something else to make her interesting which is humour, because attractive people have no need to be funny. I’m not saying the exact same thing doesn’t happen with men too, but why is it that when it’s talked about, women are the main focus? Do women need something extra to make them interesting because they are women and therefore naturally don’t live up to men? Dawn French spoke of her weight loss after her divorce, saying that all people wanted to know was why she lost weight and how she lost weight, stating “it was as if people thought I couldn’t be funny anymore if I wasn’t fat.” However there are plenty
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Women in comedy Do big girls really do it better? Abi Constable looks at women in comedy and whether their size really does matter.
of women in comedy who are slim and still considered funny such as Ellen DeGeneres, Aisling Bea and Katherine Ryan. However, celebrities such as Megan Fox have stated that: “Ellen DeGeneres is attractive because of her sense of humour”, so just being slim isn’t enough to qualify for a dull personality, you need to be beautiful too. However this isn’t the case for Aisling and Katherine who seems to combine both and still be found funny. Since men are still considered the predominant gender in comedy it could be felt that women need to try harder in order to be found as funny as men and self-deprecate in order to do so. People seem to find humour in those who can take a supposed flaw and turn it into something they are proud of, and can laugh at themselves for. Rebel Wilson said “no one thinks, if you’re fat, that you’re going to be an actress and everyone’s going to love you,” suggesting that she took a so-called negative part of herself and turned it into something positive. Another question is: if it’s funnier to laugh at larger women, then is it also funnier to laugh at larger men? There are plenty of male comedians who use their size as an asset such as Michael McIntyre and Jonah Hill. In fact, through this asset Jonah Hill became such a popular actor that he eventually ended up playing serious roles, such as Michael Finkel in the upcoming thriller True Story. So are people taken more seriously once they are able to hone what others would see as a flaw? If so, this could either be a positive way to look at larger comedians or highlight a serious issue with perceptions in society.
Features
13 One street One afternoon
Poundlands 2 What’s the difference? Jodie Snow and Peter Sheehan investigate. Words by Peter Sheehan
e knew the drill. We’d clamber onto the number 35 bus, hand over half of our student loan for a return ticket to the city, then hold tight until we swung onto St Stephen’s Street. On arrival, it was straight into QD, a temple of almost-useful products at student-friendly prices. Jam jars? Check. Curtain rails? Check. Discount sea salt? Check. And when we had exhausted both floors of what we were ashamed to admit was our favourite shop in the city, we’d totter across the street to Poundland to pick up anything that a 45-minute browse of QD had left us lacking. That was when I was in first year. Halcyon days – but, alas, longer ago than I now care to discuss in anything but the most intimate company. (Let’s just say that Shake It Off was nearly half a decade away and David Cameron was still a Number Ten newbie.). How times have changed. We no longer catch the 35 – or even the 25A – but the 26; the bus stop has moved from the top of St Stephen’s Street to just outside Debenhams; and, most arrestingly, QD has become a Poundland. Another one. Britain’s finest city is now the proud owner of two branches of the High Street’s best-known proponent of the one-price-fits-all retail experience. Now this showers sparks to the mental touch paper of those of us with enquiring minds. How did we end up in this situation? Is it sustainable? And just what is the difference between what we shall henceforth call the left- and right-side Poundland (facing M&S, obviously)? Here at Concrete, we are not afraid to ask the difficult questions. And we do not shy away from putting ourselves at the coalface of investigative journalism. So with these Values at the forefront of our minds, and armed with a list of student essentials (pictured right), Jodie and I go undercover as “ordinary students” to discover the truth about the Poundlands of St Stephen’s Street. We start with the left-side Poundland: the newer of the two and the one that, when I was a first year and Victoria was on the throne, used to be QD. It’s clean, it’s bright, and the stock is neatly laid out. We hunt about for the items on our list. Shampoo is not hard to find. Jodie remarks that there is a “great variety”, and she’s not wrong. It’s also arranged chromatically, which makes it all look very lovely. This being Poundland, the own-brand range is the same price as your more highend fare.
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Not far off we find hair extensions, one of the more out-there items on our list. Not necessarily the kind of things that one would consider wearing on a day-to-day basis, but useful perhaps for fancy-dress parties. Jodie’s not impressed, though: “not naturally coloured [they’re lurid pink] and embarrassingly thin” are her only thoughts. Washing-up liquid is as bountiful as shampoo, but it seems that there is only one brand on offer. It’s a shame, but Poundland markets itself on price, not consumer choice, so I suppose we can let them get away with it. One aisle across and we chance upon sparkly dustpans and brushes. Seriously, these would give Shirley Bassey a run for her money. They’re certainly not what we expected to find – I can’t imagine setting out from the house saying “I’m just popping off to fetch me a bedazzlingly bright dustpan” – but they’d be undeniably good for those times when you find yourself tempted to do a little light sweeping during house parties. Of DVDs, there are more than you can shake a stick at. That said, none of them are what one could reasonably call recent releases. Over to Jodie: “It’s all well and good if straight-to-DVD sequels are your thing. And if you like watching England win an old World Cup”. We are quickly realising that Poundland doesn’t give a monkeys for arranging its products thematically. Power tools are opposite scented candles. Bike stuff is next to kitchen stuff. The layout is “eclectic and funky”, notes Jodie, and we agree that it makes for a more spontaneous shopping experience. There are some intriguing placement choices, though. Condoms are scarcely six inches away from pregnancy tests. Does this boost condom sales, we wonder, or does it reflect poorly on the condoms’ ability to do their job? Having ticked off a few more products, we stumble across the perfume section. Yes, that’s right. Perfume for £1.00. The men’s is Umbro – not a brand I’d customarily associate with the cologne market but, then again, not something that I won’t try once. It smells ungodly. This isn’t just bad, this is a level of badness so base and intense and that no self-respecting human person should wear it. Ever. UEA: you have been warned. Ten minutes or so later, we make it to the food section. And Jodie’s impressed. “You could easily do a decent shop here”, she says as she turns over a packet of cookies with an enquiring hand. They don’t have meat or vegetables – nothing, in short, with a use-by date this side of next weekend – but there’s
pretty much everything else besides. Before leaving, we discuss our impressions of the left-side Poundland. We are both much taken with the variety of goods on offer, even if not everything is quite to our taste. Browsing is easy; you find a lot you didn’t know you wanted (nasal hair removal kit, anyone?); and the selection is good. As we queue to pay – I’ve taken the opportunity to buy some much-needed household goods – Jodie provides a neat precis: “A trip to Poundland”, she observes, “is a must for anyone who aspires to be a hygienic, well-equipped, card-giving person”. And she is delighted by the range of batteries on offer. We are about to leave for the second Poundland when I am gripped by the spirit of investigative journalism. Chatting away next to the tills is Emma, who seems to work here: I ask her why Norwich has two Poundlands. “It has four!” she tells me. Wow. This is more than either Jodie or I can handle, and definitely outside the scope of this article. (That said, if anyone has experience of the other two, please do drop by the media office and we can talk about them over cocktails.) I ask specifically about the St Stephen’s Street Poundlands. The right-side one, she says, was going to close. “After QD shut this shop was gonna become a 99p store, but that fell through. Then Poundland took it over. The old one was meant to close before Christmas; now they say it’ll close by April. But who knows? “They both make loads of money, though. You wouldn’t have thought it, but they do. This one has better stock. And better staff. Tell them that when you go over”. Jodie and I make ready to see for ourselves. he right-side Poundland is not as well kept as its newer, brighter sibling. The floors are grimier and Jodie is convinced that the “air is dirtier”. That said, she says that “this is the seedy under-belly of Norwich – and I like it”. Clearly she’s never been to Mile Cross.
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Continued on page 15
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W Peter Sheehan introduces Concrete’s special LGBT+ feature and says that LGBT+ History Month is a time for celebration and instrospection.
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here are a lot of campaigns that have an angle, that examine a specific part of being any and all things L,G,B,T and plus in 21st-century Britain. What is your relationship with your family like? How much better is it now compared to 50 years ago? How can we help people who do not enjoy good mental health? These all have their place. There are wrongs that need to be righted and things that need to be said. LGBT+ History Month – otherwise known as February – is a time to campaign, but it is also a time to record. And there are as many stories about LGBT+ people as there are LGBT+ people to tell them. So we wanted to try something slightly different. We gave no theme, no stimulus. We did not try to create a targeted message. We asked people to say what they wanted. Uplifting, upsetting, direct or profound: what you read on these two pages are the messages that our writers wanted to share with you. Short though they be, we hope that these four articles prove thought provoking. For my part, I find LGBT+ History Month to be oddly named. There is a lot of the past that needs to be shared in the present, particularly when it was originally hidden from view. But we are still living in LGBT+ history. It has become almost trite to remark that much still needs to be done to advance rights for LGBT+ people, but that is because it is very true. Gay marriage was a prominent example of immense progress, yet it is often in the smaller things – the often still-hidden things – that we need to affect change. It is within families, on playgrounds, in bars and at office desks that the progressive spirit of much of what is now law must be felt. The heightened prevalence of depression, substance abuse, self-harm and suicide among LGBT+ people – and particularly among transgender people – speaks of a community that is often ill at ease with itself and of people who do not like who they are. This would not be the case in a world where sexuality and gender were not the divisive issues that they very much can be. LGBT+ history is happening now, and it is still largely hidden. It is what makes this month an eclectic mix of looking forward and looking back, of celebration and introspection. That said, one should never forget to celebrate. People are increasingly uninterested in the sexuality and gender of others. And in instances where they are, it is in an evermore supportive way. LGBT+ people are visible to an extent that would have been unthinkable even when I was born, and it is fitting that we remember those who have done so much to create the world as it is today. Events such as pride marches make queerness fun. Media personalities such as Sandi Toksvig, Tom Ford and Laverne Cox provide inspiration and assurance for people far from metropolitan laissez-faire. And the arrival of Pope Francis at the Vatican has forced cracks, however small, in the age-old and otherwise adamantine conservatism of the Catholic Church. Change can come slowly or it can come quickly; it doesn’t always come when we expect it. And each LGBT+ History Month, I remind myself that a stonking good knees up can often be the best way to make it happen.
All photos Wikimedia. Sandi Toksvig: stan_was. Tom Ford: Nicogenin. Laverne Cox: Sachyn Mital
hen Tom Daley came out via a YouTube video in 2013, a lot of the comments I saw on social media were along the lines of: “It’s 2013: why is this news?” This reaction wasn’t unique to Daley. The same question is still asked even two years later, and I can’t help wondering why people view coming out stories as being behind the times. Before I came out to my family and friends I spent hours on YouTube watching other people sharing their coming out experiences. Seeing people I could relate to, speaking about things I was worried about and feelings I was experiencing was a huge comfort in a time where I really needed the reassurance. Coming out is often so much more than telling your friends and family about your sexuality or gender. It’s about accepting yourself, and coming to a point where you feel safe and relaxed enough to share a part of your identity with other people whom you may have felt inclined to hide it from before. Coming out can be a very freeing experience, but it can also be incredibly scary. That’s something that shouldn’t be looked at lightly. So don’t diminish coming out stories. They may seem unnecessary to some people, but they could reach people going through the same thing in an environment that is unsafe or unstable. They offer a huge comfort, a message of “you’re not alone”. It may be 2015, but the world is still a very turbulent place for the LGBT+ community and many people aren’t in environments where they feel safe to fully be themselves. Celebrate coming out stories, support them and keep spreading them. You never know who they’re going to reach. Bronia McGregor
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eople act like discovering your sexuality is just a sudden realisation. They act like coming out is a onetime thing. Maybe for some people, that’s the case – but not for me. I realised I was asexual at 15 and realised I definitely still wanted non-sexual romantic relationships not much after that. Two and a half years later, I learned I wasn’t all that picky on the gender of said romantic partner. And I’m still not sure I’m done learning. My coming out has been similar: constant and on-going. It’s not a matter of saying it once and it being over with: every time you meet a new person and sexuality comes up, you come out all over again. My best friend found out about my sexual orientation as I did; we’ve always been the type to share every observation. My sister I told, the rest of my family worked it out – slowly, and not entirely. It’d be easier, I guess, if I had a specific and well-known label I could slap onto myself. If coming out didn’t involve explaining what “asexual” even means, and then muddling through the explanation of my romantic orientation. But if I’m right, if it’s a learning curve, then I’ll get there in the end. Amelia Morris
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s gay people, we go through a lot. All of us have experienced some sort of adversity in our lives. A great deal of us will have been bullied in the past for who we are, and for some, even coming out to those that we love the most will have been a hard thing to go through. I don’t think people realize just how strong and brave we really are. Luckily for me, my friends and family couldn’t have been more accepting; but I have been bullied in the past. I walk with quite a bit of sass as many of my friends will tell you. However, there is always still a part inside of me that worries. It is a part that is constantly aware of who is around me. Are there people who are going to say something? It is hard to always feel like you have to be on guard; yet I still carry on with my head held high, strutting my stuff each day. I do this because the gay community inspires me to. It has taught me not to care what other people think. The immense sense of pride within me gives me the fight to embrace who I am and carry on as the camp, flamboyant and fierce boy that I am. It is something that I have learnt to do as I’ve got older, and it is because of those that are LGBT+. We are a group of people that are strong and resilient. Through hardship, we persevere, and I am truly proud of all of us – and proud to say that I am gay. Daniel Finch Photo: Flickr, See-ming Lee
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15 COMMENT Luke Parkes looks at the hunt for the ‘gay gene’ and the implications that it has for LGBT+ rights.
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exual orientation is a widely debated topic throughout all cultures and nationalities around the world. Many people have strong opinions regarding their own views on it. Here in the UK, homosexuality is accepted by most people and is often a celebrated part of society. Most people have friends that are gay or know of people that are gay. However, despite this acceptance I feel that there is a long way to go in terms of gay rights. So how does this all link in with there being a possible ‘gay gene’? If there is a genetic basis to sexual orientation then it gives us evidence that being gay is biologically determined rather than a lifestyle choice. It erodes the notion that being gay is a conscious choice. I really feel that this would be another huge step forward in tackling discrimination and prejudice against the LGBT+ community. Currently, being homosexual is still criminalised and punishable by death in some countries and some religious groups still believe that it is possible to ‘treat’ gay people and turn them straight. Evidence for a genetic basis to sexuality would help to change these views and hopefully make the world a safer and more inclusive place for LGBT+ people. So is there actually any research out there that suggests a possible genetic basis for sexual orientation? One of the first papers that looked into the issue was a study that looked at gay brothers. It was a pioneering study, and it is still used a lot today when looking at the topic of male sexual orientation. This study demonstrated a higher incidence of gay brothers amongst twins in comparison to non-twin brothers.
Concrete goes to Poundland Continued from page 13 We quickly realise that much of the stock is the same. Toothpaste, detergent, condoms. This Poundland, however, augments the sex selection with a vibrating cock ring. I fear that we spend longer contemplating this item than is strictly necessary. It claims to vibrate for up to 20 minutes, which Jodie finds a little excessive, and purports to be fashioned from the “highest advanced European technology”. Well quite. And all for £1.00! Jodie notes that this should be the Poundland of choice for friskier students. More DVDs lurk around the corner. Many are the same as before – Poundland must be the only place in the county that takes Peter Kay’s back catalogue so seriously – but this one has the addition of the Sascha BaronCohen collection which, as Jodie quite rightly points out, is “exciting news for everyone involved”. We also uncover the Pussycat Dolls Workout 2, a welcome find for anyone who thought that their putative first foray into the world of fitness videos wasn’t quite enough. The food selection, like that of the rest of the shop, is more limited than that over the road, but there are still some stand-out features. The Cadbury corner is a “delight” for Jodie, and she trills that the tinned area is “fab!” This Poundland also appears to have put more effort into its seasonal offerings. There is an entire stretch of shelving devoted to Valentine’s Day: a broadside of pink that sits incongrously next to the garden tools and hosepipe accessories. The sex theme continues: so-called love cuffs present to the budget shopper the opportunity to tether their lover to the bedstead with loudly coloured fluff. Jodie notes that, beneath this raunchy offering, was a pair of pink handcuffs: “something for the not so adventurous”, suggests Jodie.
Because twins have exactly the same genes as each other, this study therefore showed that there may be a genetic basis to male sexual orientation. Another study was also recently carried out which involved taking DNA samples from gay men to try to identify specific ‘gay genes’. This study managed to find a couple of areas on chromosomes that showed possible areas where these genes could be located. What was interesting is that these areas contained genes that are often involved with social-sexual behaviours and for making hormones that are involved in mediating social behaviour. This is interesting because these fit well with the concept of sexual orientation. Whilst I think it is great that these studies have shown that genetics do seem to play a role in determining sexual orientation, there are possible repercussions. Some people may begin to think of homosexuality as a biological abnormality due to a ‘faulty’ gene. People may even try to think of ways of ‘fixing’ this gene in an attempt to turn people straight. An even more extreme concept is that people may abort their children if their genes showed that they might be gay. Whilst these are all quite extreme views, it is important to bear them in mind. At the end of the day it is important to remember that sexual orientation is complex, and that it depends on multiple factors. Even if further studies to go on to find specific genes related to sexual orientation they are likely to only have a small effect on determining sexual orientation by themselves. The causes of sexual orientation are bound to be complex but these studies have allowed us to gain a further insight into sexual orientation and the genes that make us who we are. Image: Wikimedia, Apers0n
Just in front of the checkouts is what we can only describe as the hen party section. Pink feather boas, a selection of “luxury” wigs – assuming that your idea of luxury is looking like special musical guest Cher circa 1998 – and plastic shot glasses attached to lurid necklaces. In short, everything that you could possibly need for a memorable night out with the cast of Towie. Reem. he right-side Poundland, we conclude, is for your essentials: hit after hit of the fundamentals.But if you have the time to browse and try out some previously undiscovered products, the newer, flashier, left-side Poundland is for you. It has been an interesting afternoon. Norwich, it would appear, is perfectly capable of sustaining four branches of Poundland, two of which sit directly opposite each other and all of which, so it would appear, are profitable. Quite what this tells us about the city we can’t tell. That we leave to greater minds than ours. For now, we retire with our £1.00 purchases, thankful that the gods of discount shopping for the numerically challenged smile so warmly on Norfolk.
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Photos: Peter Sheehan
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Photo: Flickr; jeepersmedia. Below: Wikimedia, Evan-Amos
Sexforbreakfast
Daytime TV gets down and dirty Features editor, Courtney Pochin, discusses the Fifty Shadesinspired television segment that had chins wagging across the nation and investigates why it’s caused so much trouble. iewers of This Morning up and down the country got to see a lot more than they bargained for when they tuned in to ITV to watch the popular daytime television show on Tuesday morning, as they ran a special feature called “Bondage for Beginners” which was intended to tie in with the impending cinematic release of Fifty Shades of Grey. The segment saw relationship and sex expert Annabelle Knight; give presenters Phillip Schofield and Christine Bleakley a lesson on introducing a little ‘kinky fun’ into the bedroom. Knight proceeded to bring out a range of items, including blindfolds, a collar/leash and a crystal body wand, the uses of which were then demonstrated by two scantily clad models on a bed elsewhere in the studio and reviewed by three random members of the public who have since been affectionately dubbed the “ladies of leather”. Reports have shown that so far over 70 complaints have been made about the segment (which is the second questionable item aired on the show in the space of a month, following their testing of vagina facials two weeks ago); with the majority claiming that the feature was inappropriate for morning viewing, as it was aired between 10:00 and 11:00. As you would expect the internet lost its marbles, as members of the public took to Twitter to share their opinions on the raunchy feature. Lucy Hannah (@BartonLucex) posed the important question “how is that legal at 10:00am?” while Adam Brooks (@EssexPR) said “just spat out my tea”. However not everyone was as unimpressed by the early morning sexcapades; Claire Gresty M (@clairegmccleary) thinks that “kids see hell of a lot more on pop videos, [it] was just a bit of fun” and continued on to suggest that Schofield or resident This Morning chef Gino D’Acampo, should have been the ones to demonstrate the proper use of the products. An ITV spokesman has since released a statement saying
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that “This Morning is a lifestyle programme that covers a diverse range of human interest topics. The programme has dealt with advice on sexual matters many times in the past, and a suitable announcement was given at the start”. Similarly, Phillip Schofield took to social media to share his views on the whole debacle, “the show has been doing these sort of items (along with more serious & less frivolous issues) since it started!” He then proceeded to highlight the ridiculousness of the debate by posting an article from the Daily Mail, who claimed to be outraged by the TV segment yet still posted several pictures of the bondage lesson. The show’s website page which featured clips from this episode also revealed several interesting figures taken from an Ann Summers survey (so obviously a completely, utterly, 100% non-biased source) about Fifty Shades of Grey and relationships, including the finding that 85% of women relate more to the dominant Christian Grey than the submissive protagonist Anastasia Steele and 81% of women are more likely to encourage experimentation within their relationship. Presumably ITV thought that this information, plus the popularity of Fifty Shades, which has currently pre-sold more than 500,000 movie tickets across the UK, France, Australia and New Zeland, was justification enough to provide viewers with such unusual early morning content. It can’t be denied that the topic is of great interest across the world at the moment. EL James’ crazily successful Twilight fanfiction has had everyone in a tizzy, but does this mean that it’s ok to shove it in our faces between episodes of Jeremy Kyle and Loose Women? As Knight points out during the show, matters of bondage and BDSM are about trust and thus are very private and personal. Which is the main reason why talking about it on national television was always bound to cause so much trouble. We’re not used to discussing these things so openly, especially not at home at 10:00 in the morning with other people (possibly parents or children)
around us. After watching the show back, it is clear to see where the real problem with the segment lies, which is with the overly keen looking couple showcasing the sex toys. The pair are cringeworthy at best and put an uncomfortable spin on what starts off as a perfectly reasonable attempt at giving alternative lifestyle advice, which is what it seems the show was aiming to do. Knight’s tips weren’t wholly different from those you might see if you leaf through the pages of a recent issue of Cosmo, or even if you look back at the annual sex issue of Concrete. But these are places where it is deemed acceptable to talk about sexual experimentation, places where you can look at images of couples in their underwear and not feel uncomfortable, because it’s ‘normal’ for them to be there and you expect to see it on their pages. You don’t expect to see these images on daytime television and you certainly don’t expect to watch Phillip Schofield hanging nipple clamps from his ears gleefully. But if you were watching on Tuesday that’s exactly what you saw. Maybe you were interested, maybe you learnt something, or perhaps you instantly changed the channel, but either way this happened and evidently the people of This Morning regret nothing.
Features he recent announcement that Radio 1’s Big Weekend will be held at Norwich’s Eaton Park this May is, I was informed, big news. I myself was somewhat bemused by this information, being rather engrossed in my paper when my housemate burst into my room clammering about Taylor Swift being the first confirmed headline act at this gathering. Upon my arrival at the UEA Media Collective office the same day, I was told by many excited members of Concrete’s editorial team that Ms Swift’s arrival was the best thing since sliced bread. Again, I was somewhat nonplussed, having personally always thought that the best thing since sliced bread was probably my 12th birthday when I was given a Playstation 2. In order to fend off my colleagues’ overly zealous proclamations of their love for Ms Swift’s music, I simply explained that I hadn’t really heard that much by her, and that hers wasn’t really my kind of music. I was reprimanded for spouting “heresy” and was told to return only when I had acquainted myself with Swift’s material. So it would appear that I am on a journey to discover just what it is that I’m missing, culturally, emotionally and possibly, spiritually. In order to understand my position of ambivalence, the only live music event which I have attended – aside from my brief spell as the lead vocalist of a five piece band at college called Playground Fire – was one of Kraftwerk’s Catalogue performances at the Tate Modern back in February 2013, which for many demonstrates my somewhat ‘niche’ music taste. It wasn’t long before I realised that I would need to talk to an expert. Fortunately, my housemates are committed Swifties and the moment I mentioned the words “playlist” and “Taylor Swift” in the same sentence I knew that I’d come to the right people. I was soon presented with a ten-track playlist so, without further ado, I plugged in my headphones and hit play...
T
17
DISCOVERING
TAYLOR
Joe Jameson: can he learn to love T-Swizzle?
MS
You Belong With Me Fearless 2008
Track four harks back to the country feel of the first album, but insists that this is a pop song; we’re talking about high-school love, here! The story which the song conveys is actually a little sad, but then again, Taylor does seem to be employing somewhat underhand tactics in order to get her crush to leave his girlfriend.
Mine
Speak Now 2010 Track five and we’re already on album number three. Meg explained it’s “more grown up, less teenager-y”, which I really hope is the case – listening to all this teen-pop is beginning to feel a bit weird. However, Meg then said that this and her lastest album are interchangeable, theme and style wise. Great.
Mean
Speak Now 2010
Joe Jameson doesn’t like Taylor Swift. Shocking, we know. But now that the First Lady of pop is coming to Norfolk, he sees whether ten songs are enough to make him love Ms Swift.
Picture To Burn
Sticking with the ‘punchy’ use of single word track names, Mean is next up. Again really strong throw backs to her country roots, which results in a very questionable blend of country and pop.
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together Red 2012
Ah, now, this is actually the first track on this playlist which I can consciously remember having heard before. Apparently the album is a bit of collection of styles, which I think this song shows. As for what she is trying to say in the song, I’m completely lost.
Taylor Swift 2006
All Too Well
The first track was released on Taylor’s first album when she was only 16, which you have to agree is impressive. However, my in-house ‘expert’ Meg Bradbury said that she wanted to “apologise on behalf of Ms Swift for the first track, which even I agree is ridiculous”. I don’t blame her, it’s certainly not what I was expecting, the banjo in the background was a surprise is all I’ll say.
Red 2012
Staying with Red, track eight again confirms a stylistic change, from Taylor, however it seems that it worked, as Meg states that she performed with Ed Sheeran, and Gary Lightbody, from Snow Patrol. It’s a bit too ballad-y for my liking: John Farnham is the king of ballards – back off Taylor.
I’m Only Me When I’m With You
Out Of The Woods
Taylor Swift 2006
1989 2014
Our next track is again from her first album, which I’m already beginning to understand is somewhat different to what one usually hears on the radio. Without wishing to be rude, I must express my dismay, as I can’t really think of any reason why this track would stand out from the swaths of similar midnoughties pop, however maybe that’s the point. Meg commented that the album did get a “very good critical reception”. Still, it’s no Dark Side of the Moon, is it?
We’ve reached her latest album, and the one which I’ve heard the most of. It is obvious that the transition has been made from country-pop. Personally, I think it suits Taylor more but then I did just say that I preferred You’re the Voice, so who am I to say?
Blank Space 1989 2014
Now, I actually quite like this track. Meg claims that the track is a parody of her portrayal in the media, which is very clever, good on you Taylor! It’s certainly very catchy, and the video is particularly well put together.
Love Story
Fearless 2008 That “very good critical reception” translated into a second album, which is where our next track comes from. According to my handout, this album starts to build on some recurring themes such as “kissing in the rain and stuff about fairy tales”, whilst Meg claims that “Everything in her life appears to happen at 02:00”, I would not recommend this as a stable sleep pattern.
All album covers from Wikimedia Main photo: Wikimedia, Jana Zills
So that’s it, five albums and eight years in ten tracks. I can’t say that my horizons have been broadened, but I have gained a better insight into Taylor Swift, and just why so many people are rather fond of her work.
18
Science&Environment
fat tissue UK economy is paying the price Healthy may help reverse for environmental deterioration type 2 diabetes Elliott Chapman Science&Environment writer
Marta Catalano Science&Environment writer Last January, The Natural Capital Committee (NCC) published a report warning that the UK’s wellbeing and economy is paying the price for a decline in natural environment. In 2011, the coalition government set up the NCC to investigate the role natural environment plays in the country and what parts of the natural world are used unsustainably, in order to urge the government and corporate organisations to take measures for its protection. Taking into consideration recent studies, on 27th January, the NCC published a series of reports urging the next government to think seriously about the status of natural capital. According to them, clean air, water, and recreational spaces are all “in long-term decline” and for this, long-term solutions are needed. The situation can only get worse if one takes into consideration the prospect of a growing population, which puts further pressures on the already precarious conditions of the environment. As a solution, the report calls for a 25-year strategy that aims at protecting and improving the conditions of England’s natural capital and shows how this could benefit the country from an economic perspective too. The report indeed estimates that peatland restoration on around 140,000 hectares in upland areas would contribute net benefits of £570 m over 40 years in carbon value alone, and it can also improve the quality of water, recreation, and wildlife. Neglecting the natural environment is costing us dearly, in many ways. The report suggests that pollution negatively influences productivity and causes around 40,000 premature deaths every year. High figures like this, and also health costs, could be reduced by cleaning up the air. Floods could be eased by establishing new wetlands, and greener
Photo: Flickr: ukgardenphotos urban areas could improve the quality of peoples’ lives. The director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Martin Harper, spoke in favour of the report: “nature is priceless,” he said “but we agree you can’t make good economic decisions without taking nature into account. Not only does the report demonstrate how habitat restoration will enhance our wellbeing and prosperity, it shows that ambitious plans to restore the UK’s woods, peatlands, forests and coastlines also
make good economic sense”. The NCC report indicates that there are (and should be) strong economic motivations to include environmental policies in the Government’s plans. Ultimately, both economic and natural capital are inseparable from one another, and they are both fundamental ingredients to the wellbeing of a country. If welfare is “a must” in a Government’s agenda, much more attention should be given to environmental policies, which have to be regarded as fundamental parts of their plan.
Scotland declares indefinite fracking ban Louise Fitzgerald Science&Environment writer Scotland recently declared an indefinite ban on fracking. The moratorium applies to all planning consents for unconventional oil and gas extraction north of the border and includes fracking for shale gas. The announcement by the Scottish National Party came just two days after MPs in the House of Commons overwhelmingly rejected an amendment calling for a suspension on fracking by 308 votes to 52. Energy Minister, Fergus Ewing, has called for a national debate which will include a public consultation on the extraction of shale gas and an environmental impact assessment. The moratorium is expected to last until the end of the public consultation period which is likely to begin within the next two months. Public opposition to fracking in Scotland is strong after the issue gained lots of attention during the referendum campaign. The number of organised opposition groups
Researchers from Melbourne’s Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, and the RIKEN Institute in Japan have found they are able to “reverse” type 2 diabetes by lowering the inflammatory response that occurs in fat tissue. The researchers, led by Dr Vasanthakumar, found regulatory T-cells (specialised immune cells also known as Tregs) help in maintaining insulin sensitivity and controlling inflammation in fat tissue. Tregs prevent immune response from getting too high and attacking the body’s tissue. In diseases like diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis the Treg numbers are reduced. Type 2 diabetes results in decreased insulin sensitivity, meaning cells are less able to take up glucose from the bloodstream because cells no longer respond to the same levels of insulin. This is thought to be caused by low-level inflammation of fat tissue in obese people. Fat tissue has been found to have its own type of Tregs that are lost when a person becomes obese. Furthermore fat tissue of obese people has a lower number of Tregs that leads to increased inflammation. This increased inflammation leads to insulin resistance and high blood glucose, both of which are symptoms of type 2 diabetes. The discovery of IL-33, a hormone that boosts Treg populations in fat tissue has led to promise in treating type 2 diabetes. IL-33 returns the Treg levels of fat tissues treated with it to normal levels, reducing inflammation and lowering blood glucose levels. This was found to stop development of type 2 diabetes or even reverse it in preclinical models. Dr Kallies, one of the lead researchers, highlighted the importance of ‘healthy’ fat tissue in maintaining health. “We can no longer think of fat tissue simply as energy storage... Fat tissue is increasingly being recognised as a crucial organ that releases hormones and regulates development. Keeping our fat tissue healthy is important for our general wellbeing”. Three million people have diabetes in the UK with 90% of those thought to be suffering from type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is thought to be connected to a number of risk factors including age, weight and diet. Currently there is no cure for diabetes, and there can be a number of life threatening complications that come from the long-term effects of the illness. From this research it is hopeful treatments that mimic IL-33 could reduce obesity-related inflammation and type 2 diabetes.
Photo: Flickr: Ric Lander grew significantly within the last six months with many groups forming around the Grangemouth plant where Ineos (who hold Scotland’s only fracking license) are based. Scotland is not the only country to intervene to stop the unconventional gas industry; similar bans have been implemented in France, Ireland, the Netherlands and New York State. But what is fracking? Fracking is the process by which a high-pressure water mixture is directed into drilled rock to release the gas inside.
While there are not any significant technological barriers to the development of fracking in Scotland, there are environmental and public health concerns. Fracking uses huge amounts of water and it is thought that potential carcinogens could escape and contaminate groundwater around the fracking site. Although fracking remains controversial, it could provide great benefits in terms of UK energy security, as shale gas is currently imported from the USA to the Grangemouth plant.
Photo: Flickr: Victor
Science&Environment Probiotics may be the key to curing peanut allergies Francesca Burns Science&Environment writer Researchers in Melbourne, Australia, have conducted ground-breaking research which may result in a cure for peanut allergies. The research from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute will be welcomed by the approximately 500,000 UK peanut allergy sufferers for its potentially life-changing effects. Sufferers of the allergy have to be constantly aware of what they are eating and the persistent worry can be arduous for some. A group of children were given an increasing amount of peanut flour over an 18 month period. As well as peanut flour the subjects were also given a probiotic called Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Probiotics are living
bacteria found in yoghurt-based products which usually stimulate health benefits, especially in the digestive system. Each day, the group collectively took as many probiotics as is found in 20 kg of yoghurt. The group selected were those who suffered less severe reactions such as vomiting and hives. Around 80% of the test subjects found they were able to tolerate peanuts by the end of the study. Most of the participants are now able to introduce a selection of peanut based products into their diet. Lead researcher Mimi Tang stated: “We focused on peanut allergy because it is usually
80%
The percentage of test subjects who found they could tolerate peanuts by the end of the study
life-long and it is the most common cause of death from food anaphylaxis”. Further research is still needed to confirm the longevity of the findings. Researchers are hoping to test the children in the future to ascertain whether there are any long term effects. Hopefully this is a significant step forward in the search for allergy cures.
19 What’s new in science? New research suggests that an existing drug could dramatically reduce the impact of strokes.
Scientists have found a protein in the naked mole rat that may help explain its unique ability to ward off cancer.
Plant biologists have found that drought tolerance in plants can be improved by using an agrochemical already in use.
A new study shows that pigeons show similar mechanisms of learning to children.
Planetary scientists have calculated that there are hundreds of billions of Earth-like planets in our galaxy which might support life. Researchers have developed a low-cost smartphone accessory that can simultaneously detect HIV and syphilis biomarkers in 15 minutes.
Scientists working on the Planck satellite say the first stars arose more than 100 million years later than previously believed. Researchers have discovered a new structural variation of carbon called “pentagraphene”.
MPs have voted in favour of three-parent babies with DNA from two women and one man – allowing avoidance of mitochondrial disease. Obama hopes to increase Nasa funding by $519m. Scientists have found that listening to icebergs could help to assess glacier melt.
Photo: Flickr, US Dept of Agriculture
Tiny biodegradable microstructures have been developed to target heart tissue damaged by heart attacks, which may aid repair and prevent heart failure.
Photos: top: Wikimedia, Andreas Trepte; bottom: Wikimedia, Brocken Inaglor
20
Travel
Photo: Doug8888. Below: Wikimedia, Nico Kaiser
Experiencing ‘slum-tourism’ first hand S
lum tourism – there’s something about those two words put together that feels wrong. Tourism inevitably makes money, obviously, but is it wrong to make money out of areas that are themselves impoverished? Perhaps the most important question is where that money is going – does it benefit the slum, or does it simply put money back in to a system that helped to create the slums in the first place? I asked myself all of these questions last summer, when I was working in Rio de Janeiro as an English teacher. It was a completely different experience for me, and because I was living with two locals I was lucky enough to be able to gain a lot of insight from them. Rio is notorious for it’s hillside slums, that go by the name of favelas, but it never occurred to me that there was such a focus on making money out of favela tours until I arrived in Rio. The city gained a lot of recognition during the last summer because of the World Cup. It was hard to digest the fact that a city with such high levels of poverty could host an event that would see such extortionate amounts of money being spent. I was aware of all this during my stay in Brazil, and spoke to many people who had completely varying viewpoints. Some thought it was great for the city, to get coverage on a sport that it is world famous for, and for the benefits of the tourism
Dahalia Al-Abdullah describes her visit to the favelas of Rio De Janeiro.
on the economy. Others were angry, and saw it as a completely uneven value of priorities for the city. How could the government even consider putting anything before helping to improve the slums themselves? My hosts in Rio mentioned that some favelas were using tourism as a beneficial way of bringing money in to the favela. They took me with them to visit one of the famous samba schools of Rio called Manguiera, one that used all its funds to help build new homes and schools for the favela of the same name. All the workers in the samba school were from the surrounding favela, the tourism that the samba school had brought was beneficial because it gave them their jobs and provided them with money. It seemed of even greater worth that the samba school was drawing people’s attention to the favela, not because of the levels of poverty there, but for their talented samba band and dancers. It gave them a positive focus, one that did not focus on the negative sides of life in their neighbourhood. While looking through tours on the Rio websites, almost every single website I found did not clarify where the money was going, who was giving the tour, or what the experience would entail. Eventually I found a favela tour that clarified it’s goal and purpose, which had it’s own blog written by
the tour guides themselves. It was for the favela of Santa Marta, the first one to have been pacified and was proud to be used as a model for the other favelas. The pacification meant that the police force patrolled the neighbourhood to clear it of drug dealers and any other acts that could insight crime. The blog site featured a video where the tour guide mentioned his pride at being able to show tourists their homes, and the place where Michael Jackson filmed his music videos. The tours were given by inhabitants of the favela themselves, and artists from the favela were given an opportunity to sell their work to us. They describes their tours as ‘responsible tourism’ and it was clear to see the joy that the people in the favela had when they were inviting us in to their homes for caipirinha cocktails! I think the most important thing to consider when contemplating taking a slum tour is whom you are benefitting with your money, and how. The tour guides of Santa Marta lived there, and used the money for projects that were clarified in the blog; many of the previous projects shown. It felt like an exchange, like we were being welcomed in to a big family experience, not as gawking tourists with lots of money to spend and no help to give. That made all the difference, to us and, most importantly, to them.
Travel
21
Photo: Jan Fidler
W
ith its incredible views and rich culture it is easy to understand why so many people love Prague, especially during the spring. With the Easter holidays not too far off, flights as little as £30 one way and a city small enough to see in a few days, it can be an ideal spot for a weekend away. Flying out on a Thursday evening and arriving at your hotel via the efficient and cheap transport system, you can be at your hotel in under an hour if you are staying in the city centre. After a good nights sleep you can wake up on Friday refreshed and ready to explore. Start walking up along the east side of the river towards Charles Bridge. This iconic landmark is a must-see due to the history and views it provides. Cross the bridge where the smell of trdelink, a local pastry, is heavenly and the little shops make you feel as though you are in a fairy tale. Walk up towards the castle passing plenty of pubs and restaurants, perfect if you fancy a quick drink or a bite to eat. With a pint of local beer costing as little as 80p it is worth trying if you drink. Once you reach the castle you will have the best view of the city. The grounds of the castle are wonderful and if you fancy a little workout then walking the 296 steps up to the top of St Vitus tower will give you an even better view. When you’ve finished, hop on the metro to Namesti Muri where you can see the church, surrounded by market stalls at this time of year. This is also a good area to find
Middle Class Moments on tour
M
y plane departed from a little known airport in England called Gatwick to the cultural hub of Florida. My journey began in this humble airport. After looking around the stores a little, I eventually stumbled across a small restaurant. I was told before I began travelling to always go to the food place that has the biggest queue, as then you know the food is not only tasty but in local demand. That is just what this restaurant had. As I entered, I walked below a pair of golden arches and began inspecting the menu. I finally decided on my order, and was served by a lovely, friendly man who probably lived in the near-by local community. The food I had ordered was an experience that awakened taste-buds I did not realise I had. The locals call it a “bigmac”, which loosely translates as “large meat sandwich” to those who have not had the enlightening experience of travelling to lesser-known British airports and tasting local cuisines.
Prague uncovered Charlotte Hales takes a look at the Czech city of Prague.
My plane journey was a harrowing experience as I felt the rare feeling known as ‘turbulence’ at least twice in the flight. Eventually I arrived in the exotic, arid city of Orlando where my shuttle bus was due to take me to something of a less conventional national reserve, called Walt Disney World. Instead of going straight to my accommodation, I decided to explore some of the local sites. By taking a wrong turn, I came across the historically-ambiguous castle of the ‘Magic Kingdom’. According to local legend, the castle is a monument dedicated to the legendary royal, Cinderella. As I explored the streets surrounding the castle, I came across a local store and decided to purchase a cultural item that will remind me of this life-changing day. I was told before travelling to haggle with local street vendors to get the best price, which I did. In the end I traded in ‘$20’ for a unique head-wear item that has circular mouselike ears on the top, in remembrance of this mystical mouse they call ‘Mickey’. As I donned my new head-gear, I appeared to blend seamlessly with the crowds that jostled about in the area. I heard from a local that one of the best places to visit in ‘Disney’ is the rocky landscape that exists right on the outskirts of the park.
Someone informed me that the biggest mountain there was a natural hybrid between a water-fall and a mountain, and instructed me to wear a waterproof coat if I wished to explore it further. I was prepared for whatever physical and mental challenges the adventure of climbing this mountain would bring. As I ventured up and reached its peak, I stared down at the waterfall that lies hidden inside it. I found a log and fashioned it into some form of boat-device, so as to truly experience every facet of this natural phenomenon. I had a near-death
something to eat with plenty of traditional Czech restaurants as well as other cuisines. The shopping in Prague is brilliant and often overlooked. Start at Palladium for a browse before heading our towards Wenceslas Square. Here you will find more shops along the road with the museum at the top. Once your shopping is complete, head up there to see the student memorial. If you want a dose of culture then sign up for a walking tour around the city. Reasonably priced, these tours will give you plenty of historical information about the city, culminating in Old Town Square in the evening. Old Town is spectacular especially the astronomical clock tower lit up in the evening. Old Town is spectacular at night but on Sunday be sure to head back during the day. Be careful about eating and drinking in this area as like with any city it is more expensive in the centre but a quick crêpe in the Square is a great pick me up. There are also plenty of spots for last minute gifts before heading back to the airport. With a strong exchange rate, plenty of sights and lovely weather, this spring is a great time to visit Prague. Be sure to buy your transport tickets before you travel and to stamp them in the yellow machines on trams and in the metro stations and you are bound to have a wonderful trip with no problems at all. Make sure you pack your camera to capture it all and enjoy your weekend in this little cit, worthy of its reputation.
experience as my log jolted over the top of the waterfall; gravity took over, and I came crashing down into the lake below. Luckily, a passerby captured my neardeath experience on camera, and I am now the proud owner of a wonderful photo of me conquering the ‘Splash Mountain’. I will upload it to all of my social media outlets at my earliest convenience. After a tiring day of soulsearching I eventually laid my head down to rest in one of the many accommodation blocks that they have in ‘Walt Disney World’. My head was spinning from everything I had seen that day. I had placed my ‘mouse-hat’ on a table in the room, and as I fall asleep now and collect my thoughts, it gently reminds me of an unknown book I had the pleasure of reading once written by Steinbeck that explores the similarities between ‘mice’ and ‘men’. As revealed to Jodie Snow Illustration: Asia Patel
LIFESTYLE
Make the perfect breakfast: turn to page 24
Could the 5:2 diet work for you? Alice Short Lifestyle writer
Photo: Flickr, Off Beat Mum Photo: Flickr, Jeanette Goodrich
Have you heard about it? Have you tried it yet? Does it really work? The 5:2 diet. What is this diet that has captured the interest of so many people and has them dashing out to buy the self-help books, the special recipes and the general merchandise surrounding it? As the simplicity of its name indicates, it involves eating normally for five days of the week and then for the other two days, cutting down your calorie intake (500 for women, 600 for men). Scientists claim that you will lose weight easily as your body will be ‘tricked’ into using up your fat reserves for energy on the days that you are fasting. Whilst traditional diets involve days of extreme calorie counting and deprivation
“It involves eating normally for five days of the week and then for the other two days, cutting down your calorie intake” followed by inevitable binging, the 5:2 seems easy in comparison and this goes some way to explaining its popularity. 5:2ers say that they can cope with the days of fasting because they know it isn’t forever and on the other five days of the week they
Photo: Flickr, Lew (tomswift) Holzman can eat whatever they please. However, does this not lead to the five days of freedom becoming a binge? Will dieters not pile up the food on the plates knowing that the days of fasting are coming? Is it possible that they will end up eating more on those five days than they would normally? Ultimately, is this a suitable diet for us students at UEA? A typical student would have to make sure that the two days of fasting were days in their timetable when they didn’t have a lot on. No lectures or seminars or deadlines or extra-curricular commitments. It would be extremely difficult to study or concentrate on the two fasting days as a lack of food not only causes a rumbling tummy but a general bad
temper and stops your brain working properly. Even if you organised your two fasting days for the weekend, further problems are posed as a night out in the LCR inevitably involves some alcohol and unfortunately, vodka shots are not on the agenda for the two fasting days. Nor are the leftover slices of pizza for the 03:00 post-night-out snack! The bottom line is that the 5:2 fast diet might be of use to older people who can fit it into their lives easily but it just isn’t suitable for students. The ideal diet for a student is a well-balanced one with lots of fruit and vegetables. We need energy for work and play. We need to eat properly to boost immunity and general health. Faddy diets are
not for life and it is more important to lead a healthy lifestyle. Anything that is ‘bad’ for you is alright in moderation, so you don’t need to exclude anything completely from your diet to be happy and healthy. Of course, exercise is important for students too, but this is easy to fit into our timetables. Heading to the gym after a lecture is simple- even just walking to and from our lectures is a step in the right direction. Indeed, with a wide variety of sports on offer at UEA such as football, rowing and karate, exercising can be fun! This solution might not be very interesting but it is ultimately more effective than the demanding 5:2 diet for students.
T
he society we live in is caught up in a world of presentation. It is inbuilt in us to think about how we are presenting ourselves, whether that’s in person or on Facebook. Obviously, it is practically essential to be a ‘better version of yourself’ for job interviews and such – we all want to look as great as we can for opportunities that don’t turn up every day! However, too many times I have felt that social networks can mask how we are actually feeling about ourselves on the inside. The idea that we need to present our lives in the best light possible can seep into real life. It becomes easier to paint a picture of our life through rose-tinted glasses to friends but much harder to have an honest discussion with people when you’re feeling
“If you couldn’t tell a soul you were travelling, would you still be full of joy and excitement for the adventure?” low. It gets unhealthy, because when you’re concentrating so much on your outer image, the inner self is shut off without a voice. Consequently, when you begin to do things for other people, you can start to feel less satisfied in yourself because your focus is not on building yourself up, but on building an image. Image can be problematic, because often we can feel like we either don’t live up to that image, or that we feel supressed by it. But, what does ‘the inner self’ even mean? For me, it means all the things that bring you true, genuine fulfilment. I always think one of the best examples is travel; if you couldn’t tell a soul you were travelling, would you still be full of joy and excitement for the adventure? So many times it feels we do things because
Photo: Flickr, Sheila Scarborough
Photo: Flickr, Peter Kirkeskov Rasmussen
Want to work on your inner self? Dahlia Al-Abdullah examines how self-reliance can make for a positive self-image part of us really does want to, but also because the other half thinks it’s great that we can talk about it to other people in order to impress them. How much more fulfilled would we feel if
we started impressing ourselves by pursuing real desires and challenges? This is not an attack on social networks, or anyone who uses them, it’s just a thought on how we can bring a little more honesty, and satisfaction, in
to our everyday lives. Perhaps before sharing on social media, we could think about why we want to share it. You could be sharing a cause that you’re passionate about, a beautiful photo that brings you joy, a quote that inspires you, a video that makes you laugh - there are a million different things we can share with our friends! The difference is that when you begin to focus on yourself, and share the things that you genuinely care about; 0 likes or 50 likes – it does not matter. The important part shifts from being people’s perceptions of you, to your own perception of yourself, and your personal growth. Life can be so much more fulfilling when you don’t feel that others validate you, but instead that you have the power to do so just by listening to yourself and recognising that a lot of times, that is enough to feel truly satisfied.
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The walk of fire Rebecca Bemment Lifestyle editor
Feeling brave? Then here’s your chance to get involved with Norfolk’s Big C fundraising event for Cancer research! This February, Big C are raising funds for this incredibly vital cause. The charity will be providing 70 people with the chance to walk across fire. Each person must pledge to make £200 alongside a £25 deposit. The rest can be raised through fundraising or by giving a larger deposit with a smaller fundraising commitment! The concept of firewalking has long been around, but it has resurfaced in the UK over the last few years. This event is calling all those brave enough to conquer their fears and anxieties by walking across burning coals. To make sure you’re fully prepared, training will be given prior to the event. This training will prepare you to channel any fears you have about the activity in a positive way. This is a
really good experience to help with other anxieties that you may have in other aspects of life! Anyone 14 and over can take part in this Big C event, providing that you are able to walk unaided. Furthermore, you’ll need to be available from 17:00 on the 21st February for the training. All you need to do to get involved is set up a JustGiving or Virgin Money fundraising page (unless you already have one) so that you can collect your sponsorships. Big C will also send you a paper version once you are registered. You can book the event by going to www. big-c.co.uk/firewalk or by emailing rachel. francis@big-c.co.uk. Similarly, you can call 01603 619900. The Big C is an independent charity so all the funding and services are for the people of Norfolk. The money raised is used to support those battling cancer in the local community by funding life-saving machines for example. Furthermore, Big C funds ground-breaking cancer research at UEA.
Lifestyle Lasting New Year’s resolutions Linnea Hawking Lifestyle writer We have had the crescendo of Christmas and new year, summer seems a long way off and the only countdown now is towards coursework deadlines and looming exams. Don’t despair yet! There’s something you can look forward to after all, a happier you. No, this is not quite the ‘new year, new me’ spiel. Rather it is a reminder that every day is the opportunity to enjoy life, doing the things that make you happy, regardless of what others think you ought to be focussing on. For the majority, the time has come where the new year’s resolutions are out of the window, having either become a good joke or another thing getting us down, making us feel as though we ‘failed’. Ultimately, any New Year’s resolution is about this relationship we as a society have with perfectionism. The question is whose idea of perfect are we trying to create? If your resolution was to go to the gym, the important aspect to focus on is, why? Was this prompted by a desire to promote your own health and wellbeing or seen as a solution to negative body image and feeling pressure that it is something you ought to do? I like to believe that imperfection is the real perfection, the desire to be continuously improving. The world changes constantly and so should we. Many students are constantly changing themselves, yet the issue is that these changes are often to gain approval
Photo: Flickr, Lamazone
Photo: Flickr, Marwa Morgan
Aubergine melts
Granola
Dahlia Al-Abdullah Lifestyle writer
Ingredients: 1 aubergine 2 garlic cloves 3 tbsps tomato purée A handful of spinach A sprinkle of cheese Rapeseed oil Salt
Lay the spinach out over the top, and then sprinkle over the cheese. Aubergine has a very distinctive taste that is quite prominent by itself, but if you fancy – add any other toppings you want, just as you would a pizza! 4. After keeping that in the oven for another five minutes, take it out and enjoy your aubergine melt. We think it tastes great with some brown rice on the side as a healthy, filling meal!
Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, and prepare the aubergines by chopping the stem and base off. Slicing it lengthways down the middle, lay the halves out so that the flesh is exposed and cover with a sprinkling of salt. Aubergines are naturally quite bitter, but by salting them you draw a lot of the bitterness out.
Ingredients: 6 cups of oats 2 cups of nuts/seeds 2 cups of dried fruit 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut 5 tbsps honey 3 tbsps raw maple syrup 2 tbsps coconut/rapeseed oil 1 tbsp cinnamon 1 tbsp nutmeg Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, and line a baking tray with foil. Spread the oil over the top, making sure that every part of the tray is covered. This will help to keep your granola from sticking to the foil, and also form little crunchy clusters!
2. After around 20 minutes, wash the salt off and dry the aubergine thoroughly. Covering a baking tray with some foil, lie the aubergines skin side down and drizzle the rapeseed oil over the flesh. Cook in the oven for 25 minutes 3. Once cooked till soft, cover the surface with the tomato puree and chopped garlic.
Dahlia Al-Abdullah Lifestyle writer
2. In a big bowl mix your oats, nuts, seeds, coconut, and spices. It is super important not to put your dried fruit in at this stage, as in the heat of the oven it will just burn and no-one wants burnt granola! Photo: Dahlia Al-Abdullah
from others rather than truly changing for themselves. Do you remember when we were kids and we would be asked what we wanted to be when we grew up… what if the answer wasn’t about an ideal occupation but an ideal state of mind? Happiness is an under-valued new year’s resolution. Furthermore, the journey to happiness can start at any time, not just the 1st of January. So you meant to go to the gym and now your home ordering Dominos instead. Don’t beat yourself up, evaluate what you really wanted out of the resolution and how that goal can still be achieved in a reasonable balance with the other things that are important in your life. OK, so you want to get fit? If it turns out you hate the gym, gather some friends for some games in the park. If the dreary weather is putting you off don’t underestimate the intensity of a competitive game of twister! Along with exercising, cuddling has also been proven to improve mental wellbeing, decrease stress levels and overall levels of happiness. With 5th February being Time to Change day, there is no better time to focus on our individual wellbeing. Whether you struggle with mental health issues or not, it is important to schedule some ‘me’ time into our lives. Doing so enables us to be the happiest version of ourselves, making the most of every day. Valentine’s Day is a tricky one, yet whether you embrace it or disdain it, it’s a reminder to show that you care. This Valentine’s Day, don’t forget to show yourself that you care about YOU!
3. Making sure it’s all well combined in the bowl, drizzle in your raw maple syrup and give it a big mix again. 4. Spread it all out evenly across the baking tray, and drizzle the honey over the top. At this stage you can use your hands to roll some little oat balls, so that you’ll have even more crispy clusters to crunch on. 5. Stick the mixture in the oven for around ten minutes, until it’s slightly more golden. Once that’s over, take the mixture out and give it another stir in the baking tray so that it all gets browned evenly. Return to the oven for another five to ten minutes, until it’s a deep golden brown. 7. Once that’s done, take it out, mix in the dried fruit (figs, dates, raisins, and mango all taste great!) and wait for it to cool – and that’s that! A deliciously filling breakfast, that isn’t too heavy for those mornings where you want something healthy but you’re in a rush. We love it on top of some Greek yoghurt with fresh fruit, yum!
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Sport
England’s cricketers struggle in Tri-series Glenn Wheeler Sport writer
James Newbold Sport editor
F
airy stories don’t come along all that often in sport. The law of averages state that 99 times out of every 100, it’s the big boys who come out on top. The underdog is so-called for a reason, after all. But every so often, in flagrant defiance of conventional logic, a ‘Steven Bradbury moment’ comes along out of the blue. These moments are the stuff of dreams that we, the general public, can identify with and aspire to. And sometimes, like the proverbial buses, two can come at once. Indeed, amid the clamour surrounding humble League One outfit Bradford City’s shock FA Cup win over Jose Mourinho’s big-spending Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, it would have been easy to overlook the news that stalwart privateer Jenny Tinmouth had been signed by the factory Honda Racing Team to campaign a full season in the British Superbike (BSB) championship. It goes without saying that the 36-year old’s appointment is an enormous step forward for women in motorsport and by her own admission, the news came as
”Tinmouth broke her own record” something of a shock, although perhaps it shouldn’t have been, given her reputation as a trailblazer in motorcycle racing. In 2010, Tinmouth broke her own record as the fastest female ever to lap the fearsome Isle of Man TT at an average speed of 119.945 mph and became the first woman to score a BSB point at Snetterton in 2013. She is not one to be content with merely making up the numbers. As anyone who has seen the epic final lap battle between Tommy Hill and John Hopkins at Brands Hatch to decide the 2011 title will tell you, BSB is a hidden gem of British sport where risk truly does equal reward. Tinmouth knows all about that; the first, and so far only, female competitor in the series, having run her own bike since 2011, Tinmouth embodies the endearing underdog spirit and richly deserves her opportunity in the 2013 championshipwinning outfit, which returns after a year away with Jason O’Halloran and Dan Linfoot also on its roster. Having always had to ride within herself, knowing that any accident could prove enormously costly, Tinmouth has been rewarded for her efforts with a seat at the top table and the weight of a fullyfledged manufacturer behind her. Ahead of the biggest opportunity of her career, which she described to the BBC as ‘the ultimate dream come true’, Tinmouth faces a steep learning curve. With the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade still unproven in a race environment and Tinmouth not slated to test until March, it is far too early to make any predictions as to where she will end up. But in a sport where men and women can and do compete together on track, the underdog now has the chance to show what she’s truly capable of. Godspeed Jenny.
The Cricket World Cup is almost upon us and England remain consistently inconsistent in the limited-overs format of the game. The tournament commences on 13th February, by which time the Three Lions will have been in Australia for over a month. England have already played a number of tour matches, as well as competing in an International Triangular Series alongside India and Australia. Although this aforementioned series helped to establish that England are, without doubt, a stronger side than India in Australian conditions, it has also displayed that the team cannot be considered a favourite to win the upcoming competition. Following their one-day series defeat to Sri Lanka earlier in the winter, England were charged with a lack of aggression in all departments. Experts and fans alike noted that the side’s batsmen did not possess the capability to post or chase-down imposing scores of 300-plus, and this was viewed as a critical weakness. In a changing game where international teams aim to make 350 from 50 overs, it appeared that England could not hope to compete in the World Cup. These concerns forced the ECB to make a significant change, as the under-fire Alistair Cook was removed from the position of oneday captain after a barage of criticism. Eoin Morgan was named as his successor with the hope of galvanising the flailing Three Lions. This alteration appeared to have an immediate effect as England amassed a total of 391-6 as they defeated the Prime Minister’s XI by 60 runs, with Ian Bell smashing 187 from 145 balls. In the opening match of the tri-series, however, the Three Lions were comfortably beaten by Australia. England were only saved from major embarrassment by Morgan, who made 121. The rest of his team could only add a shocking 93 runs between them. An emphatic nine-wicket victory over
Photo: Flickr, Naparazzi India followed as Steven Finn took a career best of 5-33, but in England’s third ODI, Australia once again emerged victorious. Undoubtedly, there were positives to be taken from the performance of England’s batsmen though, as Bell scored yet another ton as he steered the side to 303-8. A wonderful partnership of 125 between James Taylor (82) and Jos Buttler (67) rescued England during their second match against India, and the resulting victory ensured that the Three Lions set up a final against the Aussies in Perth. Once again though, the Australians proved their dominance and blew England away. After allowing their opponents to post a total of 278-8 after recovering from 60-4, Morgan’s side crumbled as Mitchell Johnson and Glenn Maxwell ripped through England’s batting order to condemn the tourists to a 112-run defeat. Despite England’s inconsistency during the tri-series, there are encouraging signs in some areas. Steven Finn appears to be bowling with aggression again, which will
be crucial when he bowls on the flat, pacey Australian wickets during the World Cup, and Bell is enjoying a rich vein of form. Bell, on his day, is one of the classiest batsmen in the world, and the tri-series has helped to prove that when he scores big, a competitive total is often posted. The contribution of Buttler and the emergence of Taylor must also be emphasised. These two players certainly have what it takes to perform at the top-level, and while Buttler has established himself in the England side, Taylor had failed to do so before the start of this tour. He appears to have made that number three spot his own now though. Unfortunately for England fans, however, the nation will not win the World Cup. It is obvious that Morgan’s side still lack the consistency and the ultra-aggressive mentality that will be necessary to compete with Australia, South Africa and, potentially, New Zealand. This fact is all but proven by the exclusion of Ben Stokes from the squad, who smashed 151 off 86 balls for the England Lions last week, but continues to be overlooked.
UEA Athletics show potential Sophie East Sport writer Last weekend saw UEA’s Athletics Club partake in two very different events – Bucs Cross Country and the London Indoor Games – as 2015 got underway. 13 distance athletes travelled down to Brighton last week to compete at the Bucs XC Championships, hosted by the University of Sussex at Stanmer Park. The men’s A race was a gruelling 12 km with plenty of hill, plenty of wind, and a hell of a lot of mud. Nevertheless, the UEA men’s A team performed admirably in the conditions, with James Berehowskyj leading the home in 46:23 and a very solid 143rd place. Athletics team captain Jack Keywood followed a way behind, narrowly beating one of his Tonbridge AC clubmates in 49:00 and 204th place. Not far behind him was Andy Holliman in 49:40 and 220th place. Recreational Running Coordinator, Alfie Bentley, finished next in 50:46 and 235th place, with Chihaya Hirai finishing strongly in 54:44 and 277th place. Next up was the women’s race (6.4 km), in which our female athletes performed very well following warm up runs in the EACCL. Sarah Imbush led the team with another fantastic run and our only sub-100th place run of the championships in 27:04 and 84th place.
Next up was Sophie Morris, already very well transitioned from sprints to distance with a 28.29 in 144th place. Kate Robinson was UEA’s next runner who, despite falling on the first corner, still finished in a very respectable 30:12 and 211th place. Unfortunately, Immy Turner had to drop out of the women’s race due to injury; though not too serious, the move was a wise pre-emptive measure to prevent any further damage. The men’s B race (8 km) was the last race of the day and featured two returning performances from Jamie Short and Dennis Cross, who have both been recovering from injury for the duration of the season. Short put in a blistering performance to lead the men’s B team home in 30:59 and 126th place, with Cross finishing with a 32:34 in 184th place. Rowan Braham was UEA’s next runner home, and despite falling on the last corner still persevered with a sprint to finish strongly in 33:57 and 232nd place, ahead of James Biondi who managed 34:30, coming in 250th place. Meanwhile, the sprinters took a trip to Lee Valley Athletics Centre in London to test their speed ahead of the Bucs indoor competition in Sheffield from the 21st – 23rd February. On day one, Danielle Hamilton ran a massive personal best (PB) of 28.59 in the 200m, beating her original best by 1.74 seconds, with Victoria Onyeka also running well in the same heat with a time of 28.43. Club
president, Sophie East, ran an excellent heat to place second with a time of 27.68, ahead of a returning Emily Rogers, also in the same heat, who ran a comfortable race following an absence from indoor competitions. German Cepeda Lestrade also ran well to a time of 27.5 seconds, but his focus will now turn to the 60 m, which is his preferred event. Sara Henderson was disappointed with a jump of 4.04 m in the long jump, but she has already identified where the improvements are needed ahead of the upcoming Bucs tournament. On day two, Jake Matthew and Beau Berney secured two 60 m PBs of 7.39 and 7.31 in successive races, while Adam Vaughan equalled his PB in round one with 7.40 and found even more time to finish with a 7.35 in round two. Real Iddy completed the succession of PBs with a time of 7.52. In the women’s heats, Danielle Hamilton continued her impressive running on day two, with two 60m PBs of 8.57 and 8.50, beating her previous best by 0.32 seconds, while Cerys Currie maintained her good form with a 8.53 in round one and 8.54 in round two. To finish off a great weekend, Alex Joseph jumped 6.18 m in the long jump, showing some great potential in time for Bucs. For regular updates, make sure to follow @ueaathletics on Twitter.
Sport
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fter a completely uninspiring FA Cup third round, the final death knell appeared to have sounded on the once ‘romantic’ and ‘giant-killing’ competition. There appeared nothing left to cling onto after Blyth Spartans gallant 3-2 loss at Birmingham and the likes of Dover and Gateshead were thrashed by Premier League opposition. Yet, critics should have known better than to doubt the bounce-back-ability of the world’s oldest surviving football tournament. Cue the most surprising of all the FA Cup’s so-called ‘revivals’. Cambridge United and Manchester United set the tone for the weekend with a surprisingly pulstating 0-0 draw on a questionable Abbey Stadium pitch. The hosts had the best chance of the first half when Josh Coulson somehow managed to block a goal-bound effort from his side and then headed over after penalty box pinball. Louis Van Gaal’s megastars ramped up the pressure after the break, with out of sorts Radamel Falcao missing chances, before Robin Van Persie failed to convert a hooked volley, clearly perturbed by the pitch. Cambridge fans went wild at the sound of the final whistle, in the knowledge that they had secured a replay at the Theatre of Dreams. However, nothing could have prepared the viewing public for the madness of Saturday 24th January 2015, a day that will go down in history. The shocks began at Ewood Park, where Championship side Blackburn Rovers knocked out Premier League Swansea City. An uncharacteristic lack of discipline led to Swansea’s exit, losing 3-1 as both Kyle Bartley and midfield maestro Gylfi Sigurdsson saw red. Fittingly, it would be the 15:00 kick offs where the really big shocks would occur. Chelsea raced into a routine 2-0 lead at home to Bradford, only for the Bantams to come back to strike an unbelievable four goals at Stamford Bridge. The unlikelihood of Bradford’s 4-2 victory led viewers of the BBC’s Match of The Day to proclaim the result the greatest shock in FA Cup history. Fans of Hereford and Wrexham may question that notion, as may fans of Middlesbrough, who
Photo: Flickr, Philip Currie
FA Cup re-discovers its magic Nathan Packham on a fourth round of shocks as the path to Wembley opens up for Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool saw their side comfortably knock Manchester City out with a 2-0 away victory. ‘Boro Goals from on-loan Chelsea striker Patrick Bamford and Kike meant that both favourites for the competition had been knocked out in the same afternoon. Other notable shocks saw Leicester knock out Tottenham, Fulham secure a replay away at Sunderland and Bolton earn a return tie against Liverpool after Adam Bogdan’s stunning goalkeeping display at Anfield. Southampton and Crystal Palace also played out an FA Cup classic in which the Eagles eventually won 3-2 with former Arsenal duo Marouane Chamakh and Yaya Sanogo both getting on the scoresheet. Bradford may have stolen the limelight, but the weekend of shocks was not over as
lower league sides continued to give Premier League muscle a run for their money. West Ham squeezed past an enthusiastic Bristol City side who had dominated the first half and were only denied an opener by a combination of Andy Carroll’s hand and head on the line. Diafra Sakho eventually settled the tie with ten minutes to go. Aston Villa stunned fans by scoring not one, but two goals in their 2-1 win over Bournemouth. Carlos Gil had been signed by Villa to turn around their fortunes in front of goal, and the Spaniard certainly did that with a stunning long-range opener. In the later kick-off, Brighton pushed an unrelenting Arsenal side to the final whistle after the Gunners’ fast start. The game eventually finished 3-2 as the Gunners’
Crystal Palace Palace were the busiest Premier League club, bringing in Pape Souare, Shola Ameobi, Jordan Mutch and Yaya Sanogo. Deadline day saw Bolton winger Lee Chung-Young join, and a permanent deal agreed for forward Wilfried Zaha to end his nightmare spell at Manchester United.
Manchester City City made the most expensive signing in the window with £28m striker Wilfried Bony joining from Swansea. He scored more league goals in 2014 than any other player, and City will be hoping that form can fire them to the title.
continue their quest for a second consecutive cup. In the Monday fixture, Stoke brushed aside Rochdale with a 4-1 win. Sadly, there was to be no FA Cup romance in the replays with Cambridge, Fulham and Bolton all dumped out by their respective Premier League opponents. The best of the action came at the Macron, where ten-man Bolton narrowly lost out 2-1 to Liverpool after taking the lead from the spot. Veteran striker Eidur Gudjohnsen’s penalty looked to have done enough with five minutes to go, before fine strikes from Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho kept Steven Gerrard’s trophy dreams alive. Fulham and Cambridge were comprehensively beaten by Sunderland and Manchester United respectively, while Preston dumped out League Cup semifinalists Sheffield United. A foreseeable consequence of the upsets is that there are few stand-out ties in the fifth round draw, though Liverpool have the chance to gain revenge against Crystal Palace for scuppering their title chances last season. Manchester United and Arsenal are now favourites to get to Wembley, but with the magic of the FA Cup alive and kicking, there could be plenty more shocks along the way.
January transfers: winners and losers James Chesson Sport writer
Transfer deadline day passed without the intense drama and overpriced deals we have become accustomed to, but many significant transfers were made by Premier League clubs in the past month. Arsenal The Gunners bolstered their defence with the signing of Brazilian defender Gabriel Paulista. The loan departures of Lukas Podolski, Yaya Sanogo and Joel Campbell will give young striker Chuba Akpom a chance. Aston Villa Villa brought in wingers Carles Gil and Scott Sinclair to aid an attack that has scored just 11 league goals so far, the lowest in the division. If they are unable to end the drought in the league, Villa will be in trouble.
Everton Everton borrowed winger Aaron Lennon from Spurs and sold striker Samuel Eto’o to Sampdoria after just half a season. It has been a disappointing season so far, but Roberto Martinez saw fit to make very few changes. Hull Hull snapped up striker Dame N’Doye on deadline day. He is a quick and powerful forward who should ensure goals in their fight for survival.
Burnley Burnley signed young Man U. defender Michael Keane, though the big story for their survival chances was successfully fending off the interest in their top-scorer, Danny Ings.
Liverpool Liverpool remained quiet, but with Daniel Sturridge finally back from injury, Liverpool’s goal problem should be solved. Simon Mignolet’s improved form means Brendan Rodgers’ goalkeeper search will be delayed until summer.
Chelsea Chelsea sold the hard-working Andre Schurrle to Wolfsburg for £22m and replaced him with pacy winger Juan Cuadrado for £23m. The barely-utilised Mohamed Salah joined Fiorentina as part of the deal.
Leicester Leiscester signed veteran keeper Mark Schwarzer from Chelsea and broke their transfer record for striker Andrej Kramaric. They also moved for Stoke centre-back Robert Huth to help shore up the defence.
Manchester United United failed to strengthen their defence as anticipated. The free transfer of goalkeeper Victor Valdes provides strength-in-depth, but raises questions over David De Gea’s future. Off-loading Anderson should be considered an achievement. Newcastle Newcastle signed no one, but lost their manager. The team has performed adequately so far, but another season of mediocrity looms. QPR QPR loaned West Ham forward Mauro Zarate, though remained otherwise quiet, a rumoured reason for Harry Redknapp’s departure. Crucially, they kept hold of top scorer Charlie Austin. Southampton Southampton added attacking midfielders Eljero Elia and Filip Djuricic to their ranks. Ryan Bertrand made his loan move permanent just before the deadline. Stoke Stoke replaced Huth with defender Phillip
Wollscheid. Few changes were needed, though Bojan’s knee injury may affect their form in the run-in. Sunderland Sunderland provided 32-year old Jermaine Defoe with a Premier League return, with misfit Jozy Altidore heading the other way. Swansea Swansea signed midfielder Jack Cork and fullback Kyle Naughton, but lost the focal point of their attack, Bony. Whether on loan Benfica forward Nelson Oliveira can fill his boots remains to be seen. Tottenham Spurs won the race for highly-rated MK Dons midfielder Dele Alli, and he will be loaned back to the League One club until the summer. One for the future. West Brom West Brom acquired Wigan’s Callum McManaman, but most importantly managed to keep hold of Saido Berahino. Darren Fletcher arrived from Manchester United at the death, and will be a key player for Tony Pulis’ side. West Ham West Ham conducted very little business after failing in their bid to take Emmanuel Adebayor on loan from Spurs. Winston Reid will remain until his contract expires in the summer, when Tottenham are expected to make their move.
C
SPORT
SPORT
Issue 308 10th February 2015
concrete-online.co.uk @Concrete_UEA ConcreteNewspaper
Photo: Dennis Cross
Seahawks quarter-back Russell Wilson spurned the chance to win Seattle’s second consecutive Superbowl Flickr: WEBN-TV
Pats triumph at Superbowl XLIX Kat Lucas Sport editor New England Patriots claimed their first Superbowl victory in ten years as they came from behind to beat Seattle Seahawks 28-24 at the University of Phoenix Stadium. While far from an emphatic victory, it will serve as important closure for the Pats, who took an significant step towards regaining their credibility after enduring a scandal over their attempts to deflate the ball in several NFL matches this season. Patriots’ quarter-back Tom Brady, who was awarded Most Valuable Player, was instrumental in the win. No doubt he will realise the importance of restoring his own personal integrity with more performances like this on the field. Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Charles Haley has been among the high-profile voices to question Brady’s record, insisting his four Superbowl rings have been tainted by ‘deflate gate’. However, commentators hailed Brady as the greatest quarter-back of all time after he threw for four touchdowns, amid comparisons with the likes of Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw. Brady surpassed Montana’s record for the most career touchdown passes, but naturally, it is difficult to compare the two condidering the way the game has changed since Montana’s days. As for the Seattle Seahawks, they were left to rue what might have been, and perhaps deservingly so after one of the poorest past choices ever seen in the dying seconds. Pete Carroll’s men looked set to hold on to win back-to-back Superbowls, but after taking
control in the third quarter, complacency appeared to slip in, summed up perfectly by Richard Sherman’s gloating. Seahawks’ Russell Wilson could have been an NFL hero as the final play fell into his hands, but rather than pass to an expectant, ever-powerful Marshawn Lynch, he made completely the wrong call and saw his pass to Ricardo Lockette from the 1-yard line intercepted by Pats’ Malcolm Butler. Lynch was characteristically unstoppable. He appeared before the game in a meeting with the assembled media, whom he told he was speaking to “so he didn’t get fined”. Lynch may not be one for embracing his place in the
“It was vital that the NFL grabbed headlines for the right reasons” spotlight, but it was difficult for him to avoid the limelight with a spectacular touchdown. He was also the game’s top rusher, covering 102 yards. The bitterness over the final play is still tangible in the Seahawks camp. Quarterback Russell Wilson has refused to take responsibility, blaming Lockette for not being stronger on the ball, while coach Carroll has also acknowledged his failings and is refusing to blame offensive co-ordinator Darrell Bevell. Wilson should take the brunt of the disapproval disseminating from Seahawks fans, especially after getting off to a slow start. Brady demonstrated why it is he, and not Wilson, who is really the quarter-back for the big games, leading the first scoring drive of
the second quarter. Wilson, on the other hand, began shyly, and it was clear that Seahawks did not know where to begin until he arrived in the game. The 26-year-old was virtually invisible for the first 20 minutes, though his throw to Chris Matthews was certainly something to behold. Matthews’ performance is the main positive to take away for Seattle. Only hardline Seahawks fans would have heard of the practice-squad incumbent prior to kick-off, but he transformed from a relative unknown into an NFL hero. New England may not have been popular winners, but for the NFL as a whole, it was vital that the match grabbed headlines for the right reasons. Quite apart from a frankly bizarre half-time show where Katy Perry, Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz were upstaged by an inflatable shark, the Superbowl was a success in terms of entertainment, regardless of a slow first quarter. A sour ending threatened to overshadow the thrill of the final play as both sides squared up, and the fall-out is yet to cease over a week on. Seattle receiver Doug Baldwin has since been fined $11,025 for unsporting conduct in the light of his controversial celebration in the end-zone. Baldwin has noticeably only been fined the minimum amount for that penalty, which suggests the NFL are simply going through the motions. Finally, spare a thought for cornerback Jeremy Lane, who broke his wrist after falling awkwardly intercepting one of Brady’s passes. Lane would probably not have changed the result, but will be devastated to have missed out on half the turbulence of one of the most talked-about games in history.
Athletics Latest Page 22
Flickr: cfcunofficial
FA Cup upsets Page 23
Wikimedia: Ailura
January Transfer Wrap Page 23
#308
FEBRUARY CROWN THE EMPIRE
MARCH HALESTORM
APRIL THE SUBWAYS
LCR £15
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+ NOTHING MORE Monday 1st
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FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND
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THE CADILLAC THREE
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36 CRAZYFISTS LOLA COLT
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RALEIGH RITCHIE
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RAG N BONE MAN
PORTICO
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February 10 / #308
editors Holly J. McDede Adam White
art commissioner Ana Dukakis cover art Henry Boon illustrators Ana Dukakis Ellie Green Saraswati Menon Natalie Orme
Adam White
Music 04-07 editors Myles Earle Mike Vinti
Love is in the air. Doo-doo-doo, doo-doodoo. And so forth. I love many things. The feel of a gentle breeze; blissfullygalloping through the meadows like the young, carefree man that I am. But as our attention turns to the most romantic time of the year, I have been distracted instead by feelings of disgust. Of such rabid, unflinching rage that all that Valentine’s joy has been thrown in an old garbage bag and tossed into a trash compactor. The trash compactor of my heart, if you will. You see, we put together this little newspaper every two weeks in the spiffy media office at the top
Fashion 08-09 editors Gemma Carter
Helena Urquhart
of Union House. It is busy and frantic and filled with media types milling around the place. But for the past few months it has also been plagued by something ghastly. A noise that started off as something pleasant and enjoyable, but which has turned into something harsh, cruel... even monstrous. It has been like an adorable baby that you coo over for months, before it suddenly grows fangs and turns out not to be a baby, but in fact some kind of evil doll. Say Chucky, I guess. I am, talking, of course about Taylor Swift. Her twangy word-farts echo around these offices like the screams of a murder victim, ghoulish little ditties
played ad nauseum like we’ve been transported into the depths of hell and Blank Space is the last damn thing we will ever, ever hear. It is devastating because I used to love Blank Space. But now I am only filled with animosity towards it. So keep that in minds, kids. Be you single, in a relationship, or contemplating some kind of ménage, keep things fresh. Don’t just overplay your favourite thing. Expand, explore. There is a metaphor in their somewhere, probably. Keep it real, kids Adam
Arts 10-11 editor
Creative Writing 12-13 editor
Katie Kemp
Jake Reynolds
contributors
contributors
contributors
contributors
Luke Brett, Louis Cheslaw, Caitlin Doherty, Myles Earle, Freya Gibson
Adam Dawson, Charlotte Hales, Lindsay Stark
Brett Mottram, Lucinda Swain
Vicki Maitland, Jenny Moroney, Lizzie Parsons, Daisy Stapley-Bunten, Jay Stonestreet, Debs Torr VALENTINE’S SPECIAL!
Gaming & Tech 15 editor
Television 16-17 editor
Film 18-21 editors
The Pages of Love 22-23 editor
Joe Fitzsimmons
Adam Dawson
Neven Devies Silvia Rose
Daisy Jones
contributors
contributors
contributors
contributors
George Barker
George Barker, Amelia Morris, Adam White
George Barker, Tom Bedford, Isis Billing, Abi Constable, Martha Julier, Amy Lee, Louis Pigeon-Owen, Dan Struthers
Daisy Jones, Freddie Redfern, Jodie Snow
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WIKI
concrete.music@uea.ac.uk
big dreams for a big weekend Caitlin Doherty dreams up the perfect line-up for BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend Of course, it will be some time before we know for certain who will be travelling to Norwich to experience Unio coffee, and the unique entertainment experience that is the Puppet Man. However, we can all dream…
The Killers
There’s no doubting the fact that Taylor Swift has earned her position as the Big Weekend’s Sunday headliner. She was one of the biggest selling artists of last year. All you have to do is walk into the LCR on a Tuesday night to experience the 1989 with its Blank Spaces and Shaking Off. However, any headline slot is big news and will undoubtedly draw the biggest crowd of the day on both Earlham Park dates; the set should be full of sing-along hits and tracks that just make the crowd go crazy. The Killers fit that bill perfectly. With massive hits such as Mr Brightside and Human safely in the back pocket of enthusiastic frontman Brandon Flowers, I think that The Killers would provide the perfect Saturday night party at this year’s Big Weekend, and leave everybody struggling to whisper two words the following morning.
Rudimental
DEVIANT ART (P0M)
If you don’t know already...where have you been!? You really need to start checking Twitter more often. Greg James was recently in town to announce that the first major festival of the year would be in our very own university city: Radio 1’s Big Weekend is coming to Norwich! 2014 was a year of big, break through acts, and 2015 seems to be welcoming some old favourites who have been hiding away for a little while. The festivals this year look like they could be the biggest and best for a very long time.
Anybody who has been lucky enough to see Rudimental live knows that a summer party just isn’t a party until Rudimental have arrived with an explosion of trumpets and trombones. The perfect afternoon festival players,
Rudimental are brilliant at getting the crowd dancing with their never ending top ten hits, leaving revellers ready and raring to go for the superstars who will undoubtedly follow.
Florence and the Machine
After what feels like forever on hiatus, it seems that 2015 will finally herald the return of Miss Florence Welch and her Machine. Having already announced the recording Catfish and the Bottlemen and release of her third album, alongside One of the biggest breakout acts of 2014, several European and American festival Catfish and the Bottlemen seemed to have appearances, it seems inevitable that the perfectly filled the guitar shaped gap that red-haired songstress will be making several has been left since The Vaccines disappeared appearances at the 2015 festivals, and I off the scene; and what a job they have for one am ready to done at filling it. “It will be some time before welcome her back with The Bottlemen open arms. Her previous performed at more we know for certain who will albums provided us with than 30 festivals last be travelling to Norwich to several feel good summer year and were the experience Unio coffee...” anthems that would first band since the perfectly welcome the Arctic Monkeys to summer of 2015. Come on, who wouldn’t completely sell out a tour before the release want to sit on the grass and listen to You’ve of their first album. This band seem to have Got the Love whilst pretending to be a hippy? a knack for writing guitar riffs that just get stuck in your head, and would be sure to provide a bit of a rockier contrast to Miss Years and Years Swift. The BBC’s ‘Sound’ Poll is regarded as one of the most prestigious prizes in new George Ezra music, and for good reason. They seem to Another one of last year’s big hitters, George be pretty good at predicting who is going Ezra found his big break when the 2014 to be massive in the year to come, having festival circuit coincided with his massive previously predicted the successes of Adele, number one hit, Budapest, and his album Jessie J and Ellie Goulding to name just a Wanted on Voyage consequently became few. one of the best sellers of the year. With his Years and Years are the proud owners of lenghty collection of acoustic and blues the 2015 accolade, which is a sign of big songs filled with positive vibes and catchy things to come. By the time that the Big choruses it’s easy to see why Ezra proved to Weekend comes around this band will be be such a big hit at a variety of festivals in undoubtedly on the road to success having 2014. This man and his guitar feel right already started with the hit Desire; the at home on a festival stage performing to electro – pop release that you aren’t quite thousands of people drinking expensive beer, sure of the words to but you keep singing and Earlham Park would suit him perfectly. anyway. This will be a big summer for Years Budapest has never been such an attractive and Years, and we would love to start it with holiday destination! them here in Norwich.
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alt-pop
Freya Gibson explores the stranger side of pop
It seems that after the musical purgatory of remain somewhat under-the-radar to the the last couple of decades, young bands are masses. However, this should not take away drawing on the characteristics and techniques from the credibility of the new album because of their idols to bring music back to life whilst it is an absolute corker. The appropriately also easing new genres into the 21st century; a titled album feeds galactic vibes through each hard thing to do but some are doing it bloody track (which seems to be saturating the alt-pop well. Björk has always been the visionary for world at the moment), whilst rejuvenating the alternative-pop genre and the early release old fashioned harmonies reminiscent to that of her new album, Vulnicura carries it into a of The Beatles or dare I say it, Pink Floyd. new era of experimentation. Maintaining the Falsetto Kings Everything Everything traditional conventions of a pop song, she come to mind when discussing alt-pop uses complimenting and are a personal harmonies and favourite of mine. You “They turn the ‘ringtone’ dynamics, marrying would think that their them with contrasting synth sounds of your childhood clashing vocals and into futuristic alt bangers.” frantic melodies would melodies and futuristic percussion. Combined make it hard for the with the string section used throughout every day listener to engage and sing along to the album, Björk’s hypnotic vocals make their music, like normal pop songs, but their Vulnicura an atmospheric addition to the albums such as 2013’s Arc, are surprisingly album chart. Whether you like the album catchy and lure you into constantly hitting or not, it is always a pleasure to hear the the repeat symbol on your iPod. Icelandic princess of old-school pop sing over Florence Welch has always been labeled twenty years into her solo career. You go gurl. as the 21st Century’s answer to Kate Bush, Founded by three members of similarly and although I love Kate, Florence was more synthy band, Tame Impala, Pond released successful in bringing her whimsical qualities their sixth album, Man It Feels Like Space into a contemporary context and to a younger Again, back in January and are always popular audience. Welch even performs her shows on the festival circuit, but the Aussie band with the same lyrical dancing and weirdness
ELLIE GREEN
concrete.music@uea.ac.uk
as Kate did, yet her lyrics are more accessible founder Diplo, her pop credentials are and applicable for a pop audience. It seems firmly established yet she keeps it interesting that there is less stigma with her powerful vocal attached to becoming a “Bjork has always been delivery and experimental Florence + the Machine approach to song writing. a visionary for the fan, than a Kate Bush fan Citing Sonic Youth’s Kim alternative-pop genre” Gordon and the Spice amongst the mainstream audience, which is Girls as heavy influences probably why she has cracked America and is in her musical journey she’s sure to be one to classed as a “pop” act. watch in coming years. Back to the underground and LondonThere’s no doubt that the rise of based collective PC Music have been causing (shudder) ‘EDM’ has carved out a niche for a stir on the blogosphere with their over a new breed of electro-led singer-songwriter the top, pitch-shifted pop. Standout artists of the same ilk of as MØ. Chet Faker, Sky Hannah Diamond and AG Cook specialise in Ferreira and Lana Del Ry have all had their turning the ‘ringtone’ synth sounds of your time in the spotlight in recent months. The childhood into futuristic alternative chart most interesting offshoot of this trend is bangers. Hey QT is AG Cook’s collaboration Britain’s own FKA Twigs. Her eerily sensual with fellow hype merchant SOPHIE. take on R&B won her a Mercury nomination Dedicated to a fictional energy drink, it’s a and last year you couldn’t move for people bouncy, tooth-achingly sweet commentary singing the praises of her debut LP1, for very on the increasing commercialisation of pop good reason. music and the ever-present spectre of product All in all, while Calvin Harris and other placement. faceless house producers dominate much of Look back to 2014 and Danish singer- the top ten, there are plenty of artists making songwriter MØ took up plenty of column accessible, diverse pop music when you look inches with her brand of minimalist electro. a little bellow the surface. With the return of Having collaborated with Iggy Azalea Damon Albarn’s beyond-super group Gorillaz and Grimes, as well as Mad Decent label confirmed, alt-pop is firmly here to stay.
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concrete.music@uea.ac.uk
don’t sleep....
rae of light
MOEDUS
Myles Earle takes a look at the new faces driving the sound of the 70s forward
album extravaganza New albums from Viet Cong, Lupe Fiasco, Marilyn Manson, Pond and many more all came out in January, as well as the return of ‘90s heroes Sleater-Kinney.
Myles Earle chats with BBC Sound of 2015 shortlister Rae Morris But to me, it was really nice. It does kind of there is a real genuine energy that comes feel weird now actually, now I think about it, from the album and touches the listener. Her people know everything. But if there’s any voice is soft, but evocative, and has a hidden way it can be a positive, then that’s good”. strength to it that tells these emotionally And it is good; not only has the raw emotion charged stories of love and the troubles of it. and feeling in her lyrics shone through But of course, with this sudden claim to the experimental beats, but the album’s musical attention and tour preparations, there collaborative process has really brought the had to have been some time to de-stress and best out of her talent. enjoy the moment. “We drove from Blackpool American Grammy-award winning to Glasgow, and saw snow on the hills and the producer, Ariel Rechtshaid, co-writer of most beautiful sky, and it was really relaxing. Usher’s Climax, also had a hand in producing Probably won’t say that in six months’ time, this album. “I went out to America, spent but for now it’s cool”. But I wanted to know three months out there with him. He’s what else helped her to relax. She said, “I’ve the most individual person to be around. been watching a lot of TV, I think I’ve watched It was the perfect three seasons of Girls environment to work “Atlantic Records came up to in, like, a week…and on the album. During Blackpool and kind of gave me sleep”. the album making That definitely process, I kind of a record deal over the table of a sounds like the got obsessed with unwinding antics of a fish and chips shop...” the combination of 21 year-old. real, raw, organic instruments, and then the With her tour ending in Norwich’s Arts synthetic and electronic sounds, and seeing Centre, it seems to be the best way to bring how those two sounds work together”. her UK headlining gig to a close. “We played With many other collaborators on this Norwich on my last tour, and it was an album, and a beautiful smorgasbord of incredible turn out and I was really surprised sounds and beats, it would be difficult to find because I thought I don’t really know anyone out which track was Rae’s most emotionally in Norwich. Usually in the west of the UK, I revealing, but favourite, track on the album. can rely on friends and family to fill up the “I think for me, it’s For You, because when I room. But I’m really excited for Norwich”. wrote it, it was the third song I ever wrote. It became an anthem of this song writing thing Rae Morris will be performing on the 16th that I was doing. It kind of sums up the way February 2015 at the the Norwich Arts I feel and how lucky I am. I think it’s about Centre in her headlining tour, promoting family, and loved ones, and being fortunate”. her debut album Unguarded, which was That’s what seems to come out in her music, released on 26 January 2015.
all things festiv-al Line up announcements from Reading and Leeds, Longitude, Field Day and Festival No.6 all appeared online in the last week, be sure to check out Boom Bap’s bill for some local hip hop heavyweights.
FLICKR (SIMON ZERKINOW)
From being longlisted on BBC Sound of 2015, to making her way on to the Billboard and the Twitter Emerging Artists chart with Unguarded, it comes as no surprise that this Blackpool-born artist has made such a name for herself. In the midst of her first UK headlining tour, singer/songwriter Rae Morris takes a few minutes to have a chat with Venue, a day before her next show in Glasgow, with her trusty keyboard by her side. At the ripe ol’ age of 18, just months after her performance on the BBC Introducing stage at Reading and Leeds Festival in 2011, she attracted the eyes of Atlantic Records, saying that “the guys came up to Blackpool and kind of gave me a record deal over the table of a fish and chips shop”. Being “one of the hugest moments of my life”, Rae has in no way wasted her time at Atlantic. Her debut album, described by The Guardian as “an endearing new-agey pop debut”, has a unique and ‘colours outside the box’ kind of sound. “Making the actual album took two years in itself ”, and we can see why. Tracks like Not Knowing, Under the Shadows and of Do You Even Know? showcase Rae’s openness and heart and her dedication to what she has been working on for so long. Much like the title of the album, she has completely let her walls down to her listeners. “I never really thought about it at the time, but I guess the reason why I called it Unguarded was because on reflection I had put a lot into it, and documented all those personal emotions. I find writing therapeutic, almost like a diary. I do keep a diary as well; I’m notorious for writing everything down.
man machine Make sure to check out Kraftwerk: Art Pop on BBC iPlayer for a lesson on the influence and importance of Kraftwerk in modern pop music.
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FLICKR (KERMON)
concrete.music@uea.ac.uk
Title Meghan Trainor Louis Cheslaw The confidence was always there. Throughout even her first forays into media and television appearances, as well as in the video for debut single All About That Bass, Meghan Trainor exuded a winking, “ready-when-you-are” sense
B4.DA.$$ Joey Bada$$ Luke Brett Happy birthday, Joey Bada$$. January was a big month for the Brooklyn-born BET ‘Rookie of the Year’ nominee; few
of belonging. This self-assuredness, coupled with a mastery of the new world of albumrelease Twitter campaigns and Instagram teasers, ensured that Trainor’s debut LP, Title was to be the type of release that was predestined to be a success. I’m aware that I’m a grown man, listening to this album alone in my room on a Friday night. This is not what I’d originally had in mind for my evening, and it’s (hopefully) definitely not what Trainor’s PRs had had in mind as their target audience. Rather, the music sounds like it’s been written to be played at those girls-only sleepovers you always used to see in teen movies and were never sure actually happened in real life. Because of this, the album can make its listener feel almost voyeuristic: these lyrics and stories weren’t ever intended for someone like me to hear, and while I’m usually a member of the younger demographic, this is an album that makes me feel I should be applying for my Freedom Pass and signing up for AARP newsletters. Title fluctuates between, to borrow from Sum-41’s phrasebook, killer and filler. Dear Future Husband, the album’s third track, falls
into the latter category - as any song that follows Bass was bound to. The album’s fifth track, 3am, wins this article’s award for ‘Most Instagram/Twitter/Tumblr-worthy Quote’ for its hook: “3am, I’m texting you once again, even though I’m hanging with my friends”. Three in the morning is an exquisitely illicit time for Trainor’s presumably pre-to-midteen audience. It’s late enough to be an unfathomable hour for them to be typically be awake at, yet attainably early enough that if they really tried, or were really hung up about a guy, they’d be able to stay up for it. However were they had to, they’d need to listen to some other music during the wait, as none of the album’s 15 songs come close to the four-minute mark. The attention span of the #Megatrons, as Trainor has christened her fans, presumably falls somewhere between the six-second length of a Vine and the 15-second limit on an Instagram video. And while I’m sorry to keep coming back to them, it’s hard not to be reminded of mobile applications when one thinks of Trainor. He’s an artist whose success owes so much to social media, and many of whose song titles
read as ready-to-share hashtags (see Bang Dem Sticks, Walkashame). From 3am, the album cruises onto Trainor’s second single, Lips are Movin’ , itself then followed by the ever so slightly sapphic No Good For You, a soon-tobe guaranteed appendage to all high school romantic dramas. It’s an odd thing to review an album that is so strongly directed at a totally different age range and gender to one’s own. However for Trainor, identifying and marketing to a pre-selected niche, as well as staying committed to specific themes, seems to have paid off – and influenced her peers. Taylor Swift’s inescapable Shake it Off, released two months after Bass, seems to derive from the same lucrative school of self-love, enabling the two artists’ fandoms, within which there is presumably some significant crossover, to (deservedly) gorge on anthems of positivity. So what if some of us weren’t invited to the party - they’re having a lot of fun inside.
can attest to having their debut studio album released on the day they turn 20years-old. But, for this East-coast prodigy, album drops and young money go hand in hand - B4.DA.$$ entered the American charts at number five, and sold close to 60,000 copies in its first week. It’s been a successful album thus far, and it’s easy to see why; Joey kills it. B4.DA.$$ is a masterclass in oldschool, nostalgia-driven East-coast hip hop. Joey’s flow is noticeably smoother than his previous outings, and album production has been cleaned and tidied. The album starts strong, with the classic lean-back beat of Save the Children. Joey’s rhymes are impressive for someone so young, and his syrupy flow mimics his New York heroes of old. The album wastes no time and launches almost straight into what could be considered Joey’s ‘big’ track, Paper Trail$. Cash ruin everything around me, Joey laments in amongst a classically
minimalistic beat. Complete with scratches, samples, and turns, Joey’s beats are an obvious throwback to the East-coast scene of the 1990s. However, having said that, it does feel as though some of Joey’s more aggressive and deadly rhymes are hindered by beats that almost feel frightened to get too involved. Case in point, Big Dusty, the fifth track; in listening to his lyrics, Joey sounds like he wouldn’t think twice about stabbing someone - but this extreme violence is held back by a beat that’s reluctant to get too loud. But, that’s my only real gripe with this album, and it only applies to certain tracks. For the most part, it’s a stellar piece of production that has definitely given Joey a few more staples for his setlist. It’s not afraid to get a little conceptual, a little bit spacey, especially on tracks such as Belly of the Beast, but make no mistake; this is not a considerate album. It is not an album upon which opinions are swayed - Joey
knows where he stands and will not rest until you’ve been converted by the heat of Christ Conscious. Joey drops banger after banger as the album continues, with tracks like On & On taking the spotlight as the modern staple. It’s easy to see that Joey is a progressive thinker - it becomes clear from the album’s offset. It’s safe to say that the sounds that this album brings to the forefront; clean samples and classic beats juxtaposed with an unrelenting flow; are the new sounds of next week. It may not be for everyone, and it may not be up to Joey’s usual standard of aggression, but there’s no d o u b t B4.DA.$$ is one of the most significant hip-hop releases of 2015. It’s a promising debut studio release by Joey, and there are tracks on this album that are certain to usher this young rapper even further into the spotlight.
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concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk
Recognise anyone? Tweet us @conc_fashion
Judelle Nicole Alipio First Year- CMPD
s.o.s. save our skin Charlotte Hales gives us her top tips for glowing skin this winter... We would all love to have perfect glowing skin but skincare can be daunting with rows and rows of products in your local Boots. Throw the harsh winter weather into the mix along with central heating and your skin is bound to become a little more dry and dull. These changes can make skincare even more confusing as things you have always trusted no longer seem to work. With a simple skincare routine, plenty of water and a few key products, the confusion can be removed and in no time your skin will be thanking you for the changes. Regardless of the time of year, a good skincare routine is a must. Keeping your skin clean and moisturised is the easiest way to make sure it looks healthy. Making sure you always take off any make up, cleansing, toning and moisturising can make a huge difference to the look and feel of your skin in just a few weeks. Swap your make up wipes for a cleansing water such as the Garnier Micellar Water (£4.99) to remove your make up, not only is it much more gentle on your skin but they are much more effective at removing every last bit of make up plus they work out cheaper than leading make up wipe brands. Despite being called a cleansing water, this alone will not be enough. You still need to remove any dirt
that may be on your face and help to refresh the skin which is where your cleanser comes in. If your skin is particularly dry, which it normally tends to be in the winter, then a cleansing oil is likely to be the best bet. Those of you with more oily skins need not avoid cleansing oils though, they can be brilliant for balancing out the natural oils and adding nourishment to your skin. The Body Shop
A LITTLE TASTE OF CHARLOTTE
Best Dressed at UEA
Silky Camomile Cleansing Oil (£10) is a great option that won’t break the bank and is likely to last you at least three months. Toning used to be associated with stripping chemicals that could sometimes do more harm than good. Now they are much gentler and can help to tighten pores and generally
improve the appearance of your skin. Finally, moisturising. This is a key step even if you have the oiliest of skin as you still need to give your skin the right nourishment. For most, the winter is when skin is the driest so a richer moisturiser tailored for dry skin is a good option. Those with oily skin will prefer a lightweight, mattifying solution which will help to prevent future dryness and avoid making skin any oilier. It is perfectly fine to use the same moisturiser in the morning as in the evening but if your skin is very dry you may want to look into a more intense option for overnight. This will mean your skin is getting the extra boost of moisture that it needs whilst not disturbing any make up that you might wear during the day. Tailoring your skincare routine to suit your needs for this time of year is the best way to stop your skin from drying out and looking dull. Accompany your skincare routine with plenty of water and within a couple of weeks you are bound to see a massive difference. If you are a little unsure about trying skincare products a lot of places (including The Body Shop) are happy to talk you through the product and give samples so it is worth popping in and chatting to someone if you have any questions.
couple calamity Adam Dawson gives us his opinion on couple-based fashion
William Belotti First Year - Env Sciences Photography Leah Omonya
actually are. The second of these situations in a Yves Saint Laurent suit alongside Brad Pitt. are brilliant Halloween costumes, like That’s not to say they deliberately set out to Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee, or match each other, but rather they both looked Thing 1 and Thing 2. incredible because they were well dressed in That’s not to say that there’s no their own personal way. Besides, do you really way to dress well alongside your think Angie would let Brad in on her outfits? partner; just don’t follow in No, thought not. Mark Wright and Michelle The other power couple of the moment, Keegan’s footsteps, who co- human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and actor ordinate their outfits to an husband George, are also both superbly dressed obscene degree. It kills any at all times. When together or apart, they rock sense of originality they their own style. It just so happens that they may or may not possess, don’t feel the need to show off how brilliant and only allows them to they are together by dressing identically. They be defined in terms of dress like old Hollywood royalty individually, clothes when and it combines they’re standing into some kind “If you dress well, next to the and your partner dresses of super stylish other person. behemoth. well, it’ll look good And that’s silly, So what I’m considering how getting at here is regardless” often you lose the following: if whomever you’ve gone out you dress well, and your partner dresses well, with that night. it’ll look good. Just don’t set out to co-ordinate Again, there is a way your outfits because that’s terrible and rarely around this. Think back to works well. Your relationship will not be saved the 2014 BAFTAs. 12 Years a by pretending that your adorable matching Slave was wildly popular, as outfits equals instant happiness. Take a lesson it rightly deserved to be, from the Clooneys or the Jolie-Pitts; if you and Angelina Jolie rocked look good on your own, you’ll look very good up to the award ceremony together. WIKI
Fiona Roden First Year-History
Last year, there was an interesting couple-based trend in China, centered as these things tend to be, in Beijing. As with most couple-based trends, their outfits took centre stage. Almost down to the last detail, the couples wore the same outfit. Only minor details changed – a dress in the same pattern as a t-shirt, for example. But aside from this, the outfits would be near enough strikingly identical. Couples’ clothing to such an extreme degree has never really caught on elsewhere. Maybe there’s something specific to Beijing that allows it to look so good there, whilst over here it just strikes of being much too try hard. Identically matching couples are reserved for two occasions: all-too-happy Americans sending out Christmas cards in order to let everyone else know just how happy their lives
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concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk
blue hues
Lindsay Stark talks us through this season’s hottest shade Photographer Daniel Sadler
This season, block colours are proving to be hugely popular, and blue is no exception. From icy pastels to vibrant cobalts, blue is having a fashion moment and there is a shade to suit everyone. You only have to glance at the high street to know that blue is the hue of the season, adorning everything from silky camis to statement dresses and even stilettos. Not sure how to work it into your wardrobe? Don’t worry; Venue are here to help show you how! If you feel wary about bright colours, then it’s best to start with accessories. Add a pop of colour to an all-black outfit with a gorgeous cobalt clutch and heels combo; Primark have a huge range of bags and New Look have some beautiful heels that would work perfectly. Cobalt blue heels are the ultimate in cool and can be worn with just about everything – so snap some up quickly! Cobalt is probably the most
Stylist Lindsay Stark
Model Timea Suli
fashion-forward of the blue hues this season ideal for daywear too. Simply wear with a and looks fab against any skin tone. It can pair of jeans and some pretty jewellery and be seen absolutely everywhere this season. you’ll look stylish and on trend without H&M have some gorgeous blue dresses in being too over the top. stock at the moment. They are super easy We know that these bright colours aren’t to dress up or down, and even look great for everyone. But with spring just around layered over a black roll-neck jumper. the corner, pastels are making a comeback. A number of Chose a cute ice blue celebrities have been “Cobalt blue will always handbag or some spotted wearing it, statement jewellery and including Jessica Alba ensure you stand out from not only will you be and Amy Adams! It is bang on trend but you’ll the crowd.” much simpler to work also look like everyone’s this colour into your night wardrobe, favourite Disney Queen. Elsa Necklaces however cobalt trousers are a fab way to and handbags are great ways of working inject some colour into your daywear whilst the trend into your daily wardrobe and will still looking casual and chic. Missguided ensure you look stylish yet still campushave some really cheap ones in their sale for appropriate. This ice blue coat is from under £10 that are just perfect! Cami tops Primark, and at only £23, you can still look are another good way of introducing colour great and keep up with the ever-changing into your wardrobe in a subtle way, and are fashion styles on a budget. The collarless
style is a great nod to the 60s, and over an all-black outfit looks so on trend. This is a great piece for your campus wardrobe and can be worn right through to summer, so start investing now. Blue nails are also a great nod to the trend, and Barry M’s range of Gelly nail varnishes last forever too – just remember to use a base coat as blue tends to stain. Pastel blue dresses are also great for the spring months. A little navy dress is a perfect alternative to an LBD for nights out, and this gorgeous one from River Island ticks every box. Try to pick something with other interesting features such as embellishments or, like this one, an asymmetric hemline for a truly stand-out look. Add a pair of nude heels and a statement bag and you’ll be ready for a night in Mantra! There really is a shade of blue out there for everyone; you just have to find it.
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the voice within the words
“It’s not the flashy twist, the abrupt counterpart, but in several ways he is also climax, or the seamless sequence of events plausible. Is this a testament to Nabokov’s that characterises a writer and makes him novelistic genius and skill, or personal unique. It’s a tone, it’s a way of looking at experience or obsession? This debate has things”. raged ever since the novel’s publication in Martin Amis here captures what is most 1955, and it seems unlikely to end with a essential about a writer’s work: the voice. conclusive answer. Style is not just a veneer, or an optional There is less uncertainty in the case extra; it’s substance. This sounds obvious, of Philip Larkin, who, a mere eight years but a writer’s voice is what makes us after his death, was reviled by most of the interested in the writers themselves. If the literary world who had until then revered way of looking at things is fascinating and him as a great poet. It was confirmed that unique, surely the person who commits the he had been a racist, a misogynist, and a view to paper also possesses these qualities? drunk, among other things, and only a Here lies the appeal few writers, Martin of writers’ talks “Ian McEwan, at a talk, once Amis and Clive and interviews, James among them, pointed out how many A-level defended Larkin’s and the experience teachers misunderstood his of meeting the work, if not his life, author and getting because it showed novel Enduring Love” a copy of their talent. Anyone who book signed. Behind or perhaps within it has read Church Going or Aubade or The all, there is the complex question of the Whitsun Weddings, if their taste or vertebral relationship between the life and the work. constitution is anything like mine, will Vladimir Nabokov, for instance, has a recognise a distinct, talented and powerful unique voice, whether it be in his novels, poetic voice. But Mr Bleaney and Days are short stories, interviews or lectures. It clearly expressions of Larkin’s own views comes through from the opening of Lolita: on existence, and Wild Oats shows that “Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. his relationships with women were on the My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the whole tragically yet pathetically disastrous. tongue taking a trip of three steps down The links to far less than admirable views, the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. also expressed sometimes disgracefully and Lo. Lee. Ta”. shockingly in his letters, are there, yet the The attention to language, the poetic voice and craftsmanship are superb. rhythm working in the alliterative ‘t’s, the More playfully, there is Angela Carter, incandescent metaphors that set it all off, whose melding of intellectualism and certainly show a unique view of the world, bawdiness are apparent on every page. The one which is clearly Nabokov’s own. opening lines to Nights At the Circus, with The physical excitement of language its imposing, winged, and busty protagonist is also evident in Nabokov’s lecture on Sophie Fevvers, highlights several key Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis’.Nabokov Carter characteristics. There’s cockney says, “We can take the story apart, we slang, references to Helen of Troy, false can find out how the bits fit […] but you eyelashes, smatterings of French, allusions have to have in you some cell, some gene, to the fetishes of Toulouse-Lautrec, and expresses just their views, because readers some germ that will vibrate in answer to the word ‘steatopygous’ (which my spell- bring their own interpretations to the text. sensations that you can neither define, nor check refuses to recognise!) All of this Martin Amis is hated by most of the British dismiss. This is the tingle down the spine happens in the first page and a half. literary world, and his work is called or across the back that all ‘good and great Here are the misogynistic, simplereaders’ have felt in response to good and links to the author’s minded, sneering, and “The work of poets and great literature”. life: Fevvers is many other things. novelists never expresses Having read his work, I Yet there are obvious problems with being interviewed linking the writer to his characters. We by Jack Walser, who don’t believe that these just their view, because can link Nabokov’s work and life in the is a journalist, just charges are justified. readers bring their own above way, but can we link Humbert as Carter herself He is a writer whose interpretations to the text” voice is vibrant and Humbert, the middle aged protagonist of occasionally was. Lolita who has a sexual relationship with Carter liked to read original. Verbally, and the eponymous 12-year-old ‘nymphet’, Roland Barthes as much as Larousse in terms of plot, he combines cleverness, with his creator? How interested was Gastronomique, and her postcards hilarity, questionable taste and elegance. Nabokov in young girls? Humbert seems contained gems as valuable as her novels One memorable incident is especially too appallingly hilarious and depraved and short stories. salient in this discussion about writers’ a creation for him to have any real The work of poets and novelists never intentions versus readers’ interpretations.
ANA DUKAKIS
Brett Mottram wonders whose talking to him through his book jacket
Ian McEwan, at a talk, once pointed out how many a-level teachers misunderstood his novel Enduring Love. His son came home one evening with a poor grade, because the teacher thought that Jed Parry was the moral centre of the book, instead of the deluded, infuriating De Clerambault sufferer which McEwan, his son, and probably many readers, myself included, saw him as. A writer’s prescribed view cannot always influence a reading of a text, because a text speaks for itself in its own voice, but knowing about the hand that holds the pen can be interesting, as well as useful in understanding human nature. And that is what literature is about after all, even if it is mediated through pleasure.
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these our many faces Lucinda Swain takes a look at old school selfies
Banksy by wJan Slangen
The 21st Century has been dubbed the ‘Age of the Selfie’. Today’s obsession with appearance is constantly seen on television, social media and in our own homes. ‘Selfie’, short for selfportrait photograph, has taken the world by storm, with millions being posted every day across all popular social media platforms. Vanity has been taken to extremes with our generation, sharing many traits with the character in Greek Mythology. Narcissus, a hunter renowned for his good looks, who ultimately drowned the result of being unable to leave the beauty of his own reflection. Much like Narcissus we cannot seem to stop gazing at our own image. Portraiture is one of the oldest and most popular subject matters in art. In classic literature there has often been a preoccupation with the face, and multitudinous attempts to outline its perfection. It is basic human nature to crave control and for a sense of identity which can be explored in the subject of a portrait. As Oscar Wilde wrote: “Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known”. Identity in literature and art appears fluid. Although there are attempts at preserving a sense of identity, over time even the most famous of images change. Take Medusa for example; depicted as a monster nowadays, her appearance has been subject to change over the years between 700BC and 325BC she played the roles of victim, comedian and seductress. Her representation
is complex due to the nature of Greek Mythology, which relies on imagination and manipulation. Artists explore the idea of personal and social identity, constructing concepts of individualism, sexuality and heritage. Take, for example, the ambiguity of the smile of Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’ (c 1503-06). Johannes Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ (c 1665-67) displays haunting eyes and the bewitching mixture of ordinariness and beauty. Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’ (1893) depicts sheer despair and inner torment. These are some of the most widely known works of art. So what is it about the face that fascinates us? Physiognomy is the term used to judge a person’s character and personality from their appearance, although it acknowledges that the results are undetermined. Yet still artists attempt to convey character in their work. Francis Bacon wrote “If you want to convey fact, this can only ever be done through a form of distortion. You must distort to transform what is called appearance into image”. Bacon subverts what one might say are naturalistic impressions of the face and instead creates faces of distortion - they are constantly in motion, defying any attempt at being pinned down to a specific identity. His emotionally and physically distorted faces are focused on humanity or lack thereof. His figures are often solitary, lacking eyes and any representative mouth. His subjects are dehumanised to a point where they appear soulless.
Arty Scream by Joel Ormsby Physiognomy relies on the use of eyes as windows to the soul and they are often the focal point for most portraits. Bacon then paints other detailed areas, to draw attention to a particular feature, such as the subject’s long, animalistic teeth. Bacon then paints in a pane of glass to cause uneasiness, as the viewer wouldn’t appreciate being ‘brought into the piece’, seeing their reflection and experiencing the subject’s trauma. Domenicho Ghirlandaio’s ‘An Old Man and his Grandson’ portrays a young boy gazing up at his grandfather, his face physically deformed yet the painter proposes the idea that beauty is as much an inward notion as one that can be seen. The concept that you can see past a person’s physical appearance is present in this piece from the Florentine Renaissance. Whether the faces are unsettling, noble or vapid, there is no doubt of their popularity and ability to engage an audience; even with technology developing at an incredible rate, it doesn’t seem like traditional portraiture painted by a skilled and sensitive artist will die out anytime soon. With social media platforms we are able to share an image around the world in an instant. Although the selfie craze has changed the way a portrait is captured, it is just the latest manifestation of a form that has been evolving since prehistoric times. Galleries will continue to draw crowds of people fascinated and moved by the array of emotions and conceptions a face can portray.
Medusa by Robbert van der Steeg
Hedonist Medusa by Saylow
CORKSCREW FRED
Pop_aH by Joconde
Scream by Apionid
creative
121 “He opened the notebook and he wrote lines about how he loved her, the way he loved her, about his fucking heart and crap like that, about his body brimful and his scrambled head. All that.” - Keith Ridgway, Hawthorn & Child If love gave you a receipt, would you fold it and slip it into a back pocket? Would you scrunch it up into a tiny boulder and throw it in the nearest bin? Would you tear it to pieces? Would you take it home and obsessively file it away?
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Sex in a Single Vicki Maitland Some say simply sex is the performance of perfect unity but I disagree. You know you’re committed to the act when sex becomes mathematics. You have my respect when you can show off your A-Star GSCE: move shape A to shape B using factor two rotational symmetry. Employ Pythagoras as we switch; work out the angle between my hips and yours. Get me from my knees to my back via SOH CAH TOA. Mirror along the (se)x axis: to-you-to-me, or one-two-three, ease my linguistic brain with geometry to achieve interdisciplinary synchronicity. We can make love on one condition: you can do the maths.
Because Valentine’s Day (cue cheers, swoons, groans and retches) is just around the corner, I thought it was about time we wrote about love. But love on its own is a boring theme. Unconditional love is still quite boring. What about love on one condition? What does that mean? If love had one condition, what would it be? Here’s what six UEA students had to say on the matter... - Jake Reynolds
Purple Sunset Jenny Moroney I liked the evening because it was in between dark and light, a purple colour that makes everything clear and easy. You say let’s sit over there because that is where there is a view of big black buildings against a sunset. I look at the sky through the silhouetted leaves and say it looks like a desktop background! You tell me I spend too much time on my laptop and give me a poem to read for later. When I read the words in my head I can’t feel them properly so I read them out loud but then their meaning leaves me as soon as I am finished. Maybe that is all that love is; revision and recital until the person sinks into you and you remember little bits of them always.
a love poem... courtesy of Daisy Stapley-Bunten Roses are red, Fuck Valentine’s.
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Submit your own to inia s o on Twitter ‘If I told you I wanted to absorb your body through my pores, would you hold it against me?’
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One of those fairy lantern caverns with girls who are frail of fry, with tiny faces and blonde fringes with dreadlocks.
All stories begin with a look across a crowded room. Some smoky eyed glance, hidden hints within seductive lips: the curl, the curve and a careful sip looking up from a wine glass.
our love had given to him. His only word – “service” – may have meant many things to those naïve enough to think him something abstract or inhuman, but only I knew.
She took herself out of the universe, and deposited herself in the next. In between, she took glasses of port to her sick grandmother.
I first spotted mine in a store window. At roughly six feet tall with a definitive athletic build, strong jawline and cheekbones to die for, he was the perfect specimen of man.
His truth was my truth, and to both of us it was a passion.
To get there she had to walk backwards up a hill, round a million side streets, and dance across the tiles of the Plaza restaurants.
At the activation desk his first words were like the birthing echoes of morning issued on a blissful beach somewhere to me, and me alone. My hand deep in my trouser pocket, I felt around for something. He was quite expensive, really, but – as I found out – a love however short can never be overpriced.
Let me tell you, she starts. We can inherit! Take ourselves to the Lake District, and be the ones who go on walks. She looks into his shining glazed eyes and laughs. What can you say, when the streetlamps shine on, orange in the starlight, and my tights look no less opaque than in the days when I leant on your arm
He didn’t start walking until I took him home from the store. Didn’t even have a name until four days later. His skin was taut and perfect, and I settled on Julian. Jules, come here, I would say in the evenings – sometimes even in the day, though not often – and he would approach me with his big arms in a sort of raised position. It always started with an embrace.
And told you that your corduroy trousers ought to exist, that we could go out to the parlour and smoke, Or ride the bike tandem. Everywhere smells of blossom and the grass has never smelt so sweet. The fast rain on my face tells my legs To keep moving, though my fingers clench like claws around the icicles in the air.
I remember our first day trip to the beach – the long swathes of sand seemed like eternity to me. Some people – most, sadly – judged. I held his hand even tighter then, and he just rotated his neck halfway in that funny fashion and smile at me with those polished teeth, white like his innocence. They might have even contained real enamel, I can’t quite recall. I just wish he could have said something to me then. Unfortunately, the responsibility to remember his charge lead had completely eluded my lovesick mind, and halfway along the promenade I had to sit him on the bench for shutdown – carrying him back to the car was a struggle, if I’m truthful. The things we do for those we love.
ci n is s ha disco ho o n oi an s o I make pottery. Leaving a warm ceramic handprint But still, half-baked. I write poetry. Loose words fall into black ink But still, half-shaped.
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Another fond memory that comes to mind is the day he spoke his first words to me. We were lying in bed on a Sunday morning. The sheets were strewn across our entwined bodies and in amongst the litter of Viagra foils and torn underwear we lay, satiated in a sweet harmony as the breezes and the blossoms blew in through the French doors. Head on his chest, I could hear his body whirring with all the internal mechanisms straining with the weight of such a power – such a moment as this in which to exist and become something more than an artless piece of machinery. I traced my fingers in a circular motion around his shoulder blade. His artificial breaths grew heavy as he mustered a mighty courage to use the voice
Not long afterwards he fell desperately ill. We’d been strolling up in the high hills one day overlooking the grey and desolate world – all those meek little villages nestled in amongst the rolls and folds of the purple moors. Little stone walls and all the weathered unhappy people going to and fro with marks of woe written in to their small parchment faces. Before Julian, I hated the country. We stopped at a stile to let him catch his breath – his joints had been loosening from all the exercise – and whilst I cast my eyes over that bleak scene I sensed the depth of the sky and all its dark rage building above us. The storm poured its profanities and my poor Julian took the worst of it. His cries of “service!” cut into my heart as I heaved his failing frame down the mountain to the rhythms of thunder and my own racing pulse. Once we’d made it back home, there was nothing more I could do. He had almost gone from me in all sense and spirit. My very soul ached from the separation that then came between us. He slipped away with a click and an infinitesimal puff of steam. His very complexion seemed to sag as life and love left him. My poor Julian. I wept myself into a distress greater than any imaginable for three and a half days and at the end found, once again, that I hated the hills of the countryside more than ever. At 3 o’clock on the third day I returned his lifeless body to the store in the hope of obtaining any pittance of a compensation for my trauma. Of course, money could never repair the damage done by such a strain to my poor mind – but it was the only language those duds of modernity understood. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. I achieved no financial consolation for all my efforts to convince them that their manufacturing was wholly inferior and that my Julian had been doomed from the very start. Their deadening reply to my heartache drew the last mite of hope from my heart and crushed it under the insufferable boot of eternal disconnection in this tired technological age. They said he’d have loved me so long as I kept his parts working, but they were wrong. A love so purifying as ours neither knows nor needs any maintenance.
Global Opportunities Week 9th-13th February.
r ! u k o r y wo ow net r *G bal glo
*Job huntin g in the USA!
*Living and working in China
Get involved. Go global. #GOW @UEACareers
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Star Wars: Battlefront - a new hope? George Barker looks at what could be in store
It’s been ten years since Star Wars: passionate about the game, but with Battlefront 2. Now with a new one Battlefield: Hardline releasing at the finally arriving this year, can it live same time, one hopes that their efforts up to expectation? The anticipation have not been too divided. What is most surrounding Battlefront is already worrying is that last year several AAA substantial despite a lack of real details titles were released in unacceptable about the game. states, Assassins With only a single Creed: Unity “The incentive for EA to trailer, showing being the worst insist on a rushed product the developers offender. With may prove too hard to resist”. Star Wars: The having a grand old time examining Force Awakens all the film props, the hype as of yet, also being released this December, Star is unfounded. While speculation flies Wars mania will be at an all time high. round the web, we only have to look There is no way that EA will allow to last year to see how dangerous this DICE to miss this deadline. With this rampant spread of rumours can be. looming deadline, the incentive for With 2014 being such a disastrous year EA to insist on a rushed product may for Ubisoft’s reputation, EA has the prove to hard to resist. EA has acquired chance to rid itself of the mantle of the a bad reputation for its use of world’s most hated games company. EA ‘crunch time’ to overwork has the potential to dominate E3 this its devs in order to get the year with more details on Battlefront game out on time. This and the possible announcement of attitude might harm the Mass Effect 4. finished product, as EA This game has been a longtime scrabbles to cash in on coming. Indeed, Battlefront was almost the new film. Memories never developed. However, of Battlefield 4’s thanks to DICE’s lobbying, server they were allowed to take on the project. Clearly DICE are
issues, which marred DICE’s last insults your mother before shouting release, spring to mind. about how Attack of the Clones was Even if Battlefront is finished, the best, then guns you down in his games have changed a lot since pay to win AT-AT. Even though the Battlefront 2 in 2005. Bot support is multiplayer and single player in old rare, and local multiplayer is on the Battlefront games was identical, it decline. The games industry seems to never felt like a multiplayer game. be forgetting that some people actually Instant Action mode was at the core enjoy the company of others and on of the games enjoyment, but with the occasion would like to play games on Battlefield model of having to pay to the same system. Will Battlefront lose host a server if you wanted a custom split-screen and have its bots torn game, perhaps it might not even be out, just as DICE removed them from included. the Battlefield series in Bad Company? Despite the cynicism, perhaps all These days, games are plagued by this will be proved wrong. DICE have micro-purchases, allowing snot-nosed proven that they are capable of epic brats to spend their parents money on infantry vehicle gameplay and some unlocking everything without playing a modern tweaks to the series would be second. No doubt welcome. Perhaps Battlefront will this time next year “Have fun defending ECHO receive some we’ll be trusting base as some 11-year-old variety of our feelings as we insults your mother”. premium hurtle down the D L C Death Star trench, subscription that ends up shouting ‘cover me porkins’ to our costing more than the game friends (playing split-screen). But even itself and divides the player if Battlefront turns out to be an online base. Have fun defending multiplayer-only, pre-teen-infested, ECHO base pay-to-win, pre-order bonus, Jar-Jaras some ridden corpse of a once loved series, at 1 1 - y e a r - o l d least there’s a new Star Wars film…
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aren’t you a little old for this? George Barker is your guide to the weird, wonderful Adventure Time jumped the shark (what’s up with the stupid cheap fashion ad of an opening), Brooklyn Nine-Nine has stagnated in it’s second season and The Big Bang Theory has been shit for about seven seasons now. Adventure Time is there, with it’s short ten minute episodes and loveable characters. Even so, those factors could be applied to many kid’s cartoons. But really the simplest answer is that Adventure Time is just good great in fact. Adventure Time’s humour is broad, not simply relying on childish toilet
humour or unnecessary slapstick. The show is filled with wit and has many underlying adult jokes that would simply pass over the heads of a younger audience, suggesting an awareness of its secondary demographic.
its cast. Whether it’s Finn’s desire to be taken seriously, the Ice King’s desperate efforts to find love, or Gunther’s hunger for souls, you can sympathise with all the characters for one reason or another. The characters are excellently developed rather than falling into common tropes. Princess Bubblegum, rather than simply being an object Finn and Jake have to save, is a brilliant scientist and machiavellian manipulator, striving for the greater good of her Kingdom. The show, much like the Land of Ooo, has a darkness in both its story and humour. The show tackles a huge range of issues from changing one’s self to appeal to others to abusive relationships. The humour in many places is incredibly dark, episodes often ending abruptly following some grim twist. At first glance the show might appear to be insanely random, but as you follow it, everything has a precision to it, a tightly managed continuity in which nothing is forgotten. Every seemingly random event is somehow explained, even the gender swap episodes are fanfiction the Ice King writes about Finn and Jake. So if you don’t already watch the show, start. Even with the recent surge of animated shows directly aimed at adults, Adventure Time still holds its head high.
STUFF POINT
A show targeted at 2-11 year olds, about a young boy and his talking dog. There’s no sex, no violence (okay, a bit of violence), no drugs or debacles involving melting baked alaska, so how has it drawn such a large adult audience? Adventure Time (mostly) follows Finn and Jake on their adventures in the magical land of Ooo. The show features a huge cast of eccentric characters in its incredibly colourful world. At first glance it just seems like any other saturday morning kids cartoon. So what makes Adventure Time so special? There are a million explanations for why the show is popular. There is an element of nostalgia, Finn lives the perfect image of a nostalgic childhood. He lives in a tree house with his best friend and spends his time exploring and adventuring. Adventure Time perfectly evokes a romantic nostalgia of childhood in it’s audience. At the same time, many of its characters feel the same nostalgia as they fondly look back to a time before the apocalyptic disaster that created Ooo. Arguably the bright colours and warm vibe the show has makes it a nice break from the intensity of life. Sometimes when the stress of uni builds, it’s nice to turn to something lighthearted. While you might indulge in sit-coms, New Girl has
The breadth and depth of its characters is astounding. Adventure Time fosters brilliant emotional connections with
the strangest little town Amelia Morris welcomes you to Gravity Falls
PLANET MINECRAFT
Animated TV shows have an amazing ability to attract a viewership outside their supposed target audience. This is particularly true for Cartoon Network shows, but Disney XD has a great show of its own that’s often overlooked: Gravity Falls.
Created by Alex Hirsch, Gravity Falls follows twins Mabel and Dipper who are sent to spend their summer at their great uncle’s Mystery Shack in the mysterious town of Gravity Falls. Season one is pleasingly bizarre, featuring gnomes, ghosts, mermen, and the adorably evil Lil’ Gideon. By the end of the first season and into the second, the show becomes genuinely unsettling through the introduction of Bill Cipher, a realitywarping floating triangle man voiced by Hirsch himself.
What tends to keep you watching, though, teenager/object of Dipper’s affection, Wendy, is not the antagonists, but the brightly are all equally entertaining. Every character coloured main characters. Dipper Pines, has their own history and personality that is voiced by Jason Ritter, is an adventurous, explored throughout the show, but Gravity anxious 12-year-old boy who, despite fitting Falls does suffer a little from a lack of character the archetype of many similar protagonists, development. This is common for shows on still manages to be relatable and a genuinely children’s channels, which are rarely shown in good character. His sister the correct order anyway. Mabel is the real gem Gravity Falls doesn’t “Mabel and Dipper’s of the show. Voiced by dull with repeated Kristen Schaall, Mabel world offers a form of vivid watching either, and escapism.” is bright, bubbly and there are plenty of callridiculous, and provides backs and moments of comic relief while maintaining the integrity significant symbolism you’re bound to miss of a three-dimensional character. It’s difficult first time round. Mabel and Dipper’s world not to fall in love with her light-up sweaters, offers a form of vivid escapism similar to other obsessive personality and optimistic attitude, animated shows like Adventure Time or Bee and and Schaall voices her perfectly. The other Puppycat. If you’re a fan of animation, Gravity main characters, the money-grabbing Falls should definitely be at the top of your to‘Grunkle’ Stan; the clueless Soos, and cool watch list.
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Adam White
It’s an inevitability that modern discussion of The Simpsons will bounce between themes of ‘then’ and ‘now’ - the series itself currently in the midst of its 26th season, their best and most zeitgeisty days long behind them. But it’s also a discussion that inadvertently diminishes the show’s cultural and creative significance, along with the astonishing brilliance it has brought audiences over the course of its long existence. To quote Don Draper, if you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation. So here’s a rundown of six of The Simpsons’ finest half-hours...
Marge vs. the Monorail Season 4, episode 12 Arguably the defining Simpsons episode. This is an aggressively funny ode to madcap absurdity, Springfield swindled by an allsinging, all-dancing monorail salesman. Away from the sheer number of gags, no other episode so well captures the strange mix of misplaced pride and earnest naivety that makes Springfield seem such a magical place.
Lemon of Troy Season 6, episode 24 The greatest Simpsons episodes play almost like mini-movies, the show regulars banding together to thwart an outside threat or journeying away from Springfield for an out-of-state adventure. Lemon of Troy is rousing, heartwarming comedy at its finest, the Springfield kids tracking into eerie, incest-ridden Shelbyville to steal back the town’s precious lemon tree.
Bart’s Girlfriend Season 6, episode 7 The best Simpsons episodes feel lived-in, enhanced by what feels like real experiences that have been condensed into sitcom form and coloured bright yellow. Bart’s Girlfriend is every ‘nightmarish childhood romance’ ever, Bart crushing on Reverend Lovejoy’s charmingly evil daughter, Jessica. Voiced by Meryl Streep, I may add, in what is honestly one of her greatest ever performances.
Summer of 4 Ft. 2 Season 7, episode 25 Summer of 4 Ft. 2 is a love letter to youthful angst, the eternally isolated Lisa never more endearing as she tries to make friends while on vacation by altering her entire personality. This is heartbreakingly human, an episode delicately balancing exterior loudness with small, characterdriven stakes. Plus, extra Milhouse!
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Homer Badman Season 6, episode 9 A bracing satire of American tabloid culture (never more memorable than in Homer’s editedinto-oblivion appearance on Rock Bottom), Homer Badman is also a notable testament to The Simpsons’ trademark three-act narrative structure, gliding seamlessly from candy convention goofiness to sexual harassment outrage to unexpected salvation in the form of Groundskeeper Willie.
You Only Move Twice Season 8, episode 2 But of course the yuppie mogul promising the Simpsons a new glitzy life away from Springfield is a power-hungry supervillain. You Only Move Twice brilliantly signposts the various ways Cyprus Creek is slightly ‘off’ (daytime owls, weirdo new classmates, alcoholism), before spiralling into an elaborate James Bond pastiche at its close. It also delivers in Hank Scorpio one of the show’s most iconic one-shot guest characters.
ADAM WHITE
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LICENSE TO THRILL Coming out in 1962 to a backdrop of cold wars and hot Beatles tunes, the film Dr No was a slick, cheeky spy thriller based on a book series by Ian Fleming’s James Bond series. The books were popular, but not as popular as the film series which is currently the longest running film franchise around, as well as being arguably the most influential on popular culture. Everyone knows Bond -- the smooth-talking, ladies-man action hero who can’t help but save the world, to live and let his enemies die. Yet the film has been through some image changes over the years. The stereotypes of his wardrobe consisting only of suits, or him being a combat master, are recent. Bond from the 60s was a different Bond. The films were at home in the postwar period, like the novels from which they were adapted. It was the ‘Swingin’ Sixties’, a revolution in fashion (just look at Bond’s clothing in the first few films), sex (Bond was invented by Fleming the same year as Playboy) and technology, three of the most important features of the Bond films. Bond was an icon of the time, and early films such as From Russia With Love or Goldfinger are still considered the classics of the series. Sean Connery was idolised as a sex symbol, a ‘man’s man’ similar to Hugh Hefner or Fleming himself. This perfect mix of context and content was what forged the
franchise as such a prominent and individually stylised one, with a view to kill all competition. The films tapped into the 60s feelings of sexual liberation and adventure. Bond girls, one of the staples of the series, were hailed by feminists as icons due to their sexual freedom. The varying locations played on the public’s desire for adventure in a world that was packed with global events, a world outside of England. It was however tinged with an undertone of xenophobia and fear of the outside, ‘alien’ world. Depictions of other places seem to be from a British lens. Regardless, the early films are perhaps the most classically ‘60s’ due to the fact they are so noticeably from that period. However, the world was not enough, and MGM, the franchise owners, blazed into the 70s and 80s with this same model of Bond. It did not work. The rise of ‘serious’ warfare from Vietnam and the AIDS scare made Bond seem redundant, his sexual escapades and slightly silly adventures seeming childish or dangerous. The popularity in a vastly different world waned, and only survived by changing significantly into a character barely recognisable to the audiences from the 60s. Bond was now alive in their eyes only. Tom Bedford
Sex, drugs and violence crept their way onto the screens of American cinema with the rise of counterculture heralding the end of the strict censorship of the Motion Picture Production Code. Looking back at a few of the iconoclastic films of the era, we can explore some of the works that mark the making of modern production values and the revolutionary spirit that distinguished the late 1960s. Laced with a sense of exploited naivety perfected through Dustin Hoffman’s fumbling charm, Mike Nichols’ 1967 masterpiece The Graduate is a coming-of-age comedy that touches upon a moment of awakening, in which Ben (Hoffman) realizes his dissatisfaction with the status quo and is forced into discovering his sexuality. This struggle mimicked that of the country’s frustration with middle-class values in the face of the Vietnam war, whilst Nichols’ directorial style also indicated the rise of American New Wave cinema. Earlier that year Bonnie and Clyde was released in cinemas, a romanticised biopic about two of the nation’s sexiest armed robbers. Opening with a naked Faye Dunaway chatting at Warren Beatty out of the window, Bonnie and Clyde broke taboos with blatant sex and violence previously unseen in Old Hollywood. Although set in the 30s, the erotic energy within the film resonated with 60s audiences just coming
into the height of the sexual revolution, whilst the film also represented the birth of graphic violence in cinema. Counterculture in the late 60s was marked most prominently by the hippy movement, a lifestyle resonated and developed by hippy exploitation films such as Psychout, Riot on Sunset Strip and Skidoo. Another notable addition to the genre was The Trip a psychedelic odyssey into Paul Groves’ (Peter Fonda) experiment with acid. Written by Jack Nicholson, the film is seen as a precursor to Easy Rider a road movie directed staring Fonda, Nicholson and Dennis Hopper. Straddling motorbikes tearing down deserted highways, Easy Rider delves into some of the paranoia that surrounded the hippy culture following the Manson murders, through flashes of communal living, drug use and violent conservatism. Paranoia is also touched upon in Medium Cool, a film that blends documentary footage and fictional scenes to portray the anger felt by a news cameraman when he learns the FBI is using his station’s footage for surveillance. With snapshots of war protests and Martin Luther King, Medium Cool presents a boiling pot of socio-political tension that was seeping through the media during the late 60s. Isis Billing
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ANA DUKAKIS, NATALIE ORME
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NEW WAVE, NEW YOU The 1970s was a revolutionary decade for cinema. It not only produced many great films (a lot of beloved Hipster classics), and directors (Coppola, Scorsese, Altman) and actors (De Niro, Pacino) of today but it also shaped filmic conventions. By the end of the 60s Hollywood was disintegrating, 1950s conformist values under the Cold War had been rejected, and the 70s took this subversion of dominant norms in their stride. Furthermore, Hollywood’s attempts to resist being eclipsed by television meant studio execs were pumping more money into (literally) Epic fails. More colour, clearer sound, and widescreen and 3D technology were among the many attempts Hollywood made to revive the individuality of the cinematic experience only to continuously fail at the box office. Classical Hollywood was no longer profitable. It was then that the ‘Movie Brats’ arrived. Young, ambitious film-school graduates with an expansive knowledge of cinema, initiated a renaissance in filmmaking. In 1967 two films were released that commenced this change; Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and Nichols’ The Graduate (1967). They laid the foundation for the counter-cultural change Hopper’s Easy Rider (1969) would actualise and the 70s would dedicate itself to. ‘New Hollywood’ filmmakers fused realism capturing the mundaneness of life with a sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll attitude, offering a unique source of identification for the post1960s disaffected youth. The personnel of ‘New Hollywood’ were often heavy drug users (Hopper and Jack Nicholson), ambitious (Coppola and Cimeno at risk to their careers) and educated. Their films were explicit in language, violence, sex, and substance abuse. They were considered the counter-culture’s response to Hollywood’s, and society’s, conservatism that no longer had an audience. Hollywood’s demographic began to reflect those behind the camera. The most important thing to remember with
these films was that studios were happily backing this American New Wave. They were producing high budget films on controversial topics with writers and directors retaining creative control, much more so than today. Essential films include Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show (1971), Scorsese’s Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976) and Raging Bull (1980), Cimino’s The Deer Hunter (1979), Coppola’s The Godfathers I + II (1972, 1974) and Apocalypse Now (1979). Actors embodying cultural resistance and anarchic ideologies were generating box office success. The best example of ‘New Hollywood’ at work, however, simultaneously illustrates its decline. The factors bringing this heyday to an end tend to be viewed as the directors’ uncontrollable egos, the damaging drug use/dependency and the blockbuster mentality. These former two factors dictated the production of Apocalypse Now. Unprecedentedly over budget, the film bankrupted Coppola, its star Martin Sheen had a near fatal heart attack, the extended chaotic filming on location in the Philippines in addition to the cast and crew’s widespread substance abuse meant the shoot was physically financially and irreparably damaging. After this and Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate, the studios realised they no longer needed the problems caused by the unstable artistry of these legendary filmmakers to make a successful blockbuster, as demonstrated by Lucas’ Star Wars franchise and also Spielberg’s departure from the heavy issues typifying the ‘New Hollywood’ style. Although arguably burnt out, ‘New Hollywood’ introduced a legendary attitude to filmmaking that continues to influence modern day cinema. It was a rare and fleeting period in which film was truly accepted and considered a profound art form. Martha Julier
GREASE IT UP!
ANA DUKAKIS, SARASWATI MENON
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There seems to be a certain contempt for films that use actors in their mid-20s (or actually mid30s for a lot of the cast) to play teenagers in high school, but something about the 1978 classic Grease made it an exception. It still stands to be the highest grossing movie musical of all time, whether it be the Pink Ladies’ or T-Bird’s charm, or the fact that they all miraculously know the lyrics and dance to spontaneous songs, the opening song was correct by stating that Grease is the word. However, the real interest in the musical was the central love story between Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton-John). The popular rebel boy being in love with the sweet innocent girl situation didn’t go down well with their friends, but somehow they managed to pull through and achieve their happily-ever-after by jetting off into the sunset in a flying car; the same car the boys were working on in the iconic song Greased Lightning. The musical also carried its controversy with Rizzo’s teen pregnancy scare, Marty’s fling with an older television presenter and the general rebellious behaviour of the entire cast. The musical gives an endearing message about
friendship, especially with the song We Go Together and everybody being friends at the end. Sandy also decides to ditch her innocence and turns into a leather-wearing smoker to finally be the one that Danny wants and be accepted by his friends. However, could this be seen as a negative message about ‘how to get the boy’ or was it just a much-needed bold step to increase her confidence? A real question to be asked is how true to life the musical was in terms of era. A 1978 film trying to portray the 1950s may not be entirely realistic, and we could only answer this if we were actually alive in America during the 1950s. It is known as the decade where people thought Elvis Presley’s dancing was too sexual, so if they knew that teens were actually having sex (unprotected, in the back of cars, may it be said) there likely would have been some sort of uproar. Then again, the rise of libertarianism in the 50s and 60s gave more people the right to free choice and non-judgement which could be an extremely positive message for the film to have sent. Abi Constable
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Stanley Kubrick: recluse, perfectionist, innovator, chess player, family man, uncompromising genius, a whirlwind of creative force who was as loved by audiences as he was hated by critics. Known for exploring the sinister and the macabre, Kubrick rapidly established a reputation for fearlessly exposing the dark side of human nature. This can be seen in his representation of paedophilia in his adaptation of Lolita as well as in the sadistic glee with which world leaders played about with nuclear warheads as if they were toys in a sandpit in Dr Strangelove. It’s also seen in the question of whether Alex and his “droogs” can ever be cured of their desires for ultra-violence and rape in A Clockwork Orange. Pre-Kubrick, music had often been the flashy jewellery to highlight the neckline and plunging cleavage of film, but through giving his visual sequences an almost constant and unforgettable soundtrack he was able to marry audio and visual together just like the inseparable, if slightly pathetic, star-crossed lovers. During the 1980s, Kubrick followed up his previously ground-breaking and controversial films with the equally challenging and experimental The Shining (1980) and Full Metal Jacket (1987). For The Shining, Kubrick took the horror genre by the feet, flipped it on its head, waggled it about until it went very red in the face, then dropped it on the floor for good measure. He achieved this by altering Stephen King’s story so that it created horror through interior madness and deterioration in contrast to previous horror films which had sunk comfortably into the soft leather armchairs of the external supernatural. The stunning sweeping mountain sequences at the start of the film lay the ground for further dream-like tracking shots that give The Shining
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an insidious, haunting quality. Omnipresent music gives the more sedated scenes a sinister edge and reaches an almost ear-splitting pitch by the climax, to the extent that it’s a pleasant surprise during the credits to realise that the windows haven’t shattered. What glues the film together is undoubtedly Jack Nicholson’s demonic performance, where his demented caterpillar eyebrows, maniacal grin, crazed looks and ‘Here’s Johnny’ sequence leave the viewer in a state of white-knuckled, wide-eyed (and optionally, wet-trousered) terror. Kubrick also put his own unique spin on Full Metal Jacket, creating that rare thing: a war film devoid of a moral or political standpoint. The effect of this was such that the viewer is shown not only the atrocities of warfare but also its beauty. Here, once again refusing to be cowed by the whip of convention, Kubrick compartmentalised the film into two distinct sections to create the impression of “the duality of man” through capturing the dehumanising effect of military training during the first half and man’s ability to regain identity through killing and destruction during the second. He masterfully satirises the recklessness and lack of pity with which the men fight, through maintaining painfully jovial music throughout the most appalling scenes of slaughter. Some of the most poignant moments in the film remain the soldiers’ loss of identity through their heads being shaven, Gomer Pyle’s decent into madness in the bathroom and the later scene shot from the point of view of the casualties of war. A goliath force in the film world, with a personality and beard to match, Stan will forever remain in our hearts, minds and DVD collections. Louis Pigeon-Owen
1980 SUCK MY BLOCKBUSTER The 1980s was the first decade to be truly dominated by the blockbuster. The phenomenon actually started with Jaws in 1975 but did not hit its stride until the 80s. The summer was typically seen as an ‘off’ season for cinema, people were out enjoying themselves and aside from dwindling Drivein Cinemas, no one wanted to be inside; aside from the huge success of Jaws (the release of which was delayed until the summer when people were out on the beaches) and Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977. Three years later The Empire Strikes Back opened the 80s with a bang. The wild success of Jaws saw the beginnings of the franchise film, cemented then by the Star Wars trilogy’s popularity. As the Blockbuster gained popularity, so did the practice of attaching a number to the end of the dead horse you were
flogging. But despite the rise of blockbusters cursing us to suffer through summers filled with Family-Adventure 6 and Yes We Made Another Sequel 5, the 80s witnessed some of the most beloved franchises to date. Stephen Spielberg, master (and arguably creator) of the blockbuster dominated the decade, releasing the Indiana Jones trilogy and smashing box office records with E.T. James Cameron entered the scene with his action hit The Terminator and Aliens. Whether or not a film is a ‘blockbuster’ or not, is determined by its revenue. Anything could be a blockbuster from the 1980 comedy Airplane! to action classics like Die Hard. The important thing was that the films make back their budget and draw in massive revenue. Blockbusters resulted in a move away from the idea of making a film with ‘legs’, one that
could bring in a stable audience during the weeks of its release. The new trend was to have a smash opening weekend, drawing in huge crowds, as who cares if the audience drops off in the second week due to bad press. The importance of the opening weekend to draw in the crowds before word spreads. That’s why the action-adventure genre is so common for blockbusters. The idea is to tease the audience with enough epic spectacle to get them queuing round the block come release day. Furthermore, the prospect of huge opening sales is why the blockbuster and franchise films are inexorably linked. While audiences like to be surprised, if you can serve said surprise on the same plate all the better. Have something that people love? Try adding Sean Connery as the father or just doing the film again but in the future this time.
The 80s was a golden age for Blockbusters and looking at each year’s biggest films, there is a refreshing lack of sequels. As it stands now, every summer we see yet another slew of sequels. This year we can look forward to Furious 7, Mission: Impossible 5 and Terminator 6. The 80s capitalised on the blockbuster, producing some cracking films, a fact that Hollywood is aware of and so keeps trying to reboot/remake/ruin them. Perhaps they’re on to something if they keep flogging the putrid corpse of a franchise long enough, the carbonised remains will turn to diamond. So perhaps in a billion years or so we’ll see Shrek 995,900,333 clean up at the Oscars. George Barker
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TEENAGE DIRTBAGS What happens when you take a dash of jock, a pinch of highmaintenance cheerleader, stir in some geeky misfits, add a splash of prom queen rivalry then firmly whisk in a guy-bets-guy plot twist, set in the sunny surroundings of an American high school with an extra helping of cheese? A perfectly formed archetypal 90s Teen Movie. These fundamental ingredients are what formed the majority of American 90s teen films. Whether it be through a house party setting complete with red plastic cups and sound systems or the blasting of Third Eye Blind and The Rockafella Skank by Fatboy Slim, these ‘hangovers’ of 80s teen films encapsulated the trials and tribulations of dating, awkward teenage sexual endeavours and the struggles of fitting in. The social hierarchy of American High Schools was essential to 90s teen movies.
Heightened stereotypes and a formula often involving the introduction of an outsider into a crew of ‘popular’ kids was familiar among the teen movies and almost always resulted in character makeovers, romantic complications and socially awkward encounters. Clueless was the first of the quintessential American-High-School films with The Muff’s Kids in America blaring across establishing shots of school grounds complete with US Flags and yellow school buses. It sparked a whole wave of teen films and is now regarded as a cult film in its own right (note: Iggy Azalea’s music video for Fancy is a pretty impressive homage). Cher (Alicia Silverstone) was the epitome of the desired stereotype; a pretty, popular, wealthy girl who always had her way. Standardised plots such as ‘geek gets the girl’, ‘ex-Prom Queen is disgraced’ and ‘the jock’s
“Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television”. Possibly the best opening of a film to grace the 90s in the shape of gritty Scottish crime film Trainspotting. Enter a skinny Ewan McGregor, a revolting toilet scene and plenty of heroin into the equation and you have a decade-defining film which still stands the test of time with its message to enjoy life to its fullest. The film is beautifully directed by the then relatively unknown director Danny Boyle (later responsible for Slumdog Millionaire, 28 Days Later and the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony). The surreal sequences such as the overdose scene accompanied by Lou Reed’s Perfect Day, the subsequent recovery montage set to a techno track climaxing with the eerie dead baby crawling on the ceiling, and Renton’s bizarre trip down the toilet into an ocean of tranquility are all iconic moments from this 90s classic. Sick Boy with his James Bond trivia, Spud and his loveable dopiness, Tommy’s innocence which ultimately leads to his downfall, Begbie as the pure psychopath and our protagonist Renton who goes through the biggest journey, all tell the tale of the bleak Scotland in the 90s that nobody wanted to acknowledge. A 90s crime classic with a brilliant soundtrack and a very modest budget of just over $1 million is Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, which marked the start of a long and successful career as one of Hollywood’s most prestigious directors. The film focuses on a failed diamond heist that is never actually shown, a device Tarantino originally used to save money but which ultimately made the film the phenomenon it is today. Like Trainspotting, the film thrives in having a strong ensemble cast who are given code names leading to conflict, as ‘Mr Brown’, played by Tarantino in what would go on to be the first of many director cameos in his movies, claims his code name is “a little too close to Mr Shit”. The quotable dialogue ranges
from discussing the true meaning of Madonna’s Like a Virgin to why exactly we should (or shouldn’t) tip waitresses in the iconic opening scene at the café. This film also proved that film soundtracks could be cool, with George Baker’s Little Green Bag providing the slow motion shot of the ensemble cast at the beginning, the recognisable Hooked on a Feeling making a guest appearance (recently used in Guardians of the Galaxy which also uses hit songs from the 70s) and the infamous Stuck in the Middle with You which contains one of the most gruesome scenes with the focus being on what we can’t see, as the camera ignores Mr Blonde ripping off a cop’s ear. Silence of the Lambs however makes the other two films look like a PG compared to the goriness that it revels in, from Hannibal biting a man’s face to Buffalo Bill’s signature killing technique of skinning his female victim’s corpses. But let’s face it, the reason this film will go down as a 90s classic is due to Anthony Hopkins’ chilling performance as everyone’s favourite intelligent serial killer/cannibal Hannibal Lecter, for which he was rightly awarded an Oscar. It is incredible to note that in a film which is nearly two hours long Hopkins is only in it for under 25 minutes, but when he’s on screen it is impossible not to watch with a mixture of horror and fascination similar to Heath Ledger’s show-stealing performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight. The film does not have so much as an infamous quote, instead more a noise that everyone at some point has attempted to imitate which is Hopkins’ sinister slurping noise after he tells Clarice about the time he had “liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti”. All these films mark a golden period in 90s cinema which is not afraid to deal with gritty topics, proving that films could still be thought-provoking, controversial and relevant to audiences.
ultimate choice between his reputation and his new love interest’ (the original bros before hoes) provided the make up for 90s teen movies. She’s All That is the typical jock-bets-he-can-dateany-girl-chooses-the-geek-ends-up-falling-forher-and-it-goes-tits-up-when-she-finds-out film. School president and jock Zak (Freddie Prinze Jr.) is dumped by Taylor Vaughn the ‘every girl wants to be her and every guy wants to nail her’ popular girl and is propositioned by his friends to replace her by turning arty geek Laney (Rachael Leigh Cook) into a prom queen. 10 Things I Hate About You, the modern reworking of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew is another prime example of naive, horny teenage males making business deals with each other for the attention of girls. Popular girl Bianca is not allowed to date until her ‘insane head case’ of a sister Kat (Julia Stiles) does. A baby-faced Joseph Gordon-Levitt approaches a mysterious foreign student (Heath Ledger) to date Kat in
exchange for money, double crossing the High School ‘big man’ Joey. Can’t Hardly Wait, a film that takes place entirely at one graduation party was using the motto YOLO long before Drake. It takes all the best stereotypes and standardised plot twists and compiles them into an hour and a half. The ultimate feel-good ending: jock loses his scholarship to an alcohol problem, becomes overweight and ends up working at a car wash and geek invents a multi-millionaire computer company and dates supermodels. What’s so unique about these specific films is simply their American-ness, 90s teen films consolidating a vibrant representation of American youth culture. American Pie, now a cultural phenomenon was responsible for spawning an entire plethora of slap-stick comedies. Everything from the fashion, cars, music and even food is forceful in its attempt to represent ‘Americanism’. Amy Lee
Dan Struthers
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WHAT WERE YOU HOPING FOR FROM THE BLIND DATE? I was hoping for Johnny Depp, expecting a swamp creature, and resigned to the grim possibility of someone I’d drunkenly snogged at the LCR.
A good lunch with good conversation.
WHAT WERE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS? Oh thank God, I haven’t had a one night stand with you.
She looked like a yeti wearing that fur coat!!!!!
WHAT DID YOU ORDER? Waffles with maple syrup. I couldn’t eat all of it so I put the rest in my handbag for later.
Burger with pulled pork. She just had a maple syrup waffle - for lunch?!
WHAT DID YOU TALK ABOUT? The economy, the Syrian conflict, and who was the best Kardashian.
She had a list of questions to ask me! So we slowly worked our way through all 36 of them…
HOW WERE THEIR TABLE MANNERS? He didn’t put his head down and eat from the plate like an animal, so, pretty good.
She only had two mouthfuls of the waffle so I honestly couldn’t tell.
ANY AWKWARD MOMENTS? I think he might have figured out I’ve been watching him for the last few days from a parked car outside his house.
No awkward silences because we had the riveting list of questions to work through. But at the end of the meal, the waitress asked us if everything was okay and she actually said that she didn’t like the waffle, which I thought was very awkward!
WHAT IMPRESSED YOU? He can eat a burger in two mouthfuls. That’s the kind of jaw you want in a man.
Her blatant honesty; the burger was very nice.
WHAT DEPRESSED YOU? I told a hilarious story about breaking into my ex’s house and leaving a tarantula in his bed as a surprise for the next girl he went behind my back with, but he didn’t seem to find it very funny. I mean, it bit him! He had to go to A&E! Classic.
That she’s never stayed in a hotel before. I wanted to book her into Premier Inn but thought she may get the wrong impression. That and hearing all about her ex!
daisy
No.
No.
DO YOU SEE A FUTURE TOGETHER? Not unless he’s willing to share a bed with me and seven cats.
No, but she’s had her palms read and apparently she’s going to be famous.
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Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Venue sent its very own Fun & Listings editor on a wild blind date. Was it a success? Are they Concrete’s hottest new couple? d d the des se each othe th the fi e o atho sa d s s Fancy a blind date? Email conc
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SARAH MICHAELS
DID YOU EXCHANGE NUMBERS/DETAILS?
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Daisy Jones makes a friend ;) And Freddie Redfern ate a porkburger But was it love? A post-date post-mortem by blind dater Daisy Jones You might have seen it going round the internet – “the 36 questions that can make you fall in love with anyone”. Yes, apparently there’s a simple way to finding true love: interviewing a stranger. Apparently answering these questions force you to be vulnerable and intimate, which is just what a romantic relationship needs. The questions range from bland (“Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say?”), personal (“What is your most terrible memory?”), to… well a bit weird, really (“If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-yearold for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?”).
It all sounds a bit spurious, but the internet will tell you it’s all based in science. Psychologist Arthur Aron did an experiment way back in 1997, in a report catchily titled ‘The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness’. His experiment was having 52 pairs of male and female strangers, and 19 pairs of female strangers, sit in a lab and ask each other these 36 questions. Six months later two of them got married. At least they have an unusual story to tell their grandchildren. Yes, I know. About twenty years ago two people out of 142 fell in love after having an hour-long conversation. It’s not all that convincing. But in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, and because Venue was sending me on
a blind date anyway, I thought I’d take the 36 questions along to my date with Freddie and give it a go. Spoiler alert: we didn’t fall in love. Now that I’ve tried them out, I think a more accurate description of the questions would be “36 questions to help you get to know someone” or “36 questions for when you can’t think of anything else to say”. They were definitely a conversation starter, and some of them were easier to talk about than others (everyone has an embarrassing story to share, but not everyone has a secret hunch about how they’re going to die), and at the end of the date I definitely felt like we’d had a good chat. It was nice getting to know Freddie,
and if anyone asked what he’s like I’d say he was a really nice person. Because, ladies, he genuinely is! He’s funny and clever and positive. But I have more chemistry with Concrete’s Deputy Editor Peter Sheehan, or a massive bar of Dairy Milk. And that’s the thing about falling in love – you have to have some kind of “spark” there. If you don’t then you’ll just be friends, no matter what questions you ask each other. And that’s great, I love friends. We could all do with more friends. I think this experiment has come out as a success for friendship, not romance. If you spend a bit of time getting to know someone then you might find you get on pretty well. It could be the start of a beautiful friendship. So maybe that’s what we should be doing this Valentine’s Day. Instead of trying to find “The One” (or just Johnny Depp), maybe we should just make an effort to talk to someone we don’t know all that well, or someone we do. I’d rather have a new friend than another guy who’s going to leave his pants at my house and ditch me by text. Wouldn’t you?
Four Concrete staff bashed their horny brains together to explore the sexy, sexy world of dating apps Words by esteemed Travel editor Jodie Snow As the sun goes down on another day in the Concrete office, the question on everyone’s lips: “What is this Tinder” And so, four great Concrete and Venue warriors, yielding their weapons ready to battle, take on the gargantuan task of trying to find love, sex and/or friendship on Tinder. Will we appreciate this online dating minefield, or were we right to be app-rehensive? For the sake of Tinder, we are reduced to names, ages, genders, and location. I am now Jodie 19, female, Norwich. My pictures include one with me and friends and one of me enjoying the great outdoors. I am happy that these pictures will quickly establish the multi-faceted nature of my personality and hobbies. Peter - 23, male, Norwich, checks into Tinder and begins looking at his profile, which is an assortment of his Facebook pictures. He looks at his third picture across, a photo of himself from four years ago and says that he won’t get rid of it. He wants the people of Tinder to see “the best, most attractive me”. Adam - 23, male, Norwich, after some cajoling, finally downloads the app. He is unsure of the motives of the people using the app. Is it for dating, is it for sex, or is it for some sordid combination of the two? Adam - 22, an objective witness to the
proceedings that will follow. He informs us that he has never downloaded a sex/dating app as he has never needed to. And so it begins: I start swiping left, right (but not centre) at all the bachelors that Tinder deems worthy of my attention - anyone male and claiming to be 18-25 within an 80km radius. I start to judge the people on there. Not only on their appearance, but for their very decision to join Tinder in the first place? What is the likelihood that I will actually find someone on Tinder that I respect, when I judge them for using the app itself? Maybe this is my fault, for being too quick to judge them? But Tinder is an app that puts people out there with the sole intention of being judged and judging others, all by a few photos of ourselves. Adam - 23 has similar thoughts when he comes across Helen - 20 and asks us, “why is she on here, she is far too pretty to be on here”. Together we come across a huge selection of people. Peter stumbles across the enigma that is Lawrence - 23, whose claim that he is “commonly found in places of culture and learning” is compounded by a picture of him humping an inflatable dolphin. Which are we to believe, if any, is the true Lawrence - 23? Further discrepancies between the profile and picture become apparent when
Adam - 23 tells of how one of his matches “must have been 29 for at least a decade”. Peter - 23 goes through his matches at a startling rate, and questions exactly how helpful it is that someone you find mildly attractive is 75km away from you. He tells us that there is no-way that he’d “travel all the way to LSE, especially for someone who looks like that”. I find that most of the men on my Tinder have pictures that fall into a couple of categories: posed with a suitably exotic animal that hints at their implicit ‘wild’ side; photos where they are seemingly caught off-guard showing their finest muscles, pout and jaw line; and the Harvey Dents of Tinder who only seem to be able to show half of their face. As an hour passes, Peter 23 downloads the app Grindr and begins to compare his experiences on both. While it is not possible to display any nude photographs on Tinder, Grindr is rather the opposite. Men begin to send pictures of various sex acts and parts of their bodies to poor, unsuspecting Peter 23, things Peter -23 would rather not see. The Tinder discrepancy between profile and picture is rife on Grindr. All we are told is that there is a 56-year-old male in the nearby area, who chooses his only picture to be that of a snow-covered roof. Is Peter
WIKI
shiver me tinder! - 23 meant to surmise a deep, poetic under layer to this 56-year-old’s presentation of himself, or is this some form of marketing for a roofing business whose target audience is homosexual men in the nearby area? Within a couple of minutes, Peter - 23 finds that he may have in fact exhausted all the men on Grindr. After our troubling experience navigating the world of online dating, we come to find that we are all left unsatisfied with our matches and no closer to finding love or sex than we were when we entered the Concrete office. These dating apps seemingly turned us into the meanest version of ourselves, as we hastily judged people’s depiction of their best selves. We have to ask the question of what is too much to share, and when is it the right time to share it? I personally swiped ‘no’ to someone who had a Conservative political logo on their first photo. Was it right for him to immediately share his political views, and was it right for me to judge him on them? Or does it make the whole dating thing a hell of a lot easier, knowing who you are dealing with from the outset? Then again, by reducing someone to their name, age, sexuality and location how much of a ‘match’ are they really? Ultimately, Tinder raised more questions for us, than it found answers.