Concrete 348

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>> Number of refugee scholarships to increase

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>> Travelling with your same-sex partner

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>> Bad sex? Your ex?

Comment’s Agony Aunts have you covered 13th February 2018 Issue 348

The official student newspaper of the University of East Anglia | concrete-online.co.uk

Majority of students support lecturers' strike Shannon McDonagh Senior News Reporter The University and College Union (UCU) will begin two weeks of industrial action, starting with a two day strike on Thursday 22 February.

Members of staff at UEA and 60 other universities will join together to protest changes to their pensions.

However, the decision to strike has been subject to misinformation about who will be striking and why.

The UCU represents over 110,000 people who are employed by universities in some way, from lecturers to librarians. In the eyes of the UCU, strike action is needed due to the manner in which staff pensions are being handled by the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), which is one of the largest principal private pension schemes for universities and other higher education institutions in the UK. According to a survey conducted by this newspaper, student attitudes about the strike have been somewhat mixed, though there appears to be a general support for striking staff. Out of the 87 students surveyed by Concrete, 63 percent said they supported the strike. One English Literature second year even told Concrete: “I would be joining the lecturers in striking if I could.”

Only 3 percent of students were opposed to the industrial action, and a further 34 percent said they were unsure. Charlotte, a second year Pharmacy student, explained why she was unsure: “My course has a lot of contact hours. On Mondays I’m in lectures from 9-5, the strike will cause a lot of disruption.” Another

student, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “The whole point of a strike is to be disruptive.”

They continued: “I overwhelmingly understand and support the strikes. It’s tough but what can you do?”

Concrete found 56 percent of students were worried about the impact the strikes will have on their education. 80 percent of students said they felt they understood the reasons for the strike.

"I overwhelmingly support the strikes.

It's tough but what can you do?"

The USS have proposed changes to its pension scheme that would see those affiliated receiving a pension dependent on the strength of the market, instead of the 8 percent of their salaries presented as a guaranteed sum.

The average lecturer could lose £200,000 over the course of their career from this modification. The changes are widely believed to be due to a valuation last year that revealed the pension scheme was in a deficit of £7.5bn.

It was only after negotiations between both parties and employers collapsed that strike action was seen to be the only option. The number of staff members at UEA that are members of the UCU amounts 596 people, which is 18 percent of its entire staff. That said, when given

Continued on page 5

s ' e t e r Conc

University's accessibility budget cut by 50k Sophie Bunce Deputy Editor The university has reduced their Access All Areas annual budget from £300,000 to £250,000, sparking concerns from the Students’ Union about the pace of improving campus accessibility.

The £50,000 cut follows commitments by Vice-Chancellor, Professor David Richardson, to ensure and improve campus accessibility for students.

The Access All Areas (AAA) team was established to improve access for all students and staff on campus in both existing and developing UEA buildings.

y e v r u s x e s 8 201

e d i s In

This came after concerns specifically regarding access for disabled students.

Dr Katherine Dean, a Senior Lecturer in Research at UEA, writing on her blog in 2017 described the difficulties for people living with disabilities in accessing UEA buildings. In response to such concerns, the Vice-Chancellor committed to improving disability access across campus. In the past there have been concerns of the budget's limitations, as expressed

by Dr Dean who said: “A single powered door can cost £15,000 to buy and install. If we only addressed our highest priority items, this would cost over £1 million.”

The university said the decision

to reduce the budget “was not taken lightly.”

A university spokesperson said: “The decision was considered in the context of all works that have already been undertaken by AAA in conjunction with Estates, and the Estate Strategy.

“Currently we are working on the delivery of the Estate Strategy which is a multi-million pound investment across campus which will impact on many areas, including the improvement of accessibility for all.”

However, the budget reduction has brought concerns about its

Continued on page 3

13th February 2018

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Editorial

8 1 0 2 y e v r u S The Sex

P.S. I love U(EA) Sophie Bunce Deputy Editor

The University of East Anglia’s Official Student newspaper since 1992 Tuesday 13th February 2018 Issue 348 Union House University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ 01603 593466

Bryony Barker

Let's talk about sex and surveys Emily Hawkins Editor-in-Chief This issue we’re talking about sex, but you already know that.

Alongside your beautifully illustrated copy of Venue this week is the 2018 team’s shot at the annual sex survey.

We’ve put together an extra 24 pages that will cover everything you want to know about how, why, when, (and yes, where) UEA is doing it.

Yes, Sophie and I did consult our tattered copy of the Guardian Style Guide for any wisdom on whether ‘strap on’ should be hyphenated or not. (Surprisingly, this is omitted.

We went with not.)

Concrete has stuck with the theme too, with a whole host of sex news and features for you to feast your eyes on this fortnight.

It’s also LGBT+ history month, and this year UEA is proudly flying the rainbow flag for the whole month of February. This is a welcome achievement for student campaigners, who have been working since 2015 to convince the university to change their flag policy gradually over the years. Last year, the flag was only flown every Monday of the month, but it seems the Vice Chancellor has listened to students and responded to feedback.

Features looks at the history behind LGBT+ History Month on page 10,

with Hannah Brown summarising the events going at UEA to celebrate the month.

In Travel, section editor Beverly Deviakshen writes of her experiences travelling with her girlfriend and on the wider issues that face same sex couples when travelling and going on holiday

"We’ve put together an extra 24 pages that will cover everything you want to know about how, why, when, (and yes, where) UEA is doing it" around the world.

This can be a huge worry, and even sadly a risk, for LGBT+ couples yet it’s something many of us wouldn’t ever consider when scrolling through holiday pictures on Instagram or wandering through a foreign country. Beverly writes:

“While it would be nice if we could all be ourselves and assume that society will accept us as we are, reality is much harsher.” Turn to page 21 to read her experiences of travelling with her girlfriend and family.

Our News team have taken on another, far less sexy, survey by asking students how they feel about the upcoming UCU strike.

The strike is set to affect four weeks of teaching time, if it goes ahead.

Students have mixed reactions, though it was interesting to see the majority of campus are in support of lecturers who take the decision to strike. For more information on the strike action as it unfurls make sure you’re following us on social media (@Concrete_UEA) or head to concrete-online.co.uk for the latest updates.

For something completely different, Global editor Eddie Booth has looked at the UEA backgrounds of two alumni who accompanied Prime Minister Theresa May during her visit to China earlier this month.

It is quite incredible to see two UEA grads on a global stage like this, but UEA’s global outreach shouldn’t be underestimated. On page nine, I talked to Career Central about their Global Opportunities week and discovered how easy it is for students to get involved in opportunities abroad.

February can be a lot. We were keen on the idea in January but now we've got commitment issues.

All February means is closer deadlines and the arrival of dreaded Valentine's. But don't worry: Concrete will guide you through the rocky month of love.

If you are in need of advice, Comment has your new and savage agony aunt on page 18.

Forget the auntie that brings over cake on a Sunday and wears oversized scarfs, this aunt has razor sharp wit and zero tolerance of pathetic partners.

Comment editor Jack Ashton and I share our pearls of wisdom and what to do when he’s just not that into you.

Whether you need tough love or not, we've got devilish honesty and angelic advice to right your wrongs.

If you want a friendlier approach, head to Features where you can find out how to escape a bad date. On page 12, Amelia Rentell tells you what to do when you realise “Ultimately, this date is going nowhere. You’re creeped out, unsatisfied and bored.”

Unfortunately, we have all been there and with her advice you don’t have to stay long.

Finally, a reminder that the Concrete Sex Survey is back and ready to do it all again! We investigated how UEA does it and the results were certainly enlightening.

Thank you to everyone who answered the survey and look out for your comments on the back cover. We picked a few of our favourite quotes and it could be one of yours gracing our prestigious cover.

Concrete will help you find your way through February whether you’re in or out of love.

Let's not forget what this month is really about - discounted chocolate. Mark your calendar for 15 February and you’ll get through it.

concrete-online.co.uk Concrete_UEA concreteuea

www.concrete-online.co.uk Editor-in-Chief Emily Hawkins concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Deputy Editor Sophie Bunce concrete.deputy@uea.ac.uk Online Jacob Chamberlain Natalie Cotterill concrete.online@uea.ac.uk News News Editor: Matt Nixon Senior Reporter: Shannon McDonagh concrete.news@uea.ac.uk Global Eddie Booth concrete.global@uea.ac.uk Features Tony Allen Amy Newbery concrete.features@uea.ac.uk Comment Jack Ashton concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk Finance Finance Editor: Matt Denton Senior Reporter: Will Richardson concrete.finance@uea.ac.uk Science Science Editor: Beth Papworth Senior Reporter: Alex Millard concrete.scienv@uea.ac.uk Travel Beverly Devakishen concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk Sport Daniel Cook Sophie Christian concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk Chief Copy-Editors Hannah Brown Sophie Clayton concrete.copy@uea.ac.uk Marketing and Events Amelia Rentell Social Media Freddie Carty Art and Design Emily Mildren concrete.artdesign@uea.ac.uk

concrete_UEA Front page: Matt Nixon, Yutian Lei lt, Bill Kerr, Flickr, Benjamin Kua, Wikicommons

Editorial Enquiries Complaints & Corrections concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk

No part of this newspaper may be reproduced by any means without the permission of the Editor-in-Chief, Emily Hawkins. Published by the Union of UEA Students on behalf of Concrete. Concrete is a UUEAS society, but retains editorial independence as regards to any content. Opinions expressed herein are those of individual writers, not of Concrete or its editorial team.

News

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13th February 2018

Continued from front page impact on disabled students and staff.

SU Disabled Students Officer Emily Cutler said she was apprehensive about the announcement.

“There are loads of access issues across UEA and a budget of £300k a year to fix them really is the least the University could do.

“So we’re very worried that there appears to have been a cut of £50k to an already paltry budget.”

She added: “We’re calling on the Uni VC to keep to his promise, restore the budget and set out a proper plan to make this campus accessible for all students as soon as possible.”

A university spokesperson said they have seen “huge improvements to accessibility across campus over the last seven years, due to the efforts of the Access All Areas (AAA) Group and our estates team.”

“Making our university campus accessible to all continues to be a priority and we are making significant investment to tackle some of the least accessible buildings on campus over the next few years.

“The recent refurbishment of the lecture block on campus included a comprehensive hearing loop system.”

The university said plans for a Building 60 and Building 0 are inclusive of disabled staff and students.

“Work has already begun to construct Building 60 to deliver a fully accessible science and teaching building which will be achieved with input from AAA Group working with the design team.

The provision of high quality additional seminar space within Building 60 will mean that Blackdale will no longer be required, which will remove a poorly-designed building that does not fully meet our needs going forward.

“Project Zero will deliver another fully accessible learning and teaching building to replace current spaces in the Arts 1 and 2 buildings.

There are also plans to adapt the Lasdun teaching wall, including aims to completely strip back the current building to its structure.

“This will enable us to tackle a significant portion of the accessibility issues in the building,” a university spokesperson said.

The wall is “one of the most challenging buildings on campus because of its age, design, structure and the fact that it is listed,” they said.

“We will be continuing to tackle existing accessibility issues that we find across campus with the continued support of the AAA Group.”

Nightline offering pregnancy tests Emily Hawkins Editor-in-Chief Nightline, the student organised listening service, has started offering free pregnancy tests to students in need.

Nightline provide a free and confidential service for students who need someone to talk to about worries during the night.

T h e y stock the First Response early response tests, which can detect a pregnancy six days before a missed period.

Alyssa Girvan, the service’s external coordinator, said: “We are really happy to be able to provide this service to students.

“There aren’t many places you can access this service at night and people in a situation where they think they might be pregnant will often stress throughout the night until they are able to purchase one the next day.”

“As a confidential service, we will never tell anyone you have come to collect one and can put the tests in a bag to be more discrete if you need.

"Our volunteers will give those collecting a test an information leaflet from the test packs with all the information they need about the tests if you come to collect one.

Nightline volunteers, who work in twelve hour shifts between 8pm to 8am every night, provide information leaflets on how to use the tests.

Students can also use the bathroom in the Nightline office, located in the Student Support Centre building opposite Waterstones, to take the test.

The service encourages students to seek a doctor’s consultation if they suspect they may be pregnant.

Nightline also offers free condoms and other sexual health supplies.

Number of refugee scholarships to increase UEA awarded status as a Sanctuary university

Photo: .Martin, Flickr Seàn Bennett News Reporter The university said they will increase the number of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships offered to refugees and asylum seekers. This follows the news that UEA was awarded ‘University of Sanctuary’ status in recognition of its commitment to offering support and aid to those in need.

The title is bestowed by The City of Sanctuary, an organisation which encourages action to assist refugees and asylum seekers.

UEA received particular praise for its scholarship schemes, educational events and collaborations with other organisations like the Students' Union and Norwich International Youth Project, among other things.

Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Sciences, Professor Philip Gilmartin said the university was delighted by the news.

“Supporting asylum seekers and refugees in higher education is incredibly important to UEA,” he said.

“The scheme enables us to actively demonstrate our ongoing commitment to equal opportunities for access to education.

“Through our initiatives, we are not only creating wider awareness

via educational activities and events, but providing direct support to those in difficult circumstances, who do not have easy access to education.”

"I fell in love with the green fields and lake" The Article 26 scholarship currently offers two fully funded tuition places to students, undergraduate or postgraduate, who are seeking asylum in the UK and who are not entitled to financial support from Student Finance England or any other UK Student Finance agency.

The project, which takes its name from Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in which the right to education is enshrined, is supported by the Helena Kennedy Foundation and has been in operation at UEA since 2017/18. The adoption of the scheme came following a significant student movement, covered by Concrete in January 2016, to provide scholarships for Syrian Refugees.

Indeed, UEA’s work as a ‘sanctuary’ for those forced from their home countries is longstanding, with the university

also agreeing to defer the tuition fees of students affected by the war in Syria back in 2013.

One student who can attest to the opportunities which UEA has to offer is Enana Alasssaf, a 26-yearold Syrian refugee who came to Norwich after her undergraduate degree at Aleppo University was cut short by the scourge of war.

Through UEA’s partnership with the Asfari Foundation, she was granted £21,000 to complete her degree, following which she now finds herself studying a PhD at the School of Pharmacy.

Discussing the experience, Enana said: “I was an undergraduate in Pharmacy at Aleppo University.

When the war started, I began applying for different scholarships in the UK. "The UEA had appealed to me because of the modules they offered and I fell in love with the green fields and lake... I had dreamt of doing a PhD for a long time and UEA was very generous to offer me a scholarship to continue doing my degree. The day I heard the news was the happiest day of my life.”

Looking to the future, UEA plans to introduce a University of Sanctuary Liaison Officer.

The university said this role will “strengthen the excellent work being for sanctuary seekers at the university and with local partners."

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13th February 2018

News

Scotland to give free tuition to EU students after Brexit Seàn Bennett News Reporter

The Scottish Government has announced that students from EU nations who begin their courses in academic year 2019-20 will continue to enjoy free university tuition.

"We are the first government in the UK to make such a commitment" The announcement sees an extension of the existing pledge for new students in the years 2017-18 and 2018-19.

The Scottish Higher Education minister, Shirley-Anne Somerville, unveiled the move in Holyrood explaining: "This will provide confidence for prospective EU students considering coming to study in Scotland, as well as the clarity that our institutions require in order to plan for that academic year.”

Ms. Somerville also noted in her speech: "We are the first government in the UK to make such a commitment.

"We do so to send a strong message to current and prospective

Photo: Stu Smith, Flickr students - you are welcome here."

Calls for clarification on the matter have been heard across the country’s Higher Education sector amid concern that uncertainty would dampen interest in attending university in Scotland.

In response, the convener of Universities Scotland, Professor Andrea Nolan, said: “We are delighted that the Scottish Government has responded to the sector's call for clarity on this position and they have done so in a timely fashion.

“Today's announcement gives some much-needed clarity and assurance to universities, but most importantly demonstrates to EU students that they continue to be welcome in Scotland.”

The announcement has also received that most rare of political prizes – cross-party support. Both Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Labour have praised the move by the current minority SNP government.

Education spokeswoman for the Scottish Conservatives, Liz Smith, said: “It is important to send out

a strong message to current and prospective students that Scotland is a good place to be.

"I think all MSPs are aware of the outstanding contribution EU students and staff make to our universities.”

Ms. Smith’s Conservative counterpart, Iain Gray, said the announcement will “mean that EU citizens thinking of applying to study in Scotland in [the 201920] academic year will know what support will be available to them, and that is important.”

News in brief

Re-discovered Munnings Art to be displayed at NUA A collection of drawings by Sir Alfred Munnings have been discovered in the archives of the Norwich University of Arts. The drawings, from the 1890s, are some of the earliest known examples of the artist’s work - heralding from his days as a student at NUA. Munnings was most renowned for his equine paintings, and was elected the President of the Royal Academy of Art in 1944. These newly discovered pictures provide a keen insight into the artist’s developing skill in his profession.

Amongst the pictures, there are a set of drawings of horse and cattle which are suggestive of the artist’s already developing interest in his most famous subjects.

An exhibition will be held at the East Gallery from February 7 to 17 to display this newly-discovered work.

The exhibition will run as part of a fundraising effort to help preserve the artwork. A total of £30,000 is needed to help with this effort, with each of the drawings needing their acidic mount removed, to be cleaned and subsequently reframed.

These efforts will ensure that the artwork is preserved, and Munnings legacy will continue into future generations.

Troy Fielder

UEA appoints new State school university admissions stall Chief Operating Officer Louise Lazell News Reporter

Shannon McDonagh Senior News Reporter Earlier this month UEA announced the decision to appoint Jenny Baxter as its Chief Operating Officer (COO).

The newly created position will see Mrs. Baxter join UEA’s Executive Team in a “vital role in the University’s achievement of its strategic ambitions, as outlined in its Vision 2030 and UEA Plan 20162020.”

Mrs. Baxter’s career spans 30 years, having started at the BBC as a graduate trainee, later progressing to numerous senior roles in the News department such as Head of Foreign News, Live News Editor and Controller of Production.

She ended her career at the BBC as COO of BBC North, leading 3,000 members of staff at its base in MediaCity Salford, the second largest in the country.

She currently works at the Open University as a Senior Programme Manager in their current transformative project focusing on future Student Experience and Digital Transformation.

According to the job specification, key duties of her role will include overseeing the continued investment of £300 million into the university, providing leadership for the overall development, management and

sustainability of the university’s professional services.

Additionally, she will be expected to work in close communication with the Vice Chancellor and others, with objectives such as “developing a productive relationship with the Students’ Union,” and “promoting a strong corporate culture of excellence and innovation.”

"I'm delighted to be joining the team in Norwich and focusing on delivery of the 2030 plan" Commenting on her appointment, Mrs Baxter said: “UEA is a university with a proud history of real innovation in fields as diverse as creative writing and climate change science and also excels with its strong focus on student experience and research intensity.

“There is no doubt that the university sector has many challenges ahead and I’m delighted to be joining the team in Norwich and focusing on delivery of the UEA 2030 plan.”

Official figures have revealed that the proportion of students from state schools and disadvantaged areas going to university has only risen by 0.1 percent.

Despite government attempts to widen UK student participation at university, very few young people from poorer neighbourhoods are moving on to higher education, according to the latest statistics.

Released by the Higher Education Stats Agency (HESA) on Thursday 1 February, the newest figures show a huge disparity in recruitment rates between universities in the UK. Universities which had the lowest state school participation included Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, and St. Andrews.

Some small, specialist institutions such as the Royal Academy of Music had as little as 44 percent of students coming from state schools.

UEA is a stronger recruiter of students from state schools, with approximately nine out of every ten full time undergraduates having attended a state school.

In the 2014/15 academic year, UEA had 5.8 percent more students from state schools than their benchmark. However, like many institutions UEA observed a slight dip in numbers over 2015/16

recruitment.

SU Postgraduate Officer Maddie Colledge said: “We do have to be careful when looking at UEA’s performance here, as having a large Health Sciences school means that some groups tend to be clustered in courses like Nursing.

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The number of undergraduate students from state schools at UEA, out of ten.

"Generally we’re really pleased with UEA’s progress on recruiting students from lower incomesit’s really important given the shockingly low participation in University in our region," she said.

"But the challenge set by the new University regulator is not just about recruiting students- it’s about retaining them and helping them to succeed, and here at UEA you’re still more likely to drop out if you’re from a poorer background."

More than a third of the elite Russel Group universities saw a drop in the proportion of state school students, including Oxford and Cambridge who had the lowest numbers.

Oxford recorded the smallest number of entrants at 57.7 percent, followed by Cambridge at 62.6 percent.

Edinburgh University recorded a 3.3 percent decrease and London

School of Economics revealing a 3.2 percent drop.

However slowing participation rates have affected two out of five universities, reporting drops in numbers of state school students.

The decline in numbers of students follows a general drop in overall applications.

By 15 January 2018, there was a 0.9 percent reduction in the total number of people that are applying to higher education.

UEA continues to push for student progression through the outreach team and student ambassador schemes which provide a variety of activities to increase intake.

"UEA observed a slight dip in numbers" Maddie Colledge said the SU have been working with the university through the Widening Participation committee "to help change this- running BuddySU, and identifying factors like financial hardship and social networks that contribute to student success."

"We’re also calling on the government to look at widening participation by subject rather than just by university, to ensure that we’re doing all we can to diversify socially exclusive professions like Law and Medicine," she added.

13th February 2018

President of NUS accused of bullying Patrick Wiseman News Reporter

Continued from front page the chance to vote on strike action, 392 members of staff voted, 87 percent of which opted to strike.

" It is still unclear

The National Union of Students (NUS) is conducting an investigation after allegations of bullying and intimidation were made against the NUS president, Shakira Martin, by her fellow officers.

as to how many staff members will strike"

"I do not think this behaviour is befitting or acceptable for a president" Martin has denied the allegations, accusing her critics of electioneering as campaigning begins in earnest ahead of NUS officer elections in March.

She has also made counter allegations, claiming she is a victim of “racism and classism”.

One of the complaints against Martin, made by the NUS women’s officer, Hareem Ghani, is that Martin had shouted and swore at officers on a number of occasions.

“Whilst I am sure Shakira Martin

News

Photo: willowbarbican, Wikimedia is under immense pressure, I do not think this behaviour is befitting or acceptable for a president,” she said.

“People should feel safe and secure in their place of work. They shouldn’t be made to feel anxious or upset at the prospect of being in the same environment as the president.”

Martin vehemently denied being a bully and said bullying should play

no part in student politics. She said she felt traumatised by the attacks against her on social media, which had brought her close to quitting her role, and claimed they fed into a stereotype of an angry black woman.

“I believe the victimisation I’ve suffered is because I’m a black, working-class woman,” she said.

“For the past few weeks I’ve been a victim of racism and classism."

An NUS spokesperson, confirming that a number of complaints were under investigation, said: “We take the health and wellbeing of those that work for us seriously and any breaches of codes of conduct will be dealt with appropriately.”

This is reflective of the 88 percent of UCU members nationally that voted in support of the strike.

The strike will last 14 days in total, but is to be scaled across the space of the month, with a day added each week that culminates in a full week of teaching being missed during the final week of the strike.

It is still unclear as to how many staff members will strike, but students will be informed on the day of teaching if their classes are affected.

As part of the conditions of the strike, teaching will not be rearranged for those affected. The Students’ Union “recommends that students attend their scheduled activities as normal unless they have specifically been told otherwise.”

Students can contact their individual seminar leaders, though they have no obligation to reveal whether or not they’re striking.

Graduate given PEN Lost property donated to Air Ambulance Irish Literature award Cat Leyland News Reporter

Salman Rushdie, and Neil Gaiman.

The award Enright will receive was created to honour a writer who has UEA graduate Anne Enright will made a significant contribution receive the Irish PEN Award for to Irish literature. Criteria for this Outstanding Contribution to Irish award consists of a large body of Literature on Friday 16 February. work, completed over a number of PEN was founded in 1921 and years. stands for poets, playwrights, It is open to novelists, editors, essayists, and novelists. It is playwrights, poets, and an association of writers from over scriptwriters.

100 countries, and describes itself Enright studied English and as “working to promote literature Philosophy at Dublin’s Trinity and defend freedom College, before coming to complete of expression her MA in Creative Writing at UEA. around the Her novel ‘The Gathering’, about a world.” large Irish family coming together Members for the funeral of their brother, of the was the winner of the 2007 Man organisation Booker Prize and the Irish Novel h a v e of the Year. included It is now studied at UEA on Margaret the Contemporary Fiction English A t w o o d , Literature module. Enright is part of a long tradition of award winning UEA graduates, joining Kazuo Ishigiro, Ian McEwan, and Andrew Cowan, a current professor and co-director of the Creative Writing programme at UEA. Enright will be the fourth woman to receive this award since it was established in 1998, with previous w i n n e r s including Maeve Binchy and Hpschaefer, Wikimedia Roddy Doyle.

Photo: UEA Imogen Barton News Reporter In-keeping with university tradition, UEA presented a cheque worth £1,300 to the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA), thus continuing its habit of giving away funds from campus lost property to charities.

The money was pooled from unclaimed money found in clothing and wallets on campus which were given to security.

Items handed into the Security Lodge are kept for two months before they are added to the charity fund.

The EAAA, which was founded in 2000, will use the money to continue their work providing

helicopter emergency medical services using the two helicopters at their service.

"The money was pooled from unclaimed money found in clothing and wallets on campus" They have the distinction of being the first air ambulance in the country to see to emergency incidents in hours of darkness to

poorly-lit areas.

As of now, they have currently attended to over 20,000 missions which involve providing quick responses, advanced critical care at the scene and transferring patients to hospital.

In particular, EAAA was responsible for attending to several on-campus medical emergencies over the years, including one late last year.

The money was presented

by UEA’s Director of Estates and Buildings, Roger Bond, to the Area Fundraising Officer for EAAA, Sophie Emmanuel at an event that many UEA staff attended.

Emmanuel noted her gratitude towards UEA and called the charity fund a “unique way" to raise money.

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13th February 2018

News

Lamb calls for independent review of ambulance trust Roo Pitt News Reporter

Over the last few months there have been several reports highlighting apparent failings by the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST), all with the same tone of question: Are patients being put at risk by our region’s ambulance service?

Throughout what has been a battle of rhetoric between politicians, health officials and the media, there has been an overwhelming focus on the winter pressures affecting the NHS.

"Lamb, who was formerly a health minister, feels his constituents have been let down" In light of whistle blowing from within the trust and one of his own constituents dying, the MP for North Norfolk, Norman Lamb, has now called for an independent governance review into the trust to see if they are making best use of the resources available.

Lamb, who was formerly a health minister, feels his constituents have been let down by the "emergency care system failing, not just the ambulance service, but also the acute services and the relationship between the two."

EEAST maintain they have faced unprecedented pressure over

Photos (L-R): Matt Nixon - George Hodan, publicdomainpictures winter, including 55,000 calls to the service within a 15-day period. In addition to this, acute hospitals have been cancelling routine operations in order to cope with increased demand, although there have been reports of ambulances waiting outside accident and emergency departments in excess of six hours.

The debate was further fuelled

by Norwich South MP Clive Lewis, who spoke critically in parliament about the service alongside Norman Lamb. The two MPs explained that “senior officials” within EEAST had told them both that since December, there were between 80 and 120 incidents of serious harm, potentially leading to between 20

Shortfall of region's nurses Imogen Barton News Reporter Statistics suggest East Anglian nurses face increasingly difficult conditions, with one in ten leaving the profession every year. In the East, 3,085 left whereas only 2,933 joined, marking the first time the number of leavers was higher than the nurses joining since 2012-13.

This problem is further exacerbated by the increased demand for nurses. On a national level, when it comes to working conditions, emergency admissions have increased by more than 14 percent compared to just a 0.7 percent in the nursing workforce since 2010. Teresa Budrey, the eastern regional director for the Royal College of Nursing, told the Eastern Daily Press: “There aren’t enough nurses to deliver safe care and our nurses tell us about the pressures they face daily.

“The messages we are getting are: we are always working short staffed every shift, we are staying late, we are having to treat patients in corridors.”

"This impacts on patient safety," she added.

Regionally, ten percent of the 3,500 nursing and midwifery

vacancies advertised between April and June last year were filled.

Influential factors include Brexit, poor working conditions, and pay freezes. The Health Foundation revealed the number of EU nurses joining dropped by 96 percent from 1,304 to 344 since the referendum.

This comes on the heels of an increasing number of EU staff leaving the NHS. Additionally, the removal of student bursaries has negatively impacted the number of students applying for a medicine-related course last year, according to UCAS, with dentistry the exception.

The associate Dean of Admissions for UEA’s Medicine and Health department, Katrina Emerson, and Emma Sutton, the associate Dean of Teaching, both recommended reinstating the bursary in order to improve recruitment numbers.

With regards to older students joining the profession, Emerson said: “These people find the idea of taking on a huge loan off-putting, so what we see is a drop in these numbers.”

Sutton noted the number of mature students applying in January had decrease.

Despie this, she said: “We are committed to wanting to continue because there’s a huge value.”

and 81 deaths.

EEAST responded to these allegations by stating they have raised 22 ‘serious’ incidents to their commissioners. The EEAST also refute the figures quoted by Lewis and Lamb.

The interim medical director for EEAST, Dr. Tom Davis, suggested: "Many more […] will have been looked at whilst raising those reports."

Dr. Davis added that an investigation will be held into who released these figures outside of the organisation and that the 'whistle blowers' have breached the trust’s information governance procedures.

However, Lamb has questioned Dr. Davis’ priorities, asking why EEAST seem to be fixated on investigating whistle blowers "with a threat hanging over them," and not the concerns that have been raised. Lamb added that the trust should encourage whistle blowers to speak out, and defended the figures he quoted in his parliament address.

Dr Davis defended the trust’s decision not to bring in additional ambulances to deal with winter pressures as EEAST believed they had "appropriate resources to meet demand, [however] additional pressures meant that these resources were waiting at the doors

of hospitals across the region.”

Lamb responded to this by suggesting that winter pressures should not come as a surprise because they are experienced year on year.

In a statement released following the ‘Risk Summit’, EEAST appeared to welcome Lamb’s feedback.

A spokesperson said: “The summit identified a number of actions that were needed to secure greater resilience for regional ambulance services. Some of these actions are for EEAST and some actions are for the wider NHS.” At the time of publication, EEAST had not responded to Concrete’s request for comment.

Students to get lost for charity Seàn Bennett News Reporter Ever wanted to be dropped into the middle of nowhere with nothing but a compass and a map?

Have you not at one time or another considered going back to nature like early man (except armed with a waterproof jacket and enough energy drink to fuel a small army), braving the elements and seeking fame in adventuring, all the while raising money for charity like the selfless saint you are?

Well, UEA’s Raising and Giving (RAG) society have got you covered.

On Saturday 3 March, at the ungodly hour of 9am, the society will take a number of brave souls by coach to an unknown location.

The students will then be told to find their way back to campus within 24 hours while completing undisclosed challenges, without use of personal funds, digital location services or, shockingly, alcohol.

The aim of the event, aptly named 'LOST’, is to raise money for the charities Happy Days, Emergency UK, and Mind.

These charities respectively help disabled children get the most out of

Photo: Matt Nixon life, support civilian victims of war and poverty, and deal with issues surrounding metal health.

Through fundraising, sponsorship and accosting members of the public during the event itself, RAG hope to raise funds for these more than worthy causes, converting the suffering of lost students into funds which can

do some good in the world.

Individuals wishing to take part will be charged £10 a head, and will be expected to raise at least £50 each by Thursday 1 March.

Teams will be made up of three people who have to stay together at all times – so, if you’re interested, pick people you're absolutely sure you like.

know someone who’d do a great job leading the SU? nominate them today: uea.vote

8

Global

13th February 2018

German political crisis nears end Eddie Booth looks at the enduring power of Merkel and the CDU An end is near in the German political crisis that has been raging since the election in November led to no clear majority. Chancellor Merkel, the figure present in German politics for over a decade, looks set to secure another term at the helm of Europe’s largest economy, after ‘grand coalition’ talks with major rival the SDP seemed to yield a compromise. The SDP, led by Martin Schultz and still smarting from a historically poor electoral performance and has previously been in a coalition with Merkel’s Christian Democrats, will take two key ministries, finance and foreign, in exchange for supporting Merkel as Chancellor.

“...and still smarting from a historically poor electoral performance” This deal must be approved

by SDP members in a ballot, and it is sure to raise controversy over the direction of the party, which only just cleared the 20 percent mark in the recent election.

Social democratic parties have been suffering in elections across Europe, as far right and populist parties continue to eat into their

vote share. The SDP, once the dominate force in German politics, risks slipping into irrelevancy, as both they and the CDU attempt to fight off the extreme Alternative for Germany (AFD), which captured 12 percent of the vote.

The question of whether AFD, who are decidedly anti-

Photo: Angela Merklel, The Kremlin immigration and skeptical of government, the AFD will serve further European expansion, can as the official opposition, giving pose a real electoral threat in a them a position of real influence in country that struggles to this day German politics, rather than their with the legacy of it’s bloody past current role of insurgent populist remains to be seen. However, the party.

CDU and SPD risk amplifying their The EU will be relieved to voice with this coalition deal. As see that an agreement has been the largest remaining party not in reached securing Merkel’s position.

Eighth amendment to face Irish referendum Johanne Elster Hanson Global Writer On 29 January, the government in the Republic of Ireland announced a referendum for May 2018 on whether to repeal the Eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution.

Put in place in October 1983, the amendment “recognizes” the life of the embryo or fetus as equal to that of the pregnant woman. A woman may only terminate her pregnancy if her life is at risk. If this is not the case, she may face up to 14 years in prison for having an abortion. Since the passing of the Eight Amendment 35 years ago, approximately 200, 000 Irish women have travelled to England and Wales in order to perform safe abortions.

For those who are pro-choice on the issue of abortion, Ireland has long been seen as an anachronism.

In this western European democracy, divorce was outlawed until 1996, while same-sex marriage was made legal only two years ago, also through a national referendum.

Writing for The Guardian on 3 January, journalist Kevin McKenna describes Ireland as “what is often perceived as the world’s most Catholic country,” and that with this referendum the “old order” is convulsing with the separation of church and state.

If the amendment is not repealed in May, “it must only be a matter of time before it is,” McKenna argued.

T h i s potential step towards liberalization and equality has split the Irish population, but also made prominent politicians alter or further explain their stance: Ireland’s taoiseach Leo Varadkar,

who declared himself “pro-life” only three years ago, asked the Irish people to “trust women” during the speech in which he announced the referendum.

Sinn Fein’s new leader, Mary Lou McDonald, said her party will be “knocking on doors” campaigning for repeal.

While the anti-abortion group, The Pro-Life Campaign, recently told Irish Times that they were “confident about the forthcoming referendum,” recent polls suggest a two to one lead in favor of the repeal side. It seems likely that come May, Ireland will join the ranks of the 200 other countries that offer women secure access to abortion.

It has been suggested that age will play a role in the forthcoming referendum, given that no voter under the age of 52 have ever had a chance to vote on this issue.

However, some pro-life campaigns say they have strong youth followings.

Abortion is still a contested and sensitive subject. It will be up to the Irish people to decide on this question, and it may herald the end of the Eight Amendment.

Germany is the EU’s largest and arguably healthiest economy and contains a generally pro-EU population. Berlin, together with Paris, sets the tone for the European Commission, and without a functioning government the lack of German influence panicked some within the EU. As the European Union continues to struggle with rising populism and scepticism in it’s member states, the return of an established, European friendly leader will calm some nerves in Brussels.

Brexit continues to dominate European politics, and whilst it was not an electoral issue in Germany, Merkel will be expected to take the lead in the upcoming second stage of negotiations. German opinion leans towards preserving the sanctity of the Single Market and it’s four freedoms, which would been a basic free trade deal with the UK without any special concessions.

However, the German and British economies are interlinked, and the risk to business on either side of the channel is considerable.

It is likely the SDP will approve the coalition deal, given their party is low on funds and unwilling to face a snap election in which they would struggle. If this proves to be so, Merkel will have survived the toughest test of her political career. The ever-present of German politics looks set to continue on, albeit weaker and more vulnerable.

Ollie Ryan Tucker examines terror charges against a British anti-ISIS fighter James Matthews, a British volunteer who fought with the Kurdish YPG in Syria against ISIS, will be charged with a terror offence, Metropolitan Police have announced. The charge alleges that he attended “a place or places in Iraq or Syria where instruction or training was provided for purposes connected to the commission or preparation of terrorism.”

Matthews, 43, is a former solider who left a teaching role in Saudi Arabia after being “jolted” by a photograph of an ISIS jihadist holding a woman’s severed head.

He featured heavily in a documentary about British volunteers in Syria alongside Jac Holmes, who was killed whilst clearing mines, one of seven Brits killed whilst fighting for the YPG. The charges are the first of their kind against British volunteers with the Western-backed YPG Kurdish forces.

“YPG”, the Kurdish acronym for People’s Protection Units has been a key player in the fight

against ISIS in Northern Syria and Iraq and more than 400 foreign volunteers are believed to have joined the fight.

Whilst the YPG is supported by the United States and other Western powers, Turkey views it as a terrorist group due to its connections with the PKK and similar Kurdish groups. Matthews is understood to be seeking legal advice and has a high level of popular support from many sympathetic to his anti-ISIS fight.

British volunteers with the Kurds are far outnumbered by those travelling to join the Islamic State and other jihadist groups. A number of British jihadists have faced terror charges.

British security forces will be pleased by the revelation that two of the so-called “Beatles”, a group of four British jihadists who carried out brutal on-camera executions of hostages, have been captured by the Kurds. With the other two believed to be dead, the most infamous British jihadists are now accounted for.

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13th February 2018

Trump delivers State of Union Trump talks up economy, security policies in key speech, Sam Kenward reports Every week since President Trump came to office, there is always something new to worry about and discuss.

Last week, the event was the State of the Union Address. This was technically Trump’s first SOTU as the 2017 ‘address’ was just weeks after the inauguration. This was similar to last year’s speech in many ways.

The backdrop, the audience and Trump at the podium all remained unchanged. Crucially however, there was one difference: the message. The message in this speech seemed far detached from Trump’s usual divisive tone with radical phraseology making way for traditional vocabulary and schmaltz.

There was praise for American resilience and bravery, lines like ‘we are with you, we love you’, and perhaps most eye-catching, a call for cross-party cooperation.

This seemed quite a departure

from Trump’s usual tone and could provide some cause for optimism that he will seek to moderate his stances. Before premature conclusions are reached, however, huge caution is required.

“Trump boasted about ‘his’ achievements” In the first instance, Trump boasted about ‘his’ achievements, with the claim that America is rediscovering its way under his leadership. Secondly, with the outlook for his party seeming gloomy ahead of the mid-terms, using schmaltz and conciliatory language might be a ploy.

This premise could give Trump undeserved credit for being a calculating politician but from the sound of it, this tone was deliberately put on and probably won’t last long.

Turning now to the Democratic response, perhaps the most interesting element was the deliverer.

After the Bush and Clinton dynasties being rejected in 2016, it was quite surprising to see another dynasty punch back. The young, progressive Joe Kennedy looked to emulate his forebears by producing a landmark speech in response to Trump’s address.

He provided the usual Democrat narrative of saying the administration is subservient to the corporate class, and made the standard Democrat promise that they will stand up for ordinary Americans.

Whether it was the message to Dreamers or simply his surname, this speech carried some extra meaning which SOTU responses tend to fail at.

There seemed to be some genuine believability to the narrative

Alumni in spotlight May visits China Scott Arthur Global Writer If Theresa May had hoped for a brief moment of respite from domestic pressures during her visit to China, then she was sorely mistaken.

While the Prime Minister did leave Beijing with approximately £9 billion worth of new trade deals between British and Chinese companies, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox conceded that any potential trade deal was “some way off.”

Indeed, Downing Street seems rather upbeat about the entire trip. Eager to highlight areas of agreement, announcements lauded the promise of a trade review, agricultural opportunities as well as educational, cultural and environmental partnerships.

This is in stark contrast to Chinese announcements, which were eager to stress that China was already self-sufficient in most things and that these talks were merely giving Chinese businesses the option to buy British if they so desired. In a time dominated

by Brexit, the Prime Minister may have hoped for more than the £9 billion worth of deals she did manage to get.

French President Emmanuel Macron returned from China earlier this year claiming to have obtained 20 billion worth of deals, and President Trump claimed – a presumably inflated – figure of $250 billion after his visit. British politicians were quick to seize on this. Liberal Democrat leader

which the Democrats desperately crave and it is unsurprising that it has fuelled more speculation about Joe Kennedy running for the presidency. The democrats are desperate for a leader, with the void left by Barack Obama still stunting the development of their political message.

“The Democrats are desperate for a leader, with the void left by Barack Obama”

Though there is some scepticism at the idea of another Kennedy, a rallying figure seems to be what the left in America needs at this moment. Whatever happens, one thing is for sure after last week’s event: the SOTU has opened up

Vince Cable called the agreements “modest” and argued that the Prime Minister is quickly learning that “trade deals won’t fall like ripened fruit into her hands.”

Given further inspection, some of claims that China’s ban on importing British beef products would end up being inaccurate, with the two nations only agreeing to further discussions on the issue.

The Prime Minister visited Wuhan, home to the world’s largest university, with the hope that progress would be made on student visa exchanges, but instead all that is known for sure is that an already existing programme in

which maths teachers exchange roles will be continued into the next few years. While Mrs. May was in Wuhan, she met UEA alumnus actress Jiang Shuying.

Jiang Shuying is an alumni of UEA and the INTO program with which UEA is partnered. sShe also toured the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) in Beijing, with Professor Chun-Ming Liu. He formerly studied at the John Innes Centre.

Only time will tell whether this trip was significant in AngloChinese relations. The government are pinning their hopes on it being exactly that.

sides of the aisle.

Photo: Claude TRUONG-NGOC

Emily Hawkins on Global Opportunities week “The only word I knew how to say was Konichiwa,” Lisa-Rose Moller from Career Central says of her two year stint teaching in a rural town twelve hours from Tokyo. When students are asked to stick a flag where they want to work or intern abroad on a world map at careers events, Japan is always covered in flags. However, the British Council found one of the main barriers for students was a fear about not speaking another language.

“Worries about finance, visas, health concerns, and leaving life in the UK put students off” Photo: Theresa May, The PM’s Office

many questions about A m e r i c a ’s political future, o n both

Global Opportunities Week, 1216 February, is aimed at informing students of the opportunities available to work abroad.

Students seeking to go global after graduation can find a whole host of information and opportunities to talk to potential employees. These include language taster workshops - a fun chance to try out another language for the first time with fluent students.

There are events for language speakers and non-language speakers. International students are also catered for with events like an Opportunities for Malayasian students session on Friday 16 February.

UEA graduates abroad will answer job-hunting questions

via Skype. Such alumni include Chris Teale, a History and Politics graduate, who will speak about his experience in the USA working as a news reporter and Alex Brander, a Politics graduate, who works in Singapore as a Facebook partner manager.

Career Central say working abroad gives job applicants a huge edge over other candidates, with UK companies receiving thousands of applications at a time. However, less than one percent of UK graduates seek work opportunities abroad. Worries about finance, visas, health concerns, and leaving life in the UK put students off, according to the British Council.

Now in its fourth year running, Global Opportunities week will host sessions addressing these concerns. For example, many students are unware of the potential opportunities to recieve funding to work abroad. These include Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), in addition to funded internships in finance and journalism. Career Central also offer their own Employability Bursary of up to £500, including opportunities for working abroad.

One of the week’s highlights will be a Global Mini Careers Fair, on Thursday 15 February. This will run in the evening at the Julian Study Centre and see employers from companies like the High Commission of Canda, Camp America, and the Daiwa Foundation speak about the opportnities they offer students in the UK. Students can book onto any of the week’s sessions in advance by logging into MyCareerCentral.

Features

10

13th February 2018

Celebrating LGBT+ History Month Hannah Brown Features Writer

February marks LGBT+ History Month in the UK, to “promote equality and diversity for the benefit of the public” (lgbthistorymonth. org.uk/about). It’s a month to celebrate pioneers of equality for LGBT+ folks, raise awareness of LGBT+ issues, and educate people.

The theme of LGBT+ History Month this year is ‘Geography: Mapping the World’, which has marked recently both Australia, and

sixteen more North American states have legalised same sex weddings.

“It is more important now than ever before to look back at our history” LGBT+ History Month first began in the UK in February 2005 following the abolition of Section 28 in the

Sex work in Norwich Rachel Crockart Features Writer When discussing prostitution and sex work with friends, I found that bringing up “well what do you think about sex work in Norwich?” saw them glare back at me like I was mad. I guess people do not really associate sleepy Norwich with what is presumed to be a ‘dark back alley’ profession. When most think of sex work, their minds go straight to the Red Light District in Amsterdam or circa sixteenth to eighteenth century Covent Garden, and the glamorisation of prostitution. Or when we think of the darker side of sex work, we automatically presume that it resides in bigger cities like London or Manchester.

Norwich almost seems too ‘pure’ and ‘untainted’.

In Great Britain the law on Sex Work states that prostitution itself is legal but what is illegal is: owning or managing a brothel, soliciting in a public space, kerb crawling, and pimping and pandering. A brothel is technically a premise where two or more people engage in sexual work.

As much as many brothels advertise themselves as ‘massage parlours’, ‘saunas’ or ‘Soho walkups’ these are still illegal, but police turn a blind eye to it. This means that only sex work as an individual is legal. If there are two or more people working together, only then does it become illegal.

So sex workers can only work by themselves? Ethically, working with and having the support of at least one other person would arguably be safer than working by oneself.

In August 2016, police exposed a group who had been smuggling Romanian women to Norwich to work as prostitutes. A raid of eighteen houses saw the identification of fifteen suspects, seizure of fifteen cars, almost £10,000 of cash and 5,700 Euros. They were able to function by changing the rooms they rented for women to work in every month, making them difficult to expose. Between 2012 and 2015 there had only been two arrests in Norfolk for the crime.

This case shows how some people

turn to sex work in order to get out of their original country, but as sex work is unregulated and most tend to turn a blind eye to it, sex workers often get blackmailed to staying in the business. However, there are organisations in Norwich which look to protecting and helping sex workers. The Matrix project was founded in 2000 and is a Norwichbased NHS service which specialises in health screening, contraception, emotional support, safe sex information and safe working practice of local sex workers.

There is also The Magdalene Group which more directly gives support to exploited and trafficked sex workers and finding routes for women wanting to exit sex work.

Ultimately, the law stating that prostitution is legal but working in a brothel is not almost makes sex work more dangerous than it needs to be. Decriminalising brothels has the potential to help regulate prostitution and protect the women it involves. It would make it less of a taboo subject to discuss which would make it less dangerous as people are less likely to turn a blind eye to it. With brothels estimated to earn between £50m and £130m a year, it is understandable why some people turn to them for employment. A spokesperson for Norfolk Police told Concrete: “We will pursue prosecutions against those who persistently commit offences surrounding prostitution.

We will also continue to work with partners and residents in a bid to tackle the issues.

“In October 2017, we issued warning letters to owners of vehicles seen to be acting suspiciously in the Rosary Road, Norwich area after community concerns. It meant that if the vehicles were seen in the area after a warning letter was issued, we had the ability to charge suspects straight to court, saving time and money in the process.

“We are always trying different ways to tackle ongoing issues and are particularly keen to hear the public’s views.

“If you see any suspicious behaviour in your local community, or have information, please contact Norfolk Police on 101.”

UK in 2003. Section 28 followed the decriminalisation of gay sex for over twenty-ones in the UK, but it meant that people who were homosexual could still be discriminated against.

In 2003, this was finally abolished.

Whilst there are parades and celebrations going on around the UK, UEA also has a bunch of events happening this month. For example, during Do Something Different Week, UEA has Open Door Sessions for different sexualities and genders, so people who identify as LGBT+ can discuss their experiences

at university and beyond.

There’s also screenings of the film Pride, as well as pizza socials, discussion groups, and some UEA panels. There’s also a discussion with the charity Leeway about abuse in LGBT+ relationships.

So why is the fact that UEA celebrates LGBT History Month important? Of course, it’s about raising awareness and educating people, but it’s also about inclusivity. Whilst the UK has made leaps in terms of LGBT+ rights, it still has a way to go.

The SU’s LGBT+ officers posted on their blog: “We still have a long way to go. It is more important now than ever before, as we look forward and think about how we can solve the vast inequalities LGBT+ people still face around the world, to look back at our history and acknowledge and appreciate the incredible people who paved the way for us.”

You can check out what events are lined up at UEA to celebrate LGBT+ History Month on their website, or you can pick up a flyer at the Union House.

When films go too far

Tony Allen Features Editor Pornography - whilst most see it as a simple bit of fun and escapism, for some it is a potentially dangerous route into excess.

Although there is little concrete evidence, experts are becoming increasingly convinced that pornography addiction is on the rise, thanks to easy access to adult films provided by free streaming sites like PornHub.

“There are treatments available for pornography addiction on the NHS” As in the case of most addictions, causes of porn addiction can be complex and vary between sufferers, from difficult home situations as children (including emotional neglect and abuse) to problems with relationships formed as adults.

Symptoms of pornography addiction can include severe feelings

of guilt, a need to watch ever-more extreme sex acts to gain the same gratification (known as sensitisation) and a lack of libido when with a reallife partner, sometimes in the form of erectile dysfunction.

However, there are treatments available for pornography addiction on the NHS. The best known is talking therapy with a trained counsellor. Mental health charity Mind says the purpose of talking therapy is, through discussion, to “help you understand your feelings and behaviour better and, if you want, to change your behaviour or the way you think about things.”

In 2016, a BBC report quoted psychosexual therapist Angela Gregory, who blames the proliferation of freely available pornography online for a range of health problems she has seen in her patients.

She said: “What I’ve seen over the last 16 years, particularly the last five years, is an increase in the amount of younger men being referred.

“Our experience is that historically men that were referred to our clinic with problems with erectile dysfunction were older men whose issues were related to diabetes, MS, cardio vascular

disease.

“These younger men do not have organic disease, they’ve already been tested by their GP and everything is fine.

“So one of the first assessment questions I’d always ask now is about pornography and masturbatory habit because that can be the cause of their issues about maintaining an erection with a partner.”

In 2014, German researchers at the Centre for Lifespan Psychology in Berlin found a possible link between watching more pornography and having a smaller brain.

However, since online pornography is still fairly new to the mainstream, there has been limited scientific investigation into its effects.

An addiction to pornography can also be connected to sex addiction, where sufferers can be tempted to carry out high-risk activities and can suffer comedowns after sex.

NHS Choices describes it as an “addiction [that] is similar to substance abuse, caused by the powerful chemical substances that are released during sex.”

Those who believe they might be suffering from sex or pornography addiction are advised to visit their GP to explore the options available.

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13th February 2018

The nap nook: sanctuary for sleep-deprived students Giorgia Rose Features Writer The nap nook is a sanctuary for many UEA students. Located on the first floor of Union House, this darkened room is filled to the brim with beanbags, sofa beds and eye masks and encourages students to recharge their batteries during the day.

Any student can use it, but it was envisioned to particularly help students with chronic illnesses, such as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

sleep deprivation amongst students.

Improving student wellbeing is rightly viewed by universities to be as important as academic care.

Taking a short forty minute nap in the middle of a busy day can have tremendous benefits on a student’s

“But there are inevitable obstacles to getting that much needed rest”

“The space has been so much help to me this semester” When the nap nook was launched back in 2015, the SU said that it would bring “massive positive benefits” including “better alertness, huge increases in memory capacity and better grades.”

The first of its kind in a UK university, it has grown popular with students who find themselves exhausted by hectic university life.

UCL similarly implemented nap pods for students to use throughout their day. The decision was significant as it was used to tackle

“When I have a huge gap between lectures in the morning and society commitments in the evening, itís the most comfortable place to go to chill out.”

productivity, concentration and overall wellbeing.

Open all day until midnight, the nap nook is always available for those in need of a quick rest.

One regular nap nook user told Concrete: “the space has been so much help to me this past semester.

The nap nook is a vital component of the UEA campus and supports students’ well being.

But there are inevitable obstacles to getting that much needed rest.

Noise from the Hive often percolates in from downstairs, disturbing the peace and quiet, there are only two sofa beds, and the nap nook offers an all too convenient cut-through to the media centre.

Additionally, many students are seeing the benefits of napping during the day, so the nap nook is becoming more and more crowded, particularly around exam time.

With the increasing number of students coming to UEA, there’s a need for more spaces like these to accommodate students’ stress.

Do Something Different Week Camomile Shumba Features Writer Consider me a convert. A week ago, I would have told you the only thing different people do on Do Something Different Week is book a train or coach.

As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss. However, in the case of this phenomenal, groundbreaking week, ignorance could be the only thing stopping you from realising that your dreams are within reach.

Jack Ashton told me: “It was one of the better things I did at uni, I wrote a blog on it.” In this blog post, Jack reveals how Do Something Different Week unveiled a plethora of opportunities that not only gave him purpose, but could help other people like him get the chance to as well.

During Do Something Different Week Jack entered a speaking competition: the winner got to speak at TED Ex Norwich. I will

give you a moment to process this.

Jack did not allow this moment to go waste. He spoke from the heart about a topic that once affected him, suicide, and how apathy and a lack of help available to boys was fatal.

He celebrated making ‘emotional connections’, and this led to him being approached by schools who wanted him to pass on that message at their school.

After looking, for the first time I’ll admit, on ueadifferent.com, I was astounded by the variety of choices that catered to my needs and the criteria of what something different but relevant to where I was in life, could be.

In the end, I booked, via the website, for free, the public speaking training Jack did, the film project, another competition in which you learn the craft of filmmaking and creative exposure event, inspiring innovation. The possibilities appear to be endless. Take the leap and do something different, it could change your life.

Tony Allen on what to do different This year’s Do Something Different Week will see about 200 events teaching students a range of new skills.

The LDC school is hosting a week-long workshop with director Guy Myhill allowing anyone interested to make their own short film. Students can also take a threehour first-aid course on Thursday and gain an official qualification

from it.

Other events include sports tasters, sessions on public speaking, introductions to foreign languages and cultures and a sale of street food in The Square on Monday and Wednesday lunchtimes.

Although most are free, all sessions must be booked in advance.

For full details, visit ueadifferent. com.

The fad, the myth, the legend: dry January

Amelia Rentell Features Writer The fad, the myth, the legend. Dry January is something I could never do in a million years.

If you’d have told me to give up alcohol for any amount of time, I probably would have bought a drink then and there just to spite you – my role for Concrete is mostly to organise socials (drinking).

January is understandably the month to refresh, to take a step back and decide how you want the year

to go and what you’re going to do to achieve it.

Ultimately, Dry January made me think of those twenty something cleanse addicts who love a detox of anything but probably only drank once in a blue moon anyway. It would not be much of a challenge.

One of my favourite things to do is to prove someone wrong, to come out on top – be the best.

So, as January the 1st began to roll around, I thought, why not?

I drink on average three nights a week, and I don’t mean just a glass with my friends.

The idea that I had to go out without a drop of alcohol in my system was absolute madness.

Going to the pub was not such a terrifying idea but the idea of a sober LCR? Petrifiying.

Now, credits to those that do this on the regular. It is completely eye opening to me that I could have fun without a vodka Coke or five running through my veins.

Instead, I downed lime and sodas (40p!) and Red Bulls on a night out.

FYI, there is definitely such thing as a sugar hangover. One of my favourite anecdotes of the month

was when, after telling a friend I was attempting Dry January, she said, “Oh I thought you ordered that drink because you were hungover.”

It was 7pm on Tuesday, I guess I didn’t look great.

“As January the 1st began to roll around, I thought, why not?”

Aside from this, a good support

system is encouraging in any situation.

If my friends hadn’t let me smell their drinks to live vicariously through them, I would have failed within the first few days.

By the end of the month I had come to the remarkable conclusion that actually, people liked me without having to be drunk, I could have fun and still remember it, and I was enough without alcohol.

I am happy to say that I have cleansed my liver for a full thirtyone days and am safely, and more moderately, back on the lash.

12

13th February 2018

Features

Hannah Brown on how to mix uni life with uni love Tinder

If you’ve never had a Tinder account, truth be told, you’re probably doing something right. Whilst there are a select few success stories, it’s got a bad reputation. But at university, so many people are using it who are in your demographic… so why not?

Meeting someone for a coffee in Unio or Ziggy’s, or going for a drink in the Red Bar isn’t a bad way to start a new relationship. The fun of it, of course, is finding your friends on the app and having the stress over whether to jokingly (or not) swipe right and see what happens.

Clubs

Mercy, the Waterfront, the LCR, Loft… places to have both a great time and perhaps meet someone new. Meeting someone in a club has an even worse rep than Tinder, but honestly, if you’re looking for a romance for a night it’s not a bad place to check out.

Giving someone your number can strike up a conversation and securing a date on the dance floor isn’t the worst place you could tell your parents you met. Hopefully you’ll get a few free drinks out of a chance meeting anyway.

Societies

Societies and sport clubs might not be the first place to look for a potential partner, but you’re probably spending a lot of time on socials and at club meets.

You can get to know them both sober and drunk (which has both its benefits and let downs), and also have a good chat.

You know that the person has at least some of the same interests as you too, so unless you disagree drastically over something, you’re probably going to get along pretty well.

Lectures

Ever sat next to someone cute in a lecture and been thankful that, no matter how boring the content is, at least you’re sat next to someone attractive?

Lectures are probably the nerdiest places to meet someone new, but it’ll make you sound good when they tell their parents how you met. Bond over the sheer boredom (or interest, if that isn’t the mystery I’ve heard it to be) of the lecture and you also have the excitement of having to whisper something into their ear…

Images: Clcker-Free-Vector-Images

Mutual Friends

And of course, unless you’re already in a steady relationship, who hasn’t had a friend saying, “I know someone who you could go on a date with!”? Unless they’re bad friends, they probably know the type of person that you’d like and are actually quite good people to trust! Another pro is that friends have your best interests at heart, so they won’t set you up with someone you’d be really incompatible with.

And if someone is friends with your friend, chances are they’ll probably get along with you quite well too.

Photo: pxhere

Amelia Rentell on Dating: high school vs university how to escape a date Beverly Devakishen Features Writer

You’re at a bar and they’ve bought the first round. Your date has been talking about his great (but unrealistic) career plans (their own start-up business, of course) for what seems like forever.

This is interchangeable with persons who give political rants of their extremist views and men who talk excessively about their mothers. You’ve asked six questions in a row, they have not asked you any back and frankly, there is no spark (and we know from countless magazines that the spark is important). Ultimately, this date is going nowhere. You’re creeped out, unsatisfied and bored. Here’s how to escape.

“Ultimately, this date is going nowhere” 1. The most important thing to get right is the facial expression.

Try and look remorseful as though “oh no, I can’t believe I’m going to have to leave, this is the worst.”

Apologise but not over excessively, they’ll be able to smell your lie. You forgot the date of today, you’ve been living one week behind schedule, you desperately promised to pick your friend up from the station because they just visited their partner and broke up.

Thank you so much for the drink.

This is a classic move.

2. Moving on to another iconic move, you’re going to need a partner in crime. It’s not unusual, for women in particular, to send the safe text to let their friends know they have yet to be murdered.

Choose a code word that you can text your friend to let them know you need a phone call, mask this act as ‘letting my friend know I’m safe’.

Pick a scenario beforehand, something believable such as your housemate is locked out, rather than “my friend needs me to alphabetise their CDs”. Apologise. Leave.

3. I have a friend who went on a date where the first question the guy asked her was, “do you sleep naked?”

You don’t always have to be polite in your getaway, try and judge if your dating partner is nervous or a moron. If the latter, one of my favourite excuses is “Sorry, I need to get home to my husband.” Quick exit.

4. Do not climb out of a window! I repeat: no escaping through the bathroom. You can, however - pull a sicky. A quick hand to the stomach, a finger in the air and a fast walk to the restroom – no one is going to want to come near you after that, and you’re free to leave.

5. Brutal honesty. “I’m going to stop you there, this isn’t working.

Thanks for the drink and it was nice to meet you but I think it’d be better if I left now.”

Whatever you’re doing, make sure it’s done quick. Don’t leave time for him to come up with an excuse; he can’t walk you to the cab, you don’t need him to call again, and there is definitely no time for an audacious attempt at an over friendly hug.

Grab your coat, jump in the nearest taxi, ring your friends and laugh.

Dating in high school is incredibly different from finding someone to love at university.

Your age does make a huge difference in your relationships. For example, in high school, you are most likely to find your lover simply because you are involuntarily put in the same physical space every day.

Even if there are clubs and societies that are available for you to join, it’s hard to tell at that age what you’re really passionate about.

This starts to change at university, where there are tons of societies that cater to your interests.

This period of life is usually when people discover more about themselves. Since people generally have a better sense of who they are and what they love, it’s generally

easier to meet people with the same interests as you.

“Couples tend to fight over small things less at university”

The nature of relationships also change. High school can feel like a place that’s removed from the rest of the world, a bubble that protects you from having to make any real life decisions. Relationships tend to be more playful, carefree and easy.

However, this also means that they can be less serious. At university, you inevitably start thinking of your future — where you want to live after university and what job path you’re going down.

This complicates relationships a little, as you have to be able to fit the other person into your long term plans. The great thing about having to plan ahead is that your relationship becomes more sincere, honest and exciting.

Lastly, university is a place where we’re all learning how to be adults.

We all aim to be less petty, immature or bratty towards one another than we were in high school.

Couples tend to fight over small things less at university, as maturity knocks some sense into them. In my opinion, university is a much better time to start a relationship than in high school.

You’re better equipped to deal with the complex issues that come with being in a relationship, and besides, you also have more freedom to do whatever you want with your partner, away from the prying eyes of your parents.

Yutian Lei Yutian Lei

13th February 2018

Foodie Features

13

Jack Ashton shares his vegan chilli recipe Norwich’s best street food Ingredients: Basmati rice and split lentils (in equal measure) ¼ butternut squash ½ red pepper ½ green pepper 1 large red onion Half a cup of Quinoa 1 red chilli 2 garlic cloves Chopped tomatoes Red kidney beans in chilli sauce 200g sweetcorn 100g spinach Vegetable stock cube Cumin Coriander (fresh) Coriander (ground) Paprika Chilli Powder Salt Pepper Oregano Tomato purée Mixed Herbs

Tom Bedford Features Writer

This recipe is something my girlfriend originally made me as a backlash to me doing most of the cooking, so I adapted it to make it all delicious and am now gifting it to you lovely readers.

Make sure to follow each step (don’t cut any out, we don’t do half measures unless they’re red peppers) and your Valentine’s date will have their socks knocked clean off.

4) Add your spices. Add however much, or however little you want, but make sure you add them all- we season our food in this house.

5) When your spices are all tucked up in the food nice and cosy, bop in those kidney beans (with sauce) and chopped tomatoes, give it a good old fashioned stir, or shake, depending who you are.

Some of Norwich’s finest food isn’t served to you in expensive restaurants by finely-dressed waiters.

Increasingly, street-food-style vendors have been popping up around the centre, elevating lunch from a dry supermarket meal-deal to an exciting event of fun foods.

1) Bring the Quinoa to boil in vegetable stock. Reduce to simmer and leave for 10-15 minutes.

6)

“Increasingly, street-

2) A t the same time (multitasking, good lord this is going to impress) add 1 part basmati rice and 1 part red split lentils to a pan, bring to the boil and leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes (Jamie Oliver, heart, eaten, something).

3) On a low heat, begin to fry the onions, peppers, butternut squash and garlic cloves. After 2-3 minutes add in the tomato puree and chilli and stir gently.

Keep frying on a low heat until all the veggies are nice and fried in the pan. If you want to look really cool, learn to do that cool one handed flip frying thing, then whoever you’re cooking for can marvel over how much of a loser you are.

At this point, your pre made rice and quinoa should be looking all mighty fine, you’re gonna want to keep checking up on your rice to make sure you haven’t got the ole’ burn pan, but otherwise part drain your quinoa so there’s a bit of stock left and then pour it all into the chilli mix for a bit of extra flavour.

7) Chop your spinach into finer strips (not whole leaves) and chuck it in for 30 seconds with your sweetcorn, just so it starts to wilt nicely.

8) Make bed of lentil rice on the bottom of your bowl, part the waves like Moses and spoon in some of the chilli, garnish with fresh coriander because it makes you look real fancy, then serve as you wish (I chose a to serve with tortilla chips and fried kale, but homemade guac or salsa will do the trick.

food-style vendors have been popping up around the city” White Lion Street near the castle houses Nanna Mexico, a canteen-style Mexican food vendor in which you design your own meal by choosing a main item, like quesadilla or nachos, and a topping, like roasted veg or various meats.

The highlight is the ‘bigass burrito’ which is, rather fittingly, a huge burrito, but every meal is large and fulfilling.

The food is rather spicy which may deter some, but each meal is accompanied too by a glorious abundance of cheese. Nanna Mexico also serve a variety of traditional Mexican drinks, both alcoholic and not, including many brightly coloured and tasty looking soft drinks to try.

Falafels are a classic street food, and Moorish Falafel Bar in the lanes serves just that.

The menu is rather limited but you wouldn’t go to a falafel place if you didn’t want falafels, and each meal is falafull of tasty Mediterranean goodness.

The staff are friendly and

prepare the food in front of your eyes, and the seating area is cosy and communal.

Of course an enjoyment of the food here banks on your appreciation for falafels and salad, but if you like the classic street food you’ll love the Moorish Falafel Bar. One of the mainstays of central Norwich is The Waffle House, a café which takes the traditional street food and augments it into proper meals and snacks.

The menu consists of various foods, some worldly and some classics, all on top of large Belgian waffles.

With a huge range of options, from garlic cheesy mushrooms to salads to curries, The Waffle House has something for everyone.

Of course for the sweet toothed there is also a wide range of dessert waffles, with every imaginable combination of fruit, chocolate and sugar.

“Norwich has many amazing places for food, and not all of them are traditional restaurants” For someone who loves their carbs more than whatever they put on them, this is a great place for lunch.

Norwich has many amazing places for food, and not all of them are traditional restaurants.

Maybe when around the city, pop in to one of these places to try some tasty and cheap food.

Rosie Burgoyne gives us Norwich’s sweetest treats Gelato from Café

Mini doughnuts from

Cupcakes from Katie’s

Cream tea from

Macarons from

Gelato:

Bill’s:

Cake Box:

Harriet’s tea room:

Macarons &

Be transported to Italy with the deliciously creamy Italian gelato on offer at Café Gelato. With flavours ranging from Nutella and cheesecake to white chocolate and passionfruit that can be paired with a homemade Italian biscuit, it’s more than worth the extra walk out of the centre of town to the easy to miss spot on Opie Street where the shop is located.

Freakshakes and hot chocolates from And Eat It:

Another hotspot for all things sweet is the And Eat It market stall, located on Rows B and C, stalls 51/64. With their ‘monster hot chocolates’, giant cookies and freakshakes loaded with cream, if you want decadence (and potentially tooth decay), this is the place to go.

At £5.95 per portion, the warm mini cinnamon doughnuts on offer at Bill’s as part of their tea time menu may be slightly pricey but the fresh strawberries, warm chocolate and caramel dipping sauces and oh-so sugary doughnuts make them worth every penny. Or, if doughnuts aren’t your thing, other treats available include baked cookie alaska, cream teas and brownies.

Ice cream from Unio:

Who says it’s too cold for ice cream?

Whether rain or shine Unio has you covered. For those times when you need a sugar rush, Unio now sells ice cream! It’s quick, easy and right on campus so stop by on the way to your 9am. Classic flavours like salted caramel, mint choc chip and vanilla can be bought by the scoop, turned into milkshakes or even added to warm waffles as the ultimate postrevision treat, whatever the weather.

If you’re in need of something sweet, head over to Norwich market to Katie’s Cake Box stall, number 126 on row F of the market and try one of their many flavours of cupcakes.

With flavours like Terry’s chocolate orange, Oreo, salted caramel crunch and red velvet, this is the place to go when those dangerous cake cravings hit and nothing else will suffice.

Not the obvious student choice with chandeliers and waitresses sporting traditional pinnies, but Harriet’s tea room is the place to go if you want a quality cream tea in the city centre.

Whilst you are paying a bit extra for the novelty of the whole experience, the wide range of loose leaf teas on offer and expertly baked scones served with clotted cream and jam make it more than worth the price.

Crepes from Sundaes

Fancy desserts from

Gelato:

Figbar:

With Pancake Day just around the corner, what better way to celebrate than with freshly made crepes at Sundaes Gelato! From waffles and crepes covered in strawberries and drizzled with milk chocolate to ice cream sundaes, there are so many enticing options available that you could spend hours simply deciding what to get!

If you want to go all out then treat yourself to a plated dessert expertly created by a Michelin trained chef at Figbar.

The dessert offerings include deconstructed style snickers and s’mores desserts made using parfait, moose, sorbets and in some cases even decorated with edible flowers.

We did say it was fancy!

More:

Located in the heart of the beautiful (and e x t r e m e l y Instagrammable) Royal Arcade, Macarons & More, the shop set up by past Masterchef contestant Tim Kinnaird, is famous for its pastel coloured French macarons.

Whilst they are a luxury item, their boxed macarons, including special edition Valentine’s heartshaped macarons, would make for the perfect Valentines gift.

Hans Pixabay, Wikimedia, Pyb, Keven Law, Flickr

14

FINANCE

13th February 2018

Controversy over BBC gender pay gap

PwC research showed “no evidence” of systematic gender bias among 824 presenters Will Richardson Senior Finance Reporter A PwC report found “no evidence” of systematic gender bias in the pay of the BBC’s 824 on-air presenters, but offered several key recommendations to reduce the size of the 6.8 percent gender pay gap including fixing “anomalies” in decision making processes.

“The BBC’s lack of consistency and transparency has fed these perceptions [of discriminatory behaviour] and the BBC needs to work hard to rebuild trust and ensure transparency and consistency as it moves forward.”

Examples of this include the pay of some BBC presenters at the ‘local’ level for individual programmes and placing too much weight on the prominence and profile of certain individuals.

The BBC aims to reach gender parity by 2020, having already resolved over half of the 230 individual cases raised relating to pay equality both on and off-air, with the remaining cases to be resolved by summer 2018. Prior to the report, six prominent male BBC presenters who

all earn over £200,000 a year had agreed to take pay cuts, and the BBC has announced that there will be pay rises for some men and women in the near future. BBC’s on-air presenters’ pay will now be determined under a new framework to match the existing framework for the rest of the BBC staff. Further pay transparency will be introduced including changes where, for every role that there are 20 or more employees in the same role, staff will be able to compare the rates of pay.

The BBC Women group had rejected the report prior to its conclusion on the basis that it had not consulted its members, who felt that they had been excluded throughout the process.

They called for an apology, back pay and pension adjustments to make amends for what they describe as a failure to comply w i t h

equality laws.

To increase transparency regarding gender pay gaps in the private sector, businesses with at least 250 employees are required to publish their gender pay gap by April.

“Broader questions for the measurement of gender pay gaps will continue”

However, the requirement can produce perverse incentives for businesses.

The required comparison does not account f o r

experience, qualifications, or job role. This has the effect of making businesses who attempt to offer more opportunities to women by hiring mostly female entry-level employees appear like they are more discriminatory, not less.

Broader questions for the measurement of gender pay gaps will continue. For instance, the Office for National Statistics estimates that the gender pay gap for full time workers is 9.1 percent. This however does not compare like-for-like roles and so fails to measure the direct gender-based pay gap. However, critics of such comparisons point out that comparing pay in like-forlike would mask the challenges and discrimination faced by women attempting to move into certain careers and attempting to gain promotions.

In order to achieve gender equality, it is vital to understand how big the problem is and the source of the inequality. Only then can it be remedied. The increase in transparency from the BBC and the Government could aid that process, but only if consideration for the underlying meaning of the data is accounted for in government, business and the media.

Bitcoin falls in worst week since 2013 Bradie Manning Finance Writer

The infamous cryptocurrency has suffered one of its worst weeks since 2013, with a fall in value of over 30 percent at the end of January. Bitcoin’s $44.2bn (£31.5bn) slump has left investors wondering about the sustainability of virtual currencies.

The so-called ‘digital asset’ that is valued by how many people are willing to buy and sell it has recently faced heightened speculation by global policymakers, with China and South Korea banning new forms of virtual currency as well as other countries voicing their concerns.

“Bitcoin does imitate the same symptoms of the dotcom boom and subprime US mortgage crisis” Dr. James Watson, Senior Lecturer of Economics at UEA, commented that Bitcoin’s

The Finance Roundup Interest rates set to rise The Bank of England has hinted that a rise in the interest rates could happen sooner than expected.

Currently sitting at 0.5 percent, some economists are predicting a rise could come as soon as May this year. This would mean the cost of borrowing money will rise, and people will be more likely to save their income. The rise follows faster than expected growth in the last three months of 2017, at 0.5 percent.

Tesla make record losses Elon Musk, the ambitious billionaire who this week sent a car into orbit around the Sun with his company SpaceX, is having troubles with his other company, Tesla. In the last quarter of 2017, the car producer made losses in the region of $675.4 million, mainly caused by issues in the production of their new car, the Model 3. Tesla is yet to make any profit but say that they expect to start seeing green this year.

Gigs are becoming more expensive If you are a frequenter of the LCR to see your favourite bands, then you may be dismayed to hear that the average gig ticket has increased in price by 27 percent since 1999, after inflation is taken into account.

After buying an average ticket, your wallet today will be £47.14 lighter, compared to £37.20 in 1999.

Worldwide ticket sales, however, are up 23 percent since 2011.

Hard Brexit £80bn

cost

Secret analysis conducted by the government has shown that a hard Brexit, one where the UK is left with no access to the single market, could cost up to £80bn.

Leaving with no deal, according to the study, would cost more, with the government needing to borrow £120bn over the next 15 years.

Wikimedia, victorgrigas overvalued worth was built on the back of “pumping up prices”, a means whereby frequently exchanging Bitcoins artificially increases the price.

Watson later commented that “[Bitcoin] lacks intrinsic value and is a means of transferring others’ wealth” creating few winners and many losers.

This is a belief that many critics continue to hold about Bitcoin, which has forced conduct authorities and banks to step in and shield investors.

Last Monday, Lloyds Bank banned all purchases of cryptocurrencies on their credit cards, and Facebook recently banned cryptocurrency adverts.

Bitcoin also raised discussion at the WEF in Davos, with Nobel Prize-

could

winning economist Robert Shiller describing the biggest boom of 2017 as an “interesting experiment”… “but not a permanent feature of our lives.” Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP), the second and third most valued cryptocurrencies (after Bitcoin) fell more than 20 percent since the January drop. The evidence of such interdependence within the cryptocurrencies has stirred anxiety for virtual investments across the G20.

Bitcoin does imitate the same symptoms of the dotcom boom and subprime US mortgage crisis, which initiated the 2008 global financial crash.

Within a year, the digital asset increased its value by over 900 percent, making it 2017’s best performing investment.

Part of the bubble that has lifted Bitcoins stock to its ‘zero-gravity position’ is the belief that ‘anything digital’ is a structural winner in tomorrow’s economy — making Bitcoin’s stock valued much higher than its real net-book worth.

Bitcoin displays a digital version of the 1630s Dutch ‘Tulip mania’ whereby the value of tulip bulbs soared due to investors hoping they could resell tulips at an even higher price.

In 1637, the Tulip market took a dramatic crash as investors realised the real value of the market.

According to Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, many people even put up their houses as collateral. As with many bubbles, investors were driven by the fear of missing out and greed.

New London to Amsterdam rail service set to open Eurostar, the train service that links the UK to mainland Europe, is set to expand later this year, creating a fast and affordable route between London St Pancras and Amsterdam. Taking around four hours and costing about £35 one way, the service will create a fast and affordable way to get to the Netherlands, while reducing the impact on the environment. Tickets are set to go on sale this month, and the route is expected to be operational by early April.

£

£ £ £

£

Matt Denton

£

13th February 2018

15

Tinder sued for ageist pricing Sophie Christian Finance Writer

accommodations and prohibits discrimination by business establishments,” according to the court.

His lawsuit claimed that Tinder violated the Unfair Competition L a w which t h e court stated

A California man has successfully sued Tinder, claiming the dating app discriminates against users over the age of 30 by charging them more to use the premium service Tinder Plus.

Tinder Plus allows users to have Unlimited Likes, Rewind to fix that accidental swipe, five Super Likes per day and one Boost a month to be one of the top profiles in their Max Pixel area for 30 minutes. The passport feature also gives users the chance to talk to singles anywhere in the world.

Allan Candelore, 33, submitted his lawsuit in Los Angeles in May “prohibits, 2015 when he was 31. n d He complained that the app a charges over 30s $19.99 (£14.40) p r o v i d e s every month for Tinder Plus, civil remedies ‘unfair whereas under 30s pay $9.99 (£7.20) for, for the same features. Candelore competition’, which added that the pricing difference includes ‘any unlawful, violated the Unruh Civil Rights unfair of fraudulent business act or Act, a 1959 California law that practice.’”

Tinder defended its decision “secures equal access to public

on setting the price difference for Tinder Plus based on their market research, which found that “customers age 30 and younger have less capacity to pay for premium services.” They added, their younger users “need a lower price to pull the trigger.”

Candelore is an advocate for men’s rights and has previously sued women’s groups for prohibiting him from entering events.

Judge Brian Currey, writing for California’s 2nd District Court Appeal, stated that Tinder “employs an arbitrary, class-based, generalisation about older users’ income as a basis for charging them more than younger users.”

The appellate court mainly agreed with Candelore, the judge wrote: “No matter what Tinder’s market research may have shown about the younger users’ relative income and willingness to pay for the service, as a group, as compared to the older cohort, some individuals will not fit the mould. Some users are ‘budget constrained’ and less willing to pay than some in the younger group.”

nominations open now.

students transfo rming

Mothers suffer pay penalty Jeice Filipe Finance Writer

A recent report suggests mothers suffer pay penalty at work.

A study published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows that by the time a couple’s first child hits the age of 20, the mother earns around a third less than the father.

This is likely a result of women working part-time in motherhood, the report revealed.

Before having children, women still earn less than men, but the gap increases after they have children. This is the case even when women have the same educational attainments as their male counterparts.

As mothers spend more time in Wikimedia, Adrian Pingstone part-time employment than fathers, their likelihood of enjoying pay rises associated with more experience is slimmer.

About a quarter of the wage gap can be explained by the number of mothers, especially of young children, who work parttime and the resulting lack of pay progression.

Another ten percent of the pay gap is a consequence of the number of mothers who take time out of work altogether.

Sam Smethers, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, describes the issue as a “huge problem for the economy,” saying also that it should be possible for women who work part-time to be able to climb the career ladder.

“Motherhood should not take a hit to women’s earnings”

IFS associate director Monica Costa Dias says that addressing this issue “would have the potential to narrow the gender pay significantly.”

This can be done through an increase in the number and quality of jobs that are open to part-time workers and by hiring flexibly, rather than only allowing existing employees to negotiate part-time work.

This month sees the celebration of the 100th anniversary since some women were allowed to vote.

Despite this, the pay disparities that women face is unacceptable, said Dan Butler, Shadow Minster for Women and Equalities. He added that motherhood should not take a hit to women’s earnings.

these awards are held by the SU in order to recognise and reward the hard work that is put in to your education by the academic staff and support staff within the University, in order to transform you from students to successful graduates.

uea.su/tea

Comment

16

13th February 2018

Bad sex? Your ex? What to do next?

Comment’s Agony Aunts have you covered “A boy I was sleeping with at home came to visit me and ended up sleeping with one of my course mates. He doesn’t

Being single vs Being in a relationship

know I know. Should I say something?”

“My boyfriend only lasts 5 minutes every time we have sex.

How can I get him to slow it down?”

I am really sorry, but it seems your boyfriend sucks. I am sick of hearing this problem because it’s easy to fix - dump him. This guy is meant to like you, meant to think you’re great. On a one night stand you could excuse a little selfishness but this is a long term situation and he clearly doesn’t think about you enough to SLOW DOWN. Alternatively, every time he’s about to cum, give him a pinch on the back of his arm, just enough to stop him, and just enough to condition him into thinking pain = don’t cum. Then feed him a treat.

Firstly, this sounds shit, and I’m really sorry. But you’ve gotta talk to him about it. Tell him it’s happening and hopefully he’ll notice. Chances are he doesn’t know he’s doing it.

It’s that classic moment in a film when someone gives it the ole’ one-pump-finish and then asks if their partner enjoyed it (they didn’t). These things are all about communication, it’s supposed to be a two-way street, and if you’re not enjoying it then something’s wrong. Life’s too short for shit sex and life’s certainly too short for shit boyfriends who don’t care.

“My boyfriend said he wants to have a threesome with me and my best friend, I didn’t know he thought of her like that and I’m not sure how I feel. What’s the best thing to do?”

There’s one clear option here, you have to turn the tables on him.

“Sure, we can have a threesome with Claire but only if we have one with Keith too.”

Here’s how you play it, if he does something you don’t like with your best friend and intentionally tries to make you jealous, you do the exact same with his best friend. Does he pay Claire a little too much attention? Then lucky Keith. Did you feel a bit excluded?

He’d sure be in a pickle if you made him feel the same wouldn’t he. It’s his move. You’ve technically done nothing wrong.

In relationships, communication is key. You’re feeling uncomfortable and he probably knows, so it’s time to talk. Have you taken the time to discuss how you’re feeling? If you haven’t properly explained what you’re thinking and you found out what he feels, you’ll end up filling in the gaps yourself. He might think you’re a lot more open to these things than you actually are, or he may have misread some signal along the line (it happens, I’m not sure how, but it does). So avoid unnecessary tension and have a conversation. It’s simple really.

By Jack Ashton & Sophie Bunce

Only one thing will cut this- you’ve gotta go to his uni, find the best looking person you can, and sleep with them. You really have to.

Forces in the universe converge at very few moments like this, and it would be a disservice to those forces if you didn’t travel to his uni just to embarass him. The pure cheek of his actions requires an equal level of embarrassment in response, but if you don’t think you’ve got it in you to do that, any other embarrassing sexual act would do. Is he shit in bed? Shame if people found out. Either way, please make him pay.

Mixing home and uni is a complicated thing.

Sometimes it works, and other times they sleep with your course mates. The main thing is does it matter you know? I think you’re overthinking this one. Sex is normal and if they both like you, there was always a good chance they’d like each other. So don’t worry about it. Mention it as a “do you wanna know something funny” kind of story and laugh about it together. It’s all good. If nothing else, you’ve got a good story to tell to everyone in a couple years time.

“I slept with my course mate in freshers week and she’s still obsessed with me and follows me around. How do I tell her I just don’t like her like that?”

Avoid her like the plague. No one likes a difficult conversation, especially not on a night out. Your two hands should be used holding VKs, not comforting a practical stranger. If you see her coming, walk the other way. Get your mates to keep an eye out as well to avoid bumping into her. The worst spot in the LCR for an unwanted meeting is the stairs into Blue Bar. So keep your eyes to the ground and avoid that girl.

We’ve all been here; everyone’s hidden in an LCR toilet cubicle to avoid that person on a night out.

If you’re looking to emerge from the cubicle and actually enjoy your night for once, you gotta be straight with them. Bring them to one side, probably when you’re a little drunk on a night out to soften the blow, make sure their friends are around, and to paraphrase, let them know you’re just not that into them.

“My boyfriend wants me to meet his parents, but he’s French and his parents live in France. So essentially, he wants a holiday. I don’t think I’m there yet but want to meet his parents. Any help?”

Two words: Free holiday. You, in the south of France, with the sun and a nice drink, reading an even better book and absolutely 100% boyfriend-less and boyfriend’s parents-less. Can you think of a more delicious setting?

You get into Charles de Gaulle and tell him to wait for you in the bit with the cheap cigarettes while you nip to another shop. If that other shop happens to be a beach, and if ‘I’ll be back in 5 turns into the world’s most savage breakup, well...

With this problem, you have technology on your side.

Using Skype, you can meet the parents and exit easily with a line like “Mum’s got dinner on the table.” It’s brilliant because you don’t have to be in France, likely in their home, with no exit route. Meeting the parents is one thing, and well done for wanting to, but a holiday is a lot. So don’t go to France but hop on Skype for a chat. I’m sure it is equally gorgeous through an Iphone screen.

Images: Devil horns and tail: Eacz12, WikiCommons. Halo: Nae’blis, WikiCommons

Daniel Peters on the freedom of being single Alright boys and girls take your seats and buckle the fuck up because in 184 little words I’m about to change your life forever.

Relationships ey, who needs em’? You’re in the cinema trying to watch a move then BAM your date swoops in with the ol’ hand hold.

At first it seems cool, boosting your street cred amongst fellow theatre-goers. Plus, the simple touch of another human’s skin against your own might help fend off the crippling loneliness a little while longer. But soon your hand gets sweaty and they might think you’re weird.

Or what if you’re seeing an emotional film? You can’t risk taking a girl to see ‘Les Misérables’ and then you cry at the end. Then she tells all her mates that I cried and ruins any future chance at love with other girls in my school.

No sir. Better to just accept the inevitable and try get a job that pays enough to feed all the cats you’re going to be buying.

‘Relationship’ also rhymes with ‘dictatorship’ and no one likes one of those.

Liam HeitmanRice argues for the comfort of reltionships After you have spent a certain amount of time in a relationship with someone they will stop caring about you in the nicest possible way. Worn the same shirt for six days? Fine with me. Haven’t rolled off the couch once this weekend?

No worries, you’ve earned it.

Only when you truly become comfortable in someone else’s company can you fart and pick your nose at the same time. They’ll probably roll their eyes and wonder how they ended up here, but then they’ll remember they also like to leave their week-old undies over every square inch of the bedroom floor without being told to pick it up.

The single scene demands clean shirts, slick hair and fresh breath – but when you’ve settled down good and proper, neither party needs to give a shit anymore.

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13th February 2018

“Love Actually is not a documentary” Has social media ended modern romance?

Sam O’Dell Comment Writer

I

t o o k the long way home and thought about how awful it is to break a heart and

how much worse it’s made by Hollywood movie endings where relationships are saved by a grand gesture and chase to the airport.

Fittingly, when I was almost home I heard someone shouting my name.

I turned around and there she was.

She had apparently biked after me.

We argued in the street to the full view of mutual friends who cheerily called out to us before connecting the dots. I was tired, uncomfortable and needed to pee, so when she insisted on walking me home I just let it happen. Once there we said our final goodbyes for the third time. Only instead she said: “I don’t like goodbyes, so I’ll just say see ya.” I cringed so hard I thought I’d given myself a hernia. Thanks a lot, John Green.

So, whether you’re single, in a relationship, or after a bit of ruff this Valentine’s Day, keep in mind that Love Actually is not a documentary, dating people who passed their cycling proficiency test is a bad idea and don’t, for the love of God, dump people over text.

Images (L-R) Corazon.svg, WikiCommons, Facebook Inc, WikiCommons & WhatsApp

Imogen Barton Comment Writer In the era of Facebook and other non-stop technology, many people believe romance is dead.

However, the bigger question is whether our failure to adapt to technology leads to failed relationships and lacklustre moments.

We consume more mass media than ever before and even if you take sappy films with a pinch of salt, you’re still influenced by their message. This increases everyone’s expectations for romantic partners.

That’s not all bad; it gives us greater awareness about boundaries and consent, but it’s also made us less tolerant of the minor flaws of others.

“It’s far less scary to share things online”

In the world of Tinder, what might have been minor quirks are now deal breakers. Why fix your problems when you can upgrade your partner faster than you can

something

different

festival

It all began when, like a coward, I broke up with her over text and then naively agreed to do it again two days later at her place.

Everything seemed fine upon arrival - almost too fine - and my panicked anticipation of the face-to-face was shattered almost immediately, quite rudely in fact, by the dumpee refusing to follow the script I had been carefully preparing in my head. Before I had finished the word “So…” she was in tears.

In a vain attempt to seem like more of a human being, I cried too. But my social incompetence meant I ultimately failed and what came out instead was bizarre, uncomfortably sad laughter. After a while she suddenly stopped and tried to light a cigarette – she couldn’t get it to light so I did it for her. As I contemplated whether or not I was living in a film noir, I realised the behaviour was very odd, as she had never smoked before and unfortunately for whatever image she was trying to cultivate, wasn’t particularly good at it either. So I just sat there quietly whilst she smoked away.

Once finished, she made me smell her fingers. She said they smelt like cigarette smoke. I said “Yup. They sure do.” - I wanted to leave. But how? Do I say something?

Do I just walk out? I wanted to jump through the window and run home but instead, having drawn a blank, I said something along the lines of: “I’ll be off then”. So we said our final goodbyes and I left. Ten seconds later, she ran out onto the road after me and there were more tears and awkwardness. We said our final goodbyes and I left, again.

19th - 26th feb fInd out more: ueadifferent.com

your iPhone?

Thing is, the internet gives us too many choices for partners and then we can’t decide who to go for, much like choosing from a wall of toothpaste at Boots: if everyone’s playing hard to get then nobody can get together.

“The internet gives us too many choices for partners” Sadly, it’s not as easy as sharing everything about yourself either. It’s far less scary to share things online than in person, but then you’ll have a hell of a time keeping some mysterious allure or maintaining that idealised image of yourself that we aim for during the early stages of a relationship.

While it can feel like technology has drained the dating landscape of any romance, you can mitigate that by figuring out what you two have in common and spending your time doing that instead of just typing to them from miles away.

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13th February 2018

Science

2

Doctors can refuse to prescribe contraception UEA produces own electricity Sylvie Tan Science Writer The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health (FSRH) has changed their professional guidelines concerning doctors, nurses and consultants “conscientiously objecting” to prescribing contraception based on moral or religious beliefs.

Previously, doctors or nurses who wanted to give advice on birth control and fertility, and to fit long-lasting reversible contraception, such as the coil and hormonal implant, must also be "able to prescribe all forms of contraception" in order to attain the diploma.

However, the Christian Medical F e l l o w s h i p religious group condemned this guideline as it did not take into account doctors who personally object to abortion being a form of emergency contraception.

Although UK law allows for the legal right to conscientiously object to abortion care provisions, it previously did not include contraception.

FSRH president, Doctor Asha Kasliwal, and Chief Executive, Jane Hatfield, explains FSRH’s new guidelines in the British Medical Journal’s (BMJ) Sexual and Reproductive Health journal.

FSRH initially rejected the criticism from the Christian Medical Fellowship where FSRH claims that “it seemed entirely reasonable” to expect diploma holders to “carry out full and effective consultations and prescribe all forms of contraception.”

FSRH also believe that no patient “should ever be put at any disadvantage as a result of the views of any

healthcare professional they see.”

After discussions with their members, FSRH learnt there was a “wide spectrum of views” between members that included emergency contraception provision, abortion, and “conscientious commitment” to delivering care regardless of belief.

The General Medical Council added doctors “must explain to patients if you [doctors] have a conscientious objection to a particular procedure.

“You [doctors] must tell them about their right to see another doctor, and make sure they have enough information to exercise that right.”

The heart of the new guideline is that they welcome members with a range of views and will award the relevant Faculty qualifications to those who fulfil all training requirements and put patient care first, regardless of personal beliefs.

Beth Papworth Science Editor UEA is moving towards reducing its carbon footprint by producing its own energy to power and heat the campus facilities.

They have invested £4.5 million into low carbon-emission engines. This is the first time that the university have used their own electricity, without relying on the National Grid.

Fully functioning since October 2017, UEA’s new Combined Heat and Power (CHP) engines have efficiently powered the campus during the weekend, when multiple buildings are not in use.

Natural gas is used to allow the engines to function properly, unlike a standard power station,

Surge in sex robot demand Alex Millard Senior Science Reporter Digisexuals are on the rise. That is to say: those who prefer emotional and sexual relations with sex robots are becoming more prolific.

A study conducted and produced in the Journal of Sexual and Relationship Therapy said those who prefer sexual relationships with virtual reality and robots are increasing.

Experts said this is due to the extreme customisation available to customers, including breast size, skin colour and hair length amongst others.

How expensive the world’s first commerically available sex robot is.

15,000

Gut’s exposure to chlamydia protects against infection Troy Fielder Science Writer In a study, researchers at UT Health San Antonio found that preexposure of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to chlamydia-causing bacterium may act as a vaccine against further infection of the genital tract.

Chlamydia is the nation’s most commonly sexually transmitted disease with an estimated one in 20 sexually active young women, age 14-24 having the STD. The infection can cause infertility, ectopic pregnancy and pelvic inflammatory disease if left untreated, therefore making this research crucial to the further development of treatments, and of methods to combat the disease’s

prevalence.

The research, carried out by Professor Guangming Zhong and his team, suggests that there is a link between the exposure of the gut to chlamydia and “transmucosal immunity” to the disease: a strong form of immunity that protects a wide range of tissues.

“Chlamydia is the nation’s most common STD” Conversely, Professor Zhong’s team found that if the genital tract is exposed to chlamydia prior to infection of the gut, then the infection will travel to the gut and induce responses that could promote further diseases in the

genital tract.

As a result of this study, Professor Zhong suggested that orally dosed probiotics could be utilised in providing a future vaccine for this bacterial infection. This method of vaccination would selectively target the gut so as to elicit the required immune response.

The results of this study have currently only been confirmed using mouse models and so further studies would be required before any further progress can be made, but these results promise there will be an exciting future in developing preventative measures against the STD. The best way to tackle this disease is to ensure that you are regularly tested, if sexually active, and to ensure proper contraception is used.

which tends to employ alternative methods of powering a building.

According to statistics released from the university, the CHP engines are approximately 20-30 percent more efficient than gas power stations.

Generating electricity on site prevents energy being lost through transportation from a power station to campus.

This is an economically viable way of saving UEA a large amount of money as it is expected to only take the university five years to recover these energy costs.

Phillip Hunt, Head of Sustainability at UEA, said: “Our campus has 85 buildings with 275,000 square meters of floor area.

It’s important that we introduce this sort of technology to make our campus more efficient, sustainable and affordable for years to come.”

Robots are being developed to be increasingly lifelike. Some robots available for commercial purchase have up to 30 options for face, and d i f f e r e n t ‘personality settings’.

T h e settings and movements of some robots can be controlled via an app, which gives users the chance to change the phrases said by the robot.

Doctor Neil McCarthur, Director of professional and applied ethics at the University of Manitoba in Wi n n i p e g ,

where the study was conducted, said: “It is safe to say that the era of virtual sex has arrived and that as these technologies advance their adoption will grow.”

He also suggested that popularity of these robots will rise due to that fact they will do things a human partner could not or will not do. Ela Darling, female adult movie star, also believes in the rise of sex robots.

She said these robots could soon be putting her and her co-stars out of work. This study comes days after a sex robot in the USA with a ‘resistance’ setting has been called to be banned.

According to the company that manufactures the sex doll it “allows men to realise their most private sexual dreams.”

However, these robots also have the technology to look up questions on the Internet, like Siri. Some of them can even do the washing up, raising questions about sexism.

Ms Parker, founder of the British charity “ S c h o o l C o n s e n t Project” has called for robots like this to be outlawed.

She said: “ T h e sophistication and design behind Roxxxy [the sex doll] marks a step forward for robotics.

For human society it is an unquestionable regression.”

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13th February 2018

Mice’s brains control sex UEA goes green Beth Papworth Science Editor

Hannah Brown Science Writer Research teams from universities in Belgium and Germany published their findings last week on how the brain controls sex.

A hormone called kisspeptin, discovered in the brains of female mice, drives sexual behaviour, and also sexual attraction to the opposite sex. This hormone is activated by pheromones released from male mice.

Ulrich Boehm, Professor of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology of Saarland University said: "This work has provided new insight into how the brain decodes signals from the outside world and then translates these environmental cues into behaviour.

In many animals, sexual behaviour is timed to occur with ovulation to ensure the highest possible chance of fertilization and therefore, continuation of the species.”

He also said that little was known about how the brain ties together ovulation, attraction and sex. For the first time, we understand that a single molecule, kisspeptin, controls all of these aspects through different brain circuits running parallel with one another.

Why is this crucial to the world surrounding sex? It suggests that kisspeptin controls all aspects of

Image: Wikimedia Commons, Rasbak

sex, right from birth to puberty.

It may help to address conditions in humans, such as people who suffer from psychosexual disorders like a low sex drive (hyposexual desire disorder).

Professor Julie Baker of Liege

University said: "There are currently no good treatments available for women suffering from low sexual desire. The discovery that kisspeptin controls both attraction and sexual desire opens up exciting new possibilities.”

Social media detects undiagnosed HIV Orla Knox-McCaulay Science Writer While many approaches have been used to help diagnose HIV early, social media networks seem to be doing the trick.

Samuel R. Friedman from the National Development of Research Institutes has commended this.

Outreach strategies have proven hard for this particular disease, and common strategies and resources have drained economies without showing much in the way of results; an example of this is Ukraine. Many people are just left undiagnosed and untreated.

However, this new method of finding those who have contracted HIV has become much easier in this ground-breaking strategy.

Friedman said: "Tracing social and risk networks has been found to help locate people recently infected with HIV, given that the virus is transmitted through sexual and injection risk networks."

As social norms surrounding

this disease tend to leave those who have it not seeking treatment, by identifying people this way, the stigmas surrounding HIV testing are reduced, which should increase the number of people seeking treatment.

In their project, researchers have identified HIV by comparing three case studies: The Transmission Reduction Intervention Project (TRIP), integrated biobehavioral surveillance, and outreach testing.

“TRIP helps locate people recently infected with HIV” Overall, they found that recruiting the risk networks of people infected with HIV through TRIP led to locating a significantly higher rate of people with HIV that have been left undiagnosed than did either integrated biobehavioral surveillance or outreach testing.

TRIP looked at two types of "seeds" those recently infected plus their risk network members, as well as those with longer-term HIV infections and their networks.

As well as proving to have the best results in regards to outreach efficiency, they are the most cost effective method as the cost for each undiagnosed positive, it was $250, and for the others the exceeded $350 each. TRIP has proven to be very successful in Ukraine and similar results have been found in Athens and San Diego.

This global phenomenon is sure to change the face of diagnosing HIV and AIDS, which in turn should help combat against the stigmas and the spreading of the disease.

TRIP tested 1,252 people for HIV, 183 (14.6 percent) of whom were HIV positive; the integrated biobehavioral surveillance project tested 400 people and found 20 (5 percent) undiagnosed cases of HIV, while outreach testing was conducted on 13,936 people and found 331 (2.4 percent) undiagnosed cases of HIV.

Facilitated nationally by People and Planet, Go Green Week at UEA is an exciting programme of events aiming to share highlights of UEA sustainability with its staff and students.

It encourages people to join collective positive action for the environment and global society. The events will be running on campus from 12-16 February and will include a range of activities, such as finding out about low carbon technology, to understanding the global implications of fossil fuels.

UEA’s Sustainablity team will be in the Hive with a number of green societies all day Wednesday and Friday, inspiring students to participate in the Green Consultation on how can UEA be more sustainable?

Sustainable Development Manager, Catrin Darsley told Concrete: “UEA is live-streaming a screening of ‘To the Ends of the Earth’ with a Q&A from special guests involved in the film, including Emma Thompson, on Monday evening.”

The short film will be shown in Arts 2.01 from 6.30pm onwards,

showing the denouncement of the rise of extreme energy, by envisioning a new world that embraces a post-growth economy.

From zero waste workshops to helping pick litter up across the site, Go Green week has both practical sessions and information for students available to get involved at their own pace.

“From zero waste workshops to helping pick litter up across the site” SU Environmental Officer Rhys Purtill said, “At the SU we believe we have a responsibility to do all we can to limit our negative environmental impact. We have designed our Go Green Week’s timetable with the idea in mind of informing students of how they can live in a more sustainable way.

In a time when climate change is so high on the international agenda, we believe we should all do our part and we hope that students will join us in learning how to limit their own environmental impact too.”

STIs on the increase: Ellen Harwood investigates Mycoplasma Gentialium (MG) is a small, sexually transmitted bacterium, found in cells of the urinary tract and genitals in humans, which is passed on through unprotected sex.

Recent studies by the NHS have shown that 1 in 100 people between the ages of 16-44 in the UK have MG. MG was first detected as an STI in 1981 and has since become more prevalent as it is not routinely screened for in

STI checks, accounting for its high incidences in t h e population.

Many people who contract MG are asymptomatic, but some men may experience watery discharge, and women may experience bleeding after sex and between periods.

It is the lack of symptoms of MG, or the confusion of its symptoms with other health issues that often lead to it being undiagnosed and individuals further spreading the

STI. More severe cases of MG can lead to infertility, premature births and prostate and ovarian cancers.

With the rapid increase in MG numbers, it is becoming increasingly difficult to treat via antibiotics, and in some instances has become antibiotic-resistant.

The U.S. centre for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended two very h a r s h

antibiotic courses doxycycline and azithromycin - to try and rid patients of the STI, however resistance to azithromycin is increasing.

In Swedish patients, a cure rate of only 48 percent for women and 38 percent for men was seen with these two antibiotics.

To stop the spread of MG and decrease its prevalence in the population, people should turn to the most effective method of STI protection, the humble condom, and practice safe sex.

Photo Credit: Pxhere, Creative Commons CCO.

Travel Romance sparks in Vienna

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Tatjana Grecuik Travel Writer If you ever watched “Before Sunrise,” you imagined Vienna to become your love story spot. It did become mine once. And so as in the movie it was unpredictable and absolutely beautiful.

The magical capital of Austria met me on Christmas Eve, when I was heading to my first love to finally have a date after a longdistance relationship.

As many couples in this world, we had ups and downs, but every time we saw each other, everything else did not matter. So, this trip was like jumping in feet first, with no way back, but unfortunately with a return ticket.

We met next to the State Opera House in the heart of the city which looked extremely beautiful in the evening. He smiled, I smiled, and we just knew our holidays together will become a great story. We were walking down the streets decorated with lights and we were talking about everything that came to our heads. We warmed ourselves with mulled wine from the Christmas Market and sang songs together with street musicians. Nobody knew us anyway, so we could do whatever we wanted.

On New Year’s Eve we got an idea to see another side of Austria, so we just caught a train and went to Mayrhofen. The journey took the whole day, and we were already missing Vienna until the moment

13th February 2018

we saw that cosy village in the mountains. Everything was covered with snow and it was extremely cold, but I wanted to stay there forever.

And that moment was the one many people dream of, the moment that stops time. I only wanted to share that magical place with one person, and he was next to me holding my hand.

We went for a dinner, ate as if it was our last day on Earth, and at midnight we headed to the main square of the village to see fireworks.

There, in front of the clock tower, surrounded by thousands of people, it was the first time in my life I cried from happiness.

"I only wanted to share that magical place with one person, and he was next to me holding my hand" After a few days in Mayrhofen, we were on a train going back to Vienna. It already felt like home there. We went to see as many sights as we could, including the Imperial Palace, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, popular Rathausplatz and many others. But there was one exceptional place for me.

The Giant Ferris Wheel, which

gellinger, Pixabay took us to observe the entire city, will always stay in my heart. It was our last day together, and we had to say goodbye again for the next few months. He kissed my wrist and said something that will always

stay only between two of us. Being off the ground both literally and figuratively, I did not know what the future held for us. But I did know for sure that it was a once-in-a-lifetime love.

Since then I have never been to Vienna, leaving it for myself to be a special place.

Since then many things have changed, but those emotions will always stay with me.

Are typical romantic destinations overhyped? your location, it depends on who you’re with and what you do. That’s not saying travelling to new places with your partner isn’t desirable.

In fact, it’s what many people want to do. Perhaps it’s not the final location that’s important but rather the journey there (as cheesy as it sounds). Travelling with someone for an extended period of time can be daunting and stressful at times. You learn to be patient and understanding with your partner.

Amy Newbery Travel Writer

Paris, Venice, London, the Maldives; a few examples of where many couples retreat to for romantic getaways. But is it really worth it? I’ve visited the Eiffel Tower before, and let’s just say, it’s almost impossible to savour the romance when hundreds of tourists are bustling around you.

It’s not that romantic locations are bad, it’s because they’ve become so popular that it’s difficult to have a private romantic moment.

Of course, I’m not saying you shouldn’t visit these places - if you want to go, then go. However, it’s important to realise that it won’t be like it is in the movies. If you are to go, don’t go because you want a romantic moment, go because you want to explore and because you want to experience something new.

You could also try visiting countries that aren’t as well-known.

Or, if you go to visit a popular attraction, don’t forget to explore other places in that area as well.

susisorglo089, Pixabay For example, if you go see the Eiffel Tower, why not also visit the Sacre Coeur? If you go to Italy, instead of writing your names on a lock and attaching it to a bridge (which has damaged the bridge), why not

visit the Boboli Gardens? There are so many beautiful places in each country, you don’t always have to choose the most popular because they’re not necessarily the best.

Romance doesn’t depend on

"Romance doesn't depend on your location, it depends on who you're with and what you do" On the other hand, I wouldn’t say no to a romantic getaway to the Maldives or Italy. In defence of

popular romantic destinations, it’s something to look forward to in a relationship. There’s something satisfying saying: ‘I went to Paris with [whoever]' because it implies it would have been a romantic trip.

Ultimately, do I think romantic destinations are overrated? Yes, I think they are. But that doesn’t mean I think you should avoid these places just because they’re popular. Discovering new places with someone you love is a wonderful thing to do. It doesn’t matter whether that’s to a famous romantic destination or somewhere completely unknown.

My advice is when you do go on trips with your partner, let things happen naturally. Going on the London Eye? Great, enjoy the ride.

Don’t forget there are many other places in London you could visit. In the end, what you remember won’t be where you were but the feelings you had when you were with your partner. And just remember, if you are reluctant to travel to overrated romantic destinations, there’s nothing wrong with dinner and a movie at home.

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13th February 2018

Travelling with your same-sex partner Beverly Devakishen Travel Editor As it’s LGBT+ History Month, I thought it may be interesing to explore what it's like to travel as a queer person with your samesex partner. I travelled with my girlfriend and my family last December, and it was quite an interesting experience filled with slightly awkward moments but also really fulfilling ones. However, we were lucky as I had understanding parents, and we were travelling in the UK, which is relatively more tolerant of same-sex couples than other countries.

"Getting to travel with my girlfriend made me feel like my same-sex relationship was just as valid as a heterosexual one" If you’re travelling in a country that is slightly hostile to the LGBT+

community, you and your partner will need to be careful. While it would be nice if we could all be ourselves and assume that society will accept us as we are, reality is much harsher.

If you’re getting angry stares from strangers, then you may have no choice but to tone down on public shows of affection. After all, you’re just a visitor, and it’s not worth fighting public discrimination if you’re only staying for a few days.

Besides, if it’s just the two of you, or your family lets you have a room to yourselves like mine did, then you’ll have plenty of time to get romantic when you’re back in the room together.

It may also get frustrating when strangers assume that you two are just friends. Hotel receptionists will ask if you want separate beds, and tour guides may ask how you two became friends. Sometimes, if you sense that the other person is openminded and relatively polite, you may want to gently correct them.

Otherwise, it may be best to leave it. The good thing about facing discrimination when you're on vacation is knowing that you won't have to deal with that foreign society's attitudes in the long run.

While that may not help the fact that discrimination stings, it may make you feel better about picking your battles.

I f y o u do feel like you need a bit of a rest from the uncertainty of interacting with locals who may or may not be accepting of your relationship, then there may be LGBT+ safe spaces that you could visit. For example, even in Singapore, a country with traditionally conservative views on the LGBT+ community, there are gay bars and clubs that one could head to, such as Tantric Bar. It might also be interesting for you and your partner to interact with the LGBT+ community in a foreign country.

On the flip side though, travelling with your same-sex partner can obviously be just as

enjoyable as travelling with a partner of the opposite sex. For me, travelling with my girlfriend was great. If a woman was holding hands with a man, people would automatically assume that they were in a relationship. For us, however, people’s innate assumption was that we were just best friends. In that sense, it felt like our little secret.

I was seeing the world with my girlfriend, somehow unafraid of what people might think of us, while simultaneously being amused

at the fact that some people assumed that we were friends.

Travelling with her in the UK was also strangely empowering. We all see heterosexual couples taking romantic trips together all the time, both in the media and in real life, but getting to travel with my girlfriend made me feel like my same-sex relationship was just as valid as a heterosexual one.

Image: DrRandomFactor, Pixabay

Let's talk about sex tourism

an international scale. Western countries provide a small, but growing, number of tourists who feed this industry, as they attempt to avoid these laws in their own country. However, this creates a pattern which can create incentives to travel for deeply disturbing preferences.

Megan Furr Travel Writer

The ‘sex tourism’ industry is decidedly complicated. Delving into the murky waters of this taboo subject shows that the tangled web of a growing sex tourism industry has often been overlooked.

“The growing sex tourist industry corrrelates to an increase in sexual exploitation”

“Sex tourism encompasses the wanderlust of uninhibited and hypersexualised experiences” The phenomenon of sex tourism, those travelling abroad specifically to obtain sex, has been driven by a rise in cheap flights which has made the industry more profitable and varied.

This enterprise's expansion has created a wide range of sexual options for tourists of all income levels, from so-called ‘street walkers’ to high-end escorts.

Still dominated by a Western male customer demographic, sex tourism

Peter Kratochvil, PublicDomainPictures encompasses the wanderlust of uninhibited and hypersexualised experiences, which offers comfort for those who struggle to find sexual solace in their own country or just want a temporary escape from a monogamous relationship. There is also an increasing number of female sex tourists, actively seeking a ‘holiday romance’.

The risk of engaging with this type of tourism is twofold. Each country has varying complex laws

regarding sex-industry workers, and often there is a fine line surrounding what is considered legal, and in many countries all forms of prostitution remain against the law. Therefore, many governments remain unwilling or unable to protect sex workers.

Secondly, as this industry remains unregulated, the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease is significantly increased.

Additionally, there are many

further negative aspects of this ‘sex tourism’ industry; the trafficking of women and children is deeply troubling. The growing sex tourist industry correlates to an increase in sexual exploitation.

A number of high profile cases in recent years have pointed to the exploitation of children and, even with laws in place to prosecute those who commit crimes against children abroad, governments can face difficulties enforcing laws on

Although sex tourism is able to increase the number of tourist arrivals for the destination, it negatively effects the destination's image.

The dependency of some communities on this industry is unfair, and the inclusion of tourists within this cycle only intensifies these harmful elements.

It is an easy habit for many to just ignore the existence of sex tourism, however it desperately needs to be more fully regulated.

Sport

13th February 2018

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Tennis to mind the gender gap Beth Papworth Sport Reporter The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) revealed that it pays both sexes equally for their sporting achievements, but is “not satisfied” with its gender pay gap.

In a 2017 report, there was a 31 percent difference between the mean average pay of men and women, as a result of men placed in more senior positions. Government legislations now require every organisation with more than 250 employees to publish the gender pay and bonus gaps.

LTA Chairman David Gregson said: “We are not satisfied with this and we are acutely aware that we still have work to do in closing this gap. Our lack of diversity and

gender imbalance, particularly at senior levels, is something we want to address.” Other chief sports, such as football, cricket and rugby will be under scrutiny when they reveal their gender pay numbers before the April deadline.

“there was a 31 percent difference between the average pay of men and women” LTA’s report also showed that 87 percent of its male staff received a bonus, compared to 74 percent of women. To some extent, it was

partially attributed to the bonuses paid out after England won the Davis Cup in 2016 over Belgium.

The tennis governing body also said that women are under represented at the highest level and are given lower paid roles due to its flexibility in positions at the bottom.

The LTA caused uproar when ‘Sports Agenda’ revealed that former chief executive Roger Draper received a £640,000 pay package in 2012, giving their male workforce far more money than females, despite the fact 293 employees are divided almost equally between the sexes.

Management officials are against this imbalance carrying on.

Equal pay has been a dominant topic in the history of tennis. In 1973, the US Open became the first major venue to pay both sexes the

West Ham sack director over racist remarks

same. It was not until 2017 when this was the case in all four grand slam tournaments.

According to Forbes Magazine, only three of the ten highest paid tennis players in 2017 were women and none of them were in the top five.

Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber and Venus Williams made the shortlist, taking into account earnings from prize money and endorsements.

UK Sport told governing bodies to bring in more women or lose funding. This crackdown has appeared after the LTA discovered the shocking imbalance of the gender pay gap between the sexes.

Whilst the LTA recognise this is a major problem, they are determined to clamp down on the gender pay imbalance by closing the gap.

Sophie Christian Sport Editor West Ham United have sacked Tony Henry, director of recruitment, over alleged comments by him saying that he would not sign any more African players.

The club decided to split with Henry on Friday after an investigation by the Daily Mail claimed he said that African players “have a bad attitude” and “cause mayhem” when not selected.

West Ham have said that Henry’s comments were “unacceptable” and added that the club “will not tolerate any type of discrimination.”

“Moyes insisted the club do not have a discriminatory transfer policy” On Friday, West Ham manager David Moyes stated Henry had recommended two players from Africa during the January transfer window. He told BBC Sport the club were “very, very close” to signing Leicester’s Algerian forward Islam Slimani and Lille’s Cameroon defender Ibrahim Amadou. Moyes insisted the club does not have a discriminatory transfer policy and

condemned Henry’s comments.

Moyes, who has worked with Henry at Everton, expressed his surprise. He said: “It’s a massive shock, because you are well aware of the couple of players we were trying to sign on deadline day, so that’s why it’s a big surprise. I’ve known Tony and he has to get on with his stuff but all I can say is that it wasn’t correct because we were trying to sign two players like that on deadline day.”

He continued: “You can see the players the club has signed over the years – we sign good quality players, the best we can get.

It doesn’t matter where they are from. Never, ever, never at all have I experienced prejudice like that.”

When asked if the reports have had a detrimental effect on African players in his squad, Moyes admitted he has conferred with them and found no ill will: “I have spoken with one or two of the African players and they seem fine.”

“They have trained well and morale in the camp is good because we are on the back of a pretty good run. The players are doing well so hopefully we can keep it going.”

The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) said it was “shocked” by the reported comments. They told BBC Sport: “The PFA strongly condemns any such views and there is no place for them in football.”

The club has six first-team squad

members of African descent: Pedro Obiang, Joao Mario, Cheikhou Kouyate, Angelo Ogbonna, Arthur Masuaku and Edimilson Fernandes.

Senegal striker Diafra Sakho left the club in the January transfer window to join Rennes, as well as Ghana international Andre Ayew heading to Swansea.

“The club have six first-team squad members of African descent” This is not the first time racism has been an issue in football as Eni Aluko, a player for the England women’s team, experienced racist remarks from manager Mark Sampson. He allegedly said to her to make sure that her Nigerian relatives did not bring Ebola to a game at Wembley. Aluko told The Guardian that the Football Association knew about the comment – described in a letter from the PFA to the governing body as a “racist joke” – since November 2016.

Barrister Katharine Newton concluded that Sampson was guilty of “ill-judged attempts at humour, which as a matter of law were discriminatory on grounds of race within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010.”

Feminists, Wikimedia

Social media stars shine Emily Hawkins Sport Reporter

Hammersfan, Wikimedia

Image: London Student

Players from UEA’s sports clubs received glowing praise for their use of Twitter and Facebook at UEA Sport’s inaugural social media awards.

Over four months, students were encouraged to use social media to be the best ambassadors for their clubs, and by extension for UEA. UEA partnered with Matchstick Media to host the UEA Athlete Angel Social Media Project, which included a dedicated UEA web platform to showcase the best examples.

Phil Steele, director of sport at UEA, said no other university had done this type of project before.

“It was an ideal time to use these celebrations to put something back into UEA whilst at the same time developing the image of the various clubs,” he said.

“Yet again UEA has a first, and we never believed the project could achieve the breadth it has.”

Cathy Wood, the managing partner of Matchstick Media who ran the project, said: “‘We wanted to show the students how social media is simply an extension of who they are.”

“In the world we live in today, often the first encounter someone might have with another person is an online one.”

“We feel immensely proud of the work the students did and hope, as a company, we can forge a long term relationship with UEA.” 60 sports clubs were up for a variety of awards.

The club with the savviest social media was declared to be UEA Netball, with Women’s Rugby, and UEA Softball coming second and third in the 2017/18 UEA+ Sport social media project category.

Lucy Cole, the netball club’s

social media officer said the project had helped her to “understand the power of social media.”

“With specific goals, the programme has shown us how many great things we do as a club and wider community which often we forget to shout about,” she added.

“It’s been enjoyable creating lots of fun and different content and has helped create a community around our club.

“We can’t wait to carry on all our hard work!”

Owen Wady, the baseball and softball media and recruitment secretary for Blue Sox, said the team felt honoured by their placings.

“The celebration evening really showed not only how far we have come as a club in terms of social media, but for the whole of UEA sports clubs,” he said.

UEA Women’s Football Club won an award for the best use of social media to promote other clubs.

This was part of the This Girl Can project to widen girls’ participation in sports.

Charlotte Jones, president of women’s football, said social media was the easiest way to express support for other clubs.

“It has actually improved our relations with other clubs, and I think we’ve turned what was always seen as a rugby rivalry, into a lovely support network of sporting women,” she added.

Cathy Wood said: “It was a pleasure to work with so many varied and interesting clubs, and to see how readily they took on the advice and guidance offered.”

“As a company we were, genuinely, bowled over by the creativity, hard work and enthusiasm shown for the project.”

She described the process of choosing the final winners as “impossibly difficult” as “there was so much great content” showcasing “the vibrant opportunities at UEA.”

13th February 2018

23

Footballers’ aversion to paying tax

Manchester United’s Alexis Sanchez becomes latest footballer guilty of tax evasion

Daniel Cook Sport Reporter Alexis Sanchez has been given a 16-month suspended prison sentence for tax evasion. The fraud took place during his time in Barcelona, when the Chilean footballer reportedly avoided paying up to 1 million euros (£886,000) in taxes.

In order to avoid jail, the player has reached an agreement with the Spanish Attorney General, whereby he has to pay back the entire sum, plus a fine of £525,000.

Sanchez was first suspected of wrong-doing in 2016, while he was still playing for Arsenal.

At the time his agent denied the accusations, stating “Alexis Sanchez

has fully obeyed the laws imposed by the countries where he has resided.”

The latest news comes just weeks after completing his big money move from Arsenal to Manchester United, with the £350,000 a week deal Sanchez signed with Manchester United said to have made him the highest paid player in the Premier League.

This is by no means the first case of a footballer b e i n g accused of tax evasion.

I n

January for example, Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder, Luka Modric paid Spanish courts a similar amount to that which Sanchez will be made to.

In recent years, the game’s best players have been under fire for underpayment of tax, with Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi all making the headlines in recent years for similar offences to Sanchez.

It is not only the players who have been getting in on the act between 2011 and 2012, the current Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was also accused of not paying nearly £3 million in tax during his time at Real Madrid.

It is no coincidence, that the

above manger and players were all tried by courts in Spain.

In an effort to attract more foreign players to the Spanish leader, a new tax-exemption scheme was passed in the country in 2005 and since coined the ‘Beckham Law’ after having been first utilized by David Beckham.

During his time at Real Madrid, the English midfielder enjoyed a tax ceiling of 24 percent, around half of what Spanish nationals had to pay on six-figure-plus incomes.

While the loophole was scrapped in 2010 for salaries of over £600,000 and tax inspectors are becoming increasingly more vigilant. It seems both football players and managers will continue to try to deceive the state in the hope of earning more money.

Seemingly footballers are not content with earning hundreds of thousands of pound a week.

Alexis Sanchez is not the first to use illegal means in the hope of a bigger payday and certainly won’t be the last.

While the apparent greed of these millionaire footballers seems a world away from the lives of the average fan, such is the popularity of sport that supporters will continue to pay their hard earned money to watch them play every week.

Unfortunately, tax evasion has become commonplace in the money dominated world that is football in the 21st century, with footballers like Alexis Sanchez seemingly getting away with it, with little more than a slap on the wrist.

Photo: Flickr, joshjdss

Women’s Football defeat Bedford Optiknv, Wikimedia

Canary Corner: what’s up at Carrow Road?

Charlotte Jones Sophie Christian Sport Editor With the first team at UEA Women’s Football Club hanging close to relegation, their first match back against Bedford was more important than ever. The match started off with Bedford making headway, and with UEA slow to switch on, they made an early attempt on goal which was easily mopped up by UEA keeper, Perris.

With UEA now in possession, left winger Riggall made a run down the line, looking to connect with Guyatt in the middle, however the competent Bedford defence stepped out any attempts on goal. The first half remained much the same, with both teams struggling to make an impact, and the scoreline remaining 0-0.

With substitute Judge stepping onto the field after half time, UEA gained extra ground with defender Serghiou managing to impressively

break through midfield and defence, only to be slide tackled in the box by the final Bedford defender before she could get a shot at the goal.

With UEA dominating the first ten minutes of the match, Riggall managed to break through defence after Guyatt places a through ball past the back line. After four or five body shots and rebounds to the keeper, Riggall managed to scuffle the ball over goal line, giving UEA the deserved lead.

“Riggall managed to scuffle the ball over goal line, giving UEA the deserved lead” The next ten minutes were spent with Bedford continuously lobbing any attempt from UEA attackers, back into the home side’s half, however a substitution bringing Stanley and Boakye-Danquah onto the pitch turned the tides once more,

when Turvil managed an impressive cross to Stanley who slotted it past the keeper on the volley.

UEA 2-0 up and 15 minutes to go, relaxed into the game, they were still meeting Bedford’s frustrating lobbing technique, until one slipped past the backline to their forward player, who knocked it past Perris.

Despite Bedfords strong attempts to equalise, the match ended 2-1, keeping UEA’s position in the league safe.

Jade Powell added: “The team showed great determination and focus to achieve the welldeserved winning goal. After this performance, we are looking forward to next week’s match versus Northampton, and hope to get a similar result.”

UEA managed to secure a draw against Northampton on 7th February with the score being 2-2.

Their next match will see the team take on Oxford University Women’s 1st, who are currently top of the league.

Playing at home, Norwich faced Middlesbrough on 3 February.

A deserved win was a boost for Norwich’s outside hopes of pushing into the Championship play-offs, while denting the similar aspirations of the visiting side.

The Canaries made a bright start, and it took a superb block from Adam Clayton to keep out what looked like a goal-bound shot from James Maddison in the opening exchanges.

But the hosts were unable to maintain the momentum and, apart from a couple of wayward shots at each end, there was little for the crowd to get excited about until the 28th minute, when the visitors were reduced to ten men.

‘Boro forward Rudy Gestede, who already had a yellow card to his name, inexplicably opted to fly into a routine challenge on the halfway line with Hanley going down after being caught by a flying boot. It was just a question of whether it was two yellows or a straight red, and referee Michael Jones chose the latter.

With Adama Traore pushed forward in a central role ahead of two blocks of four, the visitors coped reasonably comfortably until a minute before half-time, when Norwich finally made one of their long spells of possession count.

The ball was moved across the edge of the box to Trybull, who took

aim and beat Darren Randolph’s despairing dive with a low drive into the bottom corner.

Norwich had a good chance to stretch their lead ten minutes after the break when Maddison was brought down just outside the box. Unsurprisingly, the same player picked himself up to take it, but while his clever low shot went under the wall it also went inches wide of the upright.

‘Boro were hardly getting a look in and manager Tony Pulis brought on former City midfielder Jonny Howson to a big ovation just after the hour mark in an attempt to liven things up.

Randolph twice kept the visitors in the game with good saves low down to his right to keep out stinging shots from Nelson Oliveira before gathering another shot, this time from outside the box, from Josh Murphy.

Ben Gibson finally got an effort on target for Boro nine minutes from time, but his tame header from a deep free-kick was easy for an underworked Angus Gunn as Norwich comfortably saw out the game.

The next game for Norwich is on 10 February when the Canaries travel to Derby County. It looks to be a tricky fixture for Farke’s side, with the Rams currently second in the Championship and coming off a 3-0 home win over Brentford.

Patrick Wiseman

24

13th February 2018

Sport

UEA Eagles soar to victory Tony Allen Sport Reporter

The UEA Eagles Men’s Lacrosse team has won the Midlands 2B league for the first time in their history, securing promotion into the second tier of university Lacrosse, Midlands 1A. The promotion will also see UEA entered into the national BUCS Lacrosse Trophy next season where they will do battle with the country’s best teams in the knockout cup.

The team has been on fine form all season, kick-started by an incredible October which saw UEA net 49 goals and concede just one in their first two games against midtable finishers Nottingham 3rds (19-0) and league whipping-boys Leicester 2nds (30-1).

UEA’s class really told in November as they ground out home wins against their two closest rivals Lincoln (9-5) and Oxford Brookes (9-3) before scoring 10 at De Montfort to extend their run to five unbeaten, going into Christmas with just one match left to play. An 8-0 win at mid-table Derby in UEA’s final league match of the campaign saw the Eagles confirmed as league champions with a perfect record of six wins in six matches and a goal difference of +70.

Goals from Hamish Lister, Mitchell Hoverd, Sean Cullum, Jhan Tibudan, Jack Govey, Chris Groom and a brace from Man of the Match Shu Omi saw UEA seal the win and with it the title, with keeper Chris

Men’s Lacrosse is described by BUCS as one of their fastest growing sports. UEA know they have their work cut out for them next season as they look to consolidate their place in the highest regional tier, with this season’s Midlands 1A division still too close to call.

As if to highlight the task facing UEA since gaining promotion last term, the all-conquering Leicester team have struggled to adapt to Midlands 1A and are now in danger of being immediately relegated again and swapping places with UEA.

“This has been a proper squad effort Forhad Khan Irvine and his defence shutting out the hosts’ attack to keep their second clean sheet of the season, despite poor weather and a physical Derby side.

Captain Harry Harris told Concrete he was “absolutely buzzing” to have won the league.

He continued: “Only once did we look in trouble which was away at De Montfort in November. We were unexpectedly trailing at half time but we rallied brilliantly and came back to claim our toughest win of the season.”

Refusing to single out any star players of the forty-strong squad, Harris commented: “This has been a proper squad effort from start to finish. We’ve done this as a team,

from start to finish” from the keepers to the attackmen we’ve been fantastic.

“Lots of these boys were there when we so narrowly lost out on the final day of the season last year so this is a brilliant feeling, and one we feel we really deserve.”

In 2017 the Eagles agonisingly missed out on promotion, going down 5-4 away to champions Leicester in an otherwise unbeaten league campaign which also saw them defeated by the same team in the Midlands Conference Cup final.

This term, having already gone one better in the league, UEA’s attention has switched to doing the same in the cup. Next up is a winnable Valentine’s Day tie at home to Nottingham 3rds in the quarter-

final, after UEA eased past Oxford Brookes 2nds 10-4 in the round of sixteen. After the cup is concluded, hopefully culminating in the final in early March, all eyes will turn to the Derby Day clash at Essex. Last season UEA’s men couldn’t match the women’s victory over their rivals, but there is a hunger in the club to take the Derby Day winners’ medals this time around.

Although admitting that a Midlands Conference Cup run was the squad’s most pressing concern, Harris remarked: “Derby Day is in the back of our minds, we’re absolutely determined to be the first UEA men’s Lacrosse team to beat Essex and are quietly confident of doing just that.”

Meanwhile, UEA women’s 1sts currently sit in a comfortable mid-table position in Midlands 2A with three wins so far and three matches remaining. With a muchchanged team from last year, they will nonetheless be hoping to repeat their 2017 Derby Day triumph when they travel to Colchester. This season has also seen UEA Lacrosse enter a second women’s team into BUCS competition for the first time.

They held their own in Midlands 3A, sitting third out of seven. The team has made Colney Lane an intimidating destination for visiting sides, dispatching Coventry 1sts and most recently Nottingham 4ths 15-7 and 18-5 respectively at home.

attempt to reinvigorate support for the sport. Sean Bratches, managing director of commercial operations, said: “We feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern day societal norms.”

The decision to replace ‘grid girls’ is also a move by F1 to try to attract women to other roles within the industry, as the negative press towards ‘grid girls’ has previously overshadowed the involvement of women in other areas of the motorsport. Claire Williams, the lone female team chief, has vocalised her support for the change. She stated it “is not going to change overnight the lack of female representation in motorsport,” but that it is the right move forward. She commanded that the sport should showcase “the successful women in the sport and make role models out of them to inspire others.” The hope is that this will “increase the talent pool of girls and women entering the sport.”

However, Susie Wolff, a former Williams F1 test driver, stated that there are more relevant matters

in regard to the involvement of women in F1 than the replacing ‘grid girls’. Instead, the removal of ‘grid girls’ is a publicity stunt to hide the lack of real commitment to increasing amount of women in the sport. Liberty Media’s attempt to encourage and empower women in the industry has rather resulted in further damage to the reputation of ‘grid girls’ that have ensured the sport was enjoyable for fans and drivers.

In a BBC Radio 5 Live interview, previous ‘grid girls’ gave their views. Charlotte Gash said she was “disgusted” by the changes as it meant that F1 bosses have “given in to the minority to be politically correct” without thinking about the welfare of the ‘grid girls’ themselves.

When the 2018 F1 season officially starts in March with the Australian Grand Prix, the plan is to use talented, young racing drivers from karting and junior competitions in place of the models.

The hope is ‘grid kids’ will have more relevance to the sport in future years and also be an interest to fans.

Formula One say goodbye to ‘grid girls’ Caitlin Vance Sport Reporter

Flikr, Carine06

Lezbo007, Flickr

One year after Liberty Media completed their acquisition of F1, they have chosen to replace ‘grid girls’ with ‘grid kids’.

Liberty Media’s decision has been both applauded for its alignment with modern society and criticised for its removal of an F1 tradition. ‘Grid girls’ have been a long-standing tradition in the sport as a way to bolster the atmosphere of the crowds and drivers while also providing a chance to create revenue through brand sponsorship. With a viewership and fan base that has been historically male-dominated, the use of female models on the grid were seen as an appropriate way to entertain the fans and drivers.

However, in recent years, the use of ‘grid girls’ has been criticised as outdated and objectifying women. Therefore, it came as no surprise to some that under the new management of Liberty Media ‘grid girls’ are being replaced as an