Concrete issue 232 06 10 2009

TUESDAY OCTOBER 6TH 2009 BLACK HISTORY MONTH KICKS OFF AT UEA. MED STUDENTS SUFFER IN EXAM. COULD UEA LIFT THE CAP?

NICK GRIFFIN ON QT? ARE INTERNSHIPS WORTH YOUR TIME? UNIVERSITY: IT'S NOT FOR GIRLS.

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UEA'S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

THE SUN & THE POLITICS OF MEDIA. ROMAN POLANSKI : TOO FAMOUS FOR DEFAMATION?

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ISSUE 232

BED, LEMSIP AND TEA: SOME TIPS TO RECOVER FROM FRESHERS' FLU. THE CONCRETE GUIDE TO SAVING YOUR CASH.

CULTURE SHOCK: ADAPTING TO BRITISH CULTURE. HAS ITS CHALLENGES. MEET THE INTERNATIONAL OFFICER AND THE ISS.

DISABILITY D SCRIMINAliON UEA Student refused entry into Havana's because of wheelchair.

Havana's manager: "No discrimination policy".

Nick Church Havana night-club 路refused entry to Sophie Bean, a third year Medicine student, after a doorman claimed it is agarnst club policy to let wheelcharr users in on busy Friday and Saturday nights.

The doorman refused entry on the basis that the club was expected to get very busy later on in the night, despite proceeding to let other customers in with the club being far from crowded at 12:20am on the morning of Saturday 26th.

Approaching Ms. Bean, the asked whether she doorman intended to enter the club, after which saying the wheelchair would be a "trip hazard" and a potential "fire risk" for other customers if Ms. Bean was to block a fire exit.

According toMs. Bean, when she asked for his name, the doorman proceeded to shield the name tag on his arm, preventing her from confirming his identity. Fred

Adderley, a third year Philosophy student who was with Ms. Bean at the time and, said the doorman "didn't seem well informed, and I'd say dismissive. His main priority was to keep things quiet".

Local disability activist, Michael Flounders, called the incident a "blatant example of discrimination".

"Nightclubs need to be aware of the fact of 'reasonable access' ... The Health and Safety Act, 1974, must be in place, [clubs] cannot deny entry to wheelchair users on safety grounds - if they do it's a discrimination feature". He continued by saying if it gets too crowded then the club is more generally compromising there public liability insurance, which requires the safety of all persons in their property.

Speaking to Concrete, Mike Baxter, manager of Havana as well as photographer for UUEAS's Naked Calendar, said: "I was really concerned when I heard . We have a strict policy of no discrimination ... anything else is completely untrue".

He went on to say that the club have frequently let wheelchair users Into the club, including Sophie herself, and that night there was "We were a misunderstanding: very near capacity that night...[the doorman] didn't mean to phrase his concerns in a way to deter".

He finished by saying staff would be fired immediately rf heard by him to say wheelchair users were denied access due to club policy.

Ms. Bean was unsure on the actual nature of Havana's policy: "lt might be something that's said but not written down on a practicality measure; that if they have a very busy club and someone is going around at backside height it's going to be a trip hazard."

The Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 makes it unlawful to discriminate against people with disabilities in relation to the provision of services.

UEA CELEBRATES 46TH BIRTHDAY WITH GLOBAL PUB REUNION lan Savage Alumni around the world met together to celebrate the University of East Anglia's 46th anniversary, Tuesday 29th September.

A night of nostalgia with old stories shared and past friends reunited. The UEA Grad Bar was alive with memories as the university celebrated its forty-sixth birthday with a 'Global Pub Reunion'.

This was one of many alumni

events taking place throughout this and future calendar years leading up to the university's fiftieth birthday Previous alumni events in 2013. have included Christmas and end of year LCRs, lectures 路 in London and weekend long campus reunions.

The event involved UEA Alumni from around the world meeting in several locations dotted around the globe. Venues included New York, Melbourne, London, Addis Adaba and Dhaka, almost all continents were

represented. At least 450 alumni attended the organised events with 14 attending the Norwich event.

The Norwich event was organised

by Tristan Holding and Juliet Needing, the latter describing how these alumni events are important in helping graduates maintain a "positive connection with the university". In turn the organiser of the Dhaka reunion, Arifur Rahman, an alumni ambassador to UEA, spoke of the jovial atmosphere and

the importance of alumni events in bringing past UEA graduates together.

Talking to past students come to reminisce, the lasting impression UEA has on its graduates was overwhelming. Alumni at the event spoke of the important significance UEA played in their lives. Mark Slaughter a graduate of environmental sciences in 1984 explained the importance of UEA to him, revealing how "the university was crucial to my development as a

person . This theme of appreciation for what UEA does and offers ran through the entire night. The main topics of conversation among Alumni were favourite tutors and infamous campus hangouts.

2 NEWS

concrete.news@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 6th OCTOBER 2009

路CONTENTS NEWS

UEA's g loba l pub reunion bi rthday Sportspork lose students

SPORTSPARK LOSE STUDENTS PUB REUNION CLUB ENTRY Many of the graduates were impressed by th e size of

the

current

campus,

with the creation of new accommoda ti on and lecture hall fac iliti es .

Sarah Cox

Simon Hughes, a third year busin ess stud ent and

are now required to make "reasonable adjustments"

Rece nt changes to th e Sportspark Fitn ess Ce ntre

the se comment s: " There was su ffi cie nt room befo re with

when

to

have been met with anger and

no appare nt queue for rowing

faciliti es and premises.

UUEAS' Di sab ility

disa ppointment by many of the gym's users.

Additi onally, service providers

providing

access

the

Convenor, Tom Fadden, said:

thrivin g mus ic scene UEA has been offering for years, John

"Society has come a long way in t erms of the rights and

Waite who began his four yea r degree in Fren ch and German

treatme nt of di sa bl ed people, [but] it is clear that cases such

Meningitis event raises th ousands

back in 1980 described th e soc ial sce ne on camp us during

as Ms Bean sti ll occur."

A look at Block History Month

his time as " unlimited ... yo u

Alumni

Crackdown on binge drinking Pressure to raise tuiti o n fees

INTERNATIONAL

Cultu re shock: Students' experien ces

OPINIONS

Labour party conference analysis

lnternships - o re they really worth it?

FEATURES

A look at Roman Polonski Printing power and politics

spoke

of

name it, it wa s th ere".

Th e raptu re w ith which

"The best advice I can offer to anyo ne else facing simil ar situ ation s would be to

cram ped and claustroph obic

exc uses such as 'We don 't wa nt th is to be a weightlifters

di sabled peop le."

Law disg runtl ed

weight s area th at is potentially off-putting to women and new student gym use r

and Lee

users to

athl ete s.

Previou s

gym' have been used, but with a sport like rugby buil ding up stren gth and power can only ge nerally be done by lifting

DATA SPAT HEATS UP

Harri son sa id th at the new area may even be dangerous : " With so many young men lifting weights in very close

from th e university cam pu s

Nick Church

across the world to create CRU 's Global Temperature

proximity to each oth er, th e

as a re sult of th e unnecessary

risk of acciden t s an d serious

degrading of th e Sportspark's

Leading climatologists at th e

Reco rd , a heavi ly IPCC cited

Climatic Resea rch Unit (CRU)

and influentia l paper showing

injury ha s almost certain ly increased." He described th e

at UEA are once again the

a steep increase in global warming in t he 20th century.

gym faciliti es for ath lete s and more reg ular gym goers."

New card io vasculilr

release of individual MET data.

Megobus or mego foil?

scientific blog Cli mate Audit, has targeted Keith Briffa and his work on tree rings as a form

FOCSOC

of temperature measurement, whi ch shows dra sti ca lly the effect s of man -made global warming.

Mr. expressed over the

Banana & Cherry cupcakes

cri ti cised the data's sma ll sample: "the number of recent [tree ring] cores is

Cocktail of the fortnight

emba rrassing ly sma ll and th ere

LIFESTYLE

is co nvin ci ng evidence th at th ey have been se lected from a larger population ".

The latest spat ma rks the

TURF

most recent development in the argument over data ava il abi lity in climate scie nce, in which CR U is one of th e

to

Concret e

of the weightlifting area as " nothing short of ludicrou s."

Gym

manager

Rachael

Pell att has pointed out th at th e new area fe atures esse nti al reinforced fl oo rin g and that knocking the entire dividing wall down "wo uld have involved months of plann ing, clo sure for the entire Fitn ess Centre". By relocating so me mac hin es back to th e main

wa s recent ly released after numerous years of request s.

Speaking

decision t o reduce the size

huge ex pense and a maj or

Mclntyre, has serious co nce rn s raw data which

How to bake successfu lly

he

Th e erro rs so me have claimed to have found will no doubt intensify questions amongst thi s group over the reliability of other CRU research including the CRU

world leaders in th e research field.

Globa l Temperature Reco rd.

Howeve r, thi s is of no surprise to Phil Jones, Director of CRU : "There is a lot of noise

Giggs defies th e age cop

Over the sum mer, CRU were inu nd ated with Freedom of Information Requests for

at the moment because of Copenhagen [Climate Summit] and some people trying to sow

'Concrete' and 'E vent' logos c ourtesy of Mr George Bennett

the raw data co llected from meteoro logica l services

seeds of doubt".

SPORT

population to serve as wel l as the gene ral public you would think that th ey have eq uipm ent to satisfy th e needs of most

alumn i event, but it certain ly won't be my last".

TRAVEL

No-meat Mondays

ac kn ow ledged or dealt with. " With a university

parties, from occasio nal gym

members.

be bound by agreements, some unwritten with oth ers adm ittedly lost, preventing th e

Confessions of a UEA student

th e

knocked

has been

regarding their treatment of

errors in th ei r climate research.

In hi s latest attempt, Steve Mclntyre, editor of the

FOOD

to

machines. There has always been waiting times for the weights which has never been

through to co nn ect both parts of th e gym, but th e result is a

archway

Waite : " it may be my fist

policy

moved

area

sectioning off the space availab le for we igh tl ifting. An

of th e organisations

refused by CRU claiming to

Assassin squads on campus

been

weights

space previo us ly used by the 'Heartbeat' laboratory,

summed up perfectly by Mr

statistical and methodological

The UEA Po litics society returns

has

free

th e event wa s received was

The se have been repeatedly

The wonders of Po land

The

t ake note of the event and, if appro pri ate, obtain a copy

focu s of a loosely-knit group of scientist s' attempts to reveal

EDITORIAL

first t eam rugby player had

heavier weights .

"A lot of people are now moving to oth er gyms away

machi ne has been provided in the main gym but this has also failed to silence irritated gym

members.

In

spite of

the 拢40,000 improve ments, compl aints persist about overcrowded off-peak sessions, the cramped rowing machine area, th e temperamental wate r founta in and th e unhygienic clot hs provid ed to wip e down equipment station s.

The changes

have

gym area she hopes to have addressed so me complai nts.

prompted outrage from members of th e UEA Rugby

Signs pos ted by Sportspark Director Keith Nicholls state th at th e Fitness Centre

and other, predominantly ma le gym members who feel they

" prioritises" ca rd ia work over weight tra ining, despite the old

are bein g neglec t ed. Although funded joi ntly by UEA and th e

free weights area frequ ently fill ing up with male students

Lottery Fund, the Spo rtspark ap pea rs to th em to be out of

wanting t o lift weights during

touch with stud ent needs.

th e off-peak evenin g sess ion.

and American Footba ll t eams

NEWS 3

concrete.news@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 6th OCTOBER 2009

Does the Union do enough to promote sensible drinking?

"I do think it should be part of their role, I think too many students probably do drink too much, but again it would probably be a very hard message to put across because unfortunately it is a very big part of our university culture, to drink a lot. "

"I think they do too much. lt should be your own responsibility how much you drink; if you really want to you can kill yourself, it's up to you .

I don't really know what they do except not having happy hours."

"I don't really think they do anything to promote sensible drinking. There's no posters, that you'd expect for students, especially in freshers' week.

We are old enough to make out own decision, but they are selling the alcohol so have a duty to the consumers."

"I don't see binge drinking as a problem or anything like that around campus. I haven't seen any fights or anything irresponsible like people being passed out. To be honest, I haven't heard a lot from the Union but I don't really think there's a need for them to."

NEW VICE-CHANCELLOR ENVISAGES GREAT POTENTIAL AT UEA David Churchill Like many plucky young freshers, the new ViceChancellor of the UEA, Professor Edward Acton, is embarking on a new adventure.

Despite recently being appointed to his new role, he has already set forth a plethora of projects which he believes will facilitate the University in reaching its lofty potential.

In a recent interview with Concrete, he expressed his hope that students across the University will share his enthusiasm with regards to the objectives and challenges which lie ahead : "I want to build on, and strengthen, the tradition of being enthused about studying here."

UEA LONDON One project designed to "enthuse" students is the current development of a UEA campus in London. The ViceChancellor not only hailed the new campus a "great platform" from which to boost the profilâ‚Ź of the University, but stated that it would also provide a "cornucopia of opportunities" for students. the proposals, Under

many of the University's activities would be devolved to the new campus, giving students the opportunity to study a semester of their course in London. The aim is to give students access to the abundance of recourses the capital has to offer, also enabling them to impress prospective employers with the diversity of their experience. Although these semesters will initially only be available to those studying subjects which fall under Creative Industries and Carbon Management, the franchise could eventually be extended to cover a whole array of subjects.

Further plans include the desire to establish the UEA as a pioneering centre in the fight to cut carbon emissions. ¡The desire has partly manifested itself in the erection of the new Biomass facility. The facility, which will cut the University's carbon emissions by 30%, and is hoped to be operational by Christmas, has already earned the UEA a place on the shortlist for a prestigious national award in contributions to sustainable development. But Prof. Acton talked of further plans to op~n a "Low Carbon Innovation Centre", and create a brand

new MA course in Carbon Management. The projects are aimed at increasing the research capacity of the UEA

in developing innovative, sustainable technologies.

FUNDING lt was also made clear that the issue of funding was paramount with regards to the success of the University and its students.

With the imminent cuts in public spending soon to be implemented by government, Prof. Acton said he was united with many other Vice-Chancellors who would be "arguing strongly" that the government do not cut back on funding for higher education. He stated that the UEA's ambitions were in proportion to the current state of finances - which

he described as "relatively healthy but not flush" - but that a cut in funding would be detrimental to any longterm objectives. The ViceChancellor's concerns feed into a much wider debate about the amount of funding the government is committing to universities, and whether it is enough to compete on a global scale.

According to the most recent OECD statistics, the United Kingdom already commits less funding to universities as a percentage - 1.3% of GDP - than other emerging powerhouses such as China, India, Korea and Japan.

Prof. Acton has been as Vice-Chancellor acting since January after the early retirement of Bill Macmillian He due to health issues. officially begins his role as Vice-Chancellor on October 1st. A prestigious historian specialising in Russian history, he also sits on Universities UK, an influential representative body of Vice-Chancellors for the HE sector. The title 'ViceChancellor', a misnomer, effectively means the chief executive of the University with the Pro Vice-Chancellor acting below this role .

-

POLICE MAKE BINGE DRINKING DVD Gareth Coventry A film made in cooperation with Norfolk Police, warning of the dangers of binge drinking has been screened in the Union Bars during the first weeks of the semester.

The film, which is entitled 'Your Night Your Choice', lasts for five minutes and tells the story of a male and a female character on a night out. The film has a Sliding Doors style, showing two outcomes with a happy night if the characters engage in moderate levels of drinking, but an unhappy one if they binge drink, leaving the female character with a bloodied nose and an uncertain fate for the male. The film is said to have been instigated by concerns from some students about binge drinking.

Campbell, who Anne commissioned the film, said the film "raises questions like "What if she did this?" or "What if he did that?" and encourages the students to think about their own actions". The DVD forms part of an education pack, aimed at 14-16 year olds who will be encouraged to debate the film and to make a short play about the issues raised. At the conclusion of the lesson, students will be encouraged to fill in a 'binge drinking awareness reflection sheet'. UEA has received ten

copies of the DVD from Norfolk Police, who have also been distributing the DVD to schools in the region and to other police forces.

Reaction by those UEA students who have seen the film has been so far lukewarm.

Tom Nunn, a postgraduate Law student, reflected on the film, saying that "Young people know the dangers but still do it anyway; maybe it'd work for a younger crowd."

James Sparrow, who is also a postgraduate Law student, stated that "[the DVD) doesn't typify a night out with my friends".

Annie Grant, of the Dean of Students, said the DVD has a "good message: there is a choice". She continued, however, by saying: "Anything reducing alcohol-related harm is a positive, but DVDs on their own will not solve the problem ... they will help people question their choices".

Chloe Smith, the new North Norfolk MP, who attended the official launch of the DVD in the Union Bars on the 18th of September with. other local politicians, said she supported "this initiative to help young people make informed decisions about their own lives. I am particularly pleased that Norfolk can lead the way nationally on this important matter".

UEA CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH Joey Millar October marks the nationwide celebration of Black History Month, with the University organising several events on campus.

Free films are being shown in the lecture theatres, a musical band night has been organised and an African market visits UEA. Meanwhile Obama-style posters are being put up across the campus at visible points celebrating black figures.

Chrissie Ogunlusi, president of the African Caribbean Society, told Concrete that the events aim to "educate people about the struggles as well as celebrate the achievements."

She stressed her indebtedness to these men and women who "fought for people like me to

live in a multi-cultural society such as ours."

Yet the timing of BHM is unfortunately negative. Tom Sutton, the Union's Welfare Officer, feels the events "rely heavily on student and society involvement and [it] is difficult to organise for the first few weeks of the university year." the United Contrastingly, States Black History Month is celebrated in February, a time when students have become accustomed to un.iversity and school life. Anthony Bush, an exchange student at UEA from the US, said: "I appreciate there being a Black History Month, but it shouldn't be forgotten outside of this month".

Events are also planned in Norwich, with a black film festival, a series of talks, and music evenings all scheduled.

4 NEWS

concrete.news@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 6th OCTOBER 2009

ABC TAXIS COMPETITION WINNERS Five winners have been chosen for the ABC Taxis competition.

Each winner will receive £10 worth of taxi vouchers with ABC. The following peop le should collect their voucher from Val on reception in Union House: James Scofield Tom MacKay Miller Sally McEwen Nikita Nolan Becky Hookins

TWO-THIRDS GET TWO-ONES Various in stitutions have called for an overhaul in the way British degrees are classified.

Last year 61% of university graduates in the UK achieved a 2:1 grade; and this trend is set to continue for this year's cohort of graduands. The Higher Education Minister, David Lammy, commented that "quality measures must change" possibly pointing to a future reshuffle of the system by which degrees are awarded.

PRESSURE MOUNTS TO LIFT THE TUITION FEE CAP Concrete examines fhe lafesf discussion abouf sfudenf fees Richard Joslin The raging tuition fees debacle continues with Oxford University's new vice chancellor, Professor Andrew Hamilton, calling on Thursday for an American style Ivy League scholarship system for elite universities.

This would give the students from the poorest households large bursaries to ensure that they are not discouraged from doing a degree by higher fees.

Hamilton has not commented on Oxford's position on fee charging or whether the university desires it to be raised, but he stated that if fees are raised it would have to be matched by a large expansion of financial support for students.

His pre-emptive comments have added fuel to the fire of speculation that tuition fees are inevitably going to be raised. This comes

on top of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) putting forward a bold plan that includes students paying thousands more in tuition fees and more on loan interest rates, described as "offensive to students" by the NUS. The CBI have expressed their view in their report that students should bear the brunt of the finance cuts to universities, after the government requested that universities make savings of £180 million over the next two years. This is due to the financial recession meaning a lack of public funding for universities.

HOW HIGH A CHANCE IS THE RE OF FEES BEING RAISE D? The director general of the Russell Group of twenty universities, Wendy Piatt, admitted that increasing tuition fees was part of their

solution to solve the university "funding crisis".

The Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg also announced his party's scaling back of its long standing 'no fees' policy - which was taken to mean an altogether dropping of the policy, at least until the recession is fully over and the funding crisis is no longer threatening universities.

In addition to the calls from the CBI to raise fees, perhaps the most crucial indicator that tuition fee caps are likely to be raised is the silence and ambiguity of the Conservative and Labour parties on the issue. Both have made the politically sound decision of not making a decision on the issue until after the next general election. This is due to the sheer unpopularity of raising fees among arguably the most critical voting demographic in the country; students. The

justification behind their unwillingness to state their intentions on the issue is that they will wait until after the upcoming review on the whole predicament of loans, grants and fees. However, a lot of pressure has been building in the last few weeks for them to break this mutually assured dumbness and something will have to give way in the near future. We can expect to see confirmation on the issue then. This all means that it is looking very likely that the way students pay their fees will change.

STUDENT REACTION The reaction of the student population of the nation is very much hostile, with a YouGov poll showing that 85% of 18-25 year olds are opposed to any sort of raise in student fees, with the NUS president Wes Streeting remarking about his astonishment at the CBI's proposals and that the

"fat cats at the CBI" were committing "gross hypocrisy".

UEA's Union has not changed its position and is still committed to its policy of free university education for all, and maintains the traditional objections to students paying anything. In contrast, and in the face of the pressure from multiple groups such as the CBI for students to fill the funding gap, the NUS has moved to implement what seems to be a way of softening the financial blow to the student populace with system -graduate tax.

This would only start after a decent wage is obtained, and would continue being paid for a large amount of years no matter how high the earnings are. This, the NUS says, would allow students to invest in their higher education on the agreement that what they pay back will reflect in turn what they gained from going to university. The government review starts in November.

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6 NEWS

concrete.news@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 6th OCTOBER 2009

UEA'S MOST ENTERPRISING STUDENT An drew

RECORD NUMBER FAIL FINAL MED EXAM CAMPUS SAFETY IMPROVED Medical actor falls to turn up for final year medical exam a

Chamberlain,

business management stude nt at Norwich Business School, is to compete in the national final of Shell's annual search for the "UK's Most Enterprising Student", 14th October.

Carrying Andrew

to

Lucy Moore Medical students suffered a di sa ppointing summer after record numbers failed their final year. In total fourteen

the final was success in the

students did not make the grade, signifi ca ntly higher

Shell

than the usual average of four.

Techn ology

Enterprise

Programme (STEP). His time was spent at Emily Lingerie, a

The high proportion

of

maternity and nursing lingerie

failures is being blam ed on the no show of actors who

company, where he helped develop a sister company

were supposed to help out with the clinica l sid e of the

to target different markets, creating a more profitable retail structure.

exa ms. Lecturers were forced to take their place causing

The Shell STEP programme gives students and graduates the opportunity to app ly

anxiou s stude nts.

This coincided with the first year the exam procedure

theoretical skil ls in a business

had

context.

confus ion

been

for

the

already

changed.

In

previous years students who had gained a high mark in the theoretical side of the exam could have pa ssed even with a low clinical score.

that last year's students to whom the new rules didn't apply were " lucky".

David Sheppard , the Union 's Academic Officer

in four arrests ranging from cri minal damage to burglary."

to

According to Sgt Gerry Hanley, " this has been a result

sid e,

in their fifth and final year. I

regardle ss of the strength of the theoretical sco re, in order

pass

the

clinical

hope that the School reflects on this fact and makes any

of the team reinforcing crime prevention advice and issuing

UEA campus is comparatively higher than in the surrounding

to be awarded a mark in the final year exam.

changes to the programme

3000-3500 crime prevention packs to students" as we ll as promoting Imm obilise, which

greate r concentration of people in a smaller area.

Sam Lein ste r the Dean of the MED sc hool believes

that it deems to be necessary."

All of the st udents have

to be theft s, especially of mobile phones at LCR gigs,

years. Describing the MED school and the acting agency as "equa ll y to blame" he said

June and remedial classes to assist their revi sio n.

This figure suggests that the priority status given to

whilst other incidents remain relatively less common.

Committee on Euthanasia, is to start thi s year's public lectures on philosophy at UEA on October 8th.

Topics are devoted to the theme " Matters of Life and Death ".

the Meningitis Tru st.

The fundrai sing has taken place every year fo r nine years. Eleven years ago Mike

former team but now, sin ce la st year, are organised by the present UEA men's hockey team and the president of the hockey club Phil Beer.

Speaking to current team

organised

by

Mike

collecting money around campus and other events

members, th ere is sense of great team spi rit, all the members are more than happy to continue to su pport the Meningitis Trust . Simon Harrington , a former team mate and close friend of Mike

their property so that it can be recovered more easily if

access the library or printers

Tasha Percy

to print off her CV, preventing her from job hunting, a huge

Major upset was created following problems with UEA providing campus cards for

hassle particula_rly in this fierce work climate.

Another student Matt

freshers

MA

Luck, capta in of the American

of

Football team , found it "incredibly frustrating" and

and

returning complained

"queuing for ages" on ly to be told th at their campus cards were not ready because "the on lin e forms didn' t work". They were then handed a form to fill in and told that they would

Minute silence ',"t;~::..-~.iir~"-'1 The old boys all enjoy . coming back each year and taking part in the events and show dedication in th ei r

The majority of report ed crimes on campus continue

CAMPUS CARD CHAOS

students.

Students

Covell's

have to wait a further three working days before they coul d re ce ive their campus cards.

This created difficulty and "a nnoyance" for students who

exp lain ed to staff that he needed his card sooner to register for sports insurance for Sportsmart but they said "noth ing cou ld be done".

Some freshers even ad mitted that they put off getti ng campus cards because the queues were too long.

On top of thi s the library staff has been described as

were trying to get bus passes, sports insurance and register

"vague

Before

Covell, repo rted that since 2000 they have rai sed around

each match the teams stood in a circle and remembered their

at Sportsmart and Socmart.

One returning masters

appeared to have noticed until the last minute".

ÂŁ15,000-ÂŁ20,000

friend with a minute's silence.

student, Sarah Cox, could not

through

annual

attendance.

and

confused"

and

"completely useless, nobody

RESIDENCES AND SERVICES DEPARTMENT SHAKE-UP Danny Kelllor

will be shared across existing departments at UEA. Catering and Conferences will become

October at 2pm. Forms are to be handed in at Union House

UEA's Administrative body will undergo considerable changes to its structure when Jenny Ballard, the director of the Residents and Services Division retire s at the end of October.

The Residents and Services Division has a lot of interaction with students as it controls Accommodation, Catering, Cleaning, Conferences and

move to Estates and Nursery to Human Resources.

Perhaps more significantly, Accommodation will move to the Dean of Students, this has raised a few questions over the poss ibility of a conflict of interest. The Dean of Students currently controls the Resident

reception.

Nursery. These responsibi lities

Tutor

better then nominate yourself for the Ethnic Minority Campaign Convenor.

Elections for SSF Faculty Convenor are also running, with nominations eligible to those in SSF facu lty.

Nominations close on 9th

the

stolen.

marathon.

face ethnic minority students, and you want to work to make their university experience

to

re-sits in either January or

annual events were formally

interested in issues that might

due

been the sa me as previous

Hoc key organised their annua l charity fundraising event for

lfyouself-defineasanethnic minority student, you're

mainly

all ows students to register

Mary Warnock, form er member of the House of Lords Select

this Concrete reporter that

areas,

been visited personally by representatives from the M EO school and have been offered

organised by his former team mates such as runnin g the

ETHNIC MINORITY CAMPAIGN CONVENOR ELECTION

The level of crime on the

that without these changes th e pass rate would have

the present hockey team. The

graduating in 2000, raising about a thousand pound s each year.

Ben William s informed

prosecute those who commit any crime on campu s and in the neighbourhood resu lting

students are now req uired

On Sunday 4th October, UEA

played with have organised fundraising every year since

"we have taken active measures to catch and

for the University and Eaton

three old boy team s now come back every year and play aga in st each other and

To pics will include abortion, Israel and Palesti ne, torture and secret prisons, procreation, and Baroness Warnock's lecture on the meaning of life.

6% compared with last year following the introduction of the Safer Neighbourhoods Action Panel (SNAP) priority area.

THOUSANDS RAISED FOR MENINGITIS FUNDRAISER

Covell, a member of UEA Hockey wa s diagnosed with meningitis in hi s first term at UEA and passed away not long afte r. Since then the team he

Overall crime has fallen by

that suc h a large number of students faced rea ssess ment

Katy Staines

THE MEANING OF LIFE

the Unive rsity's campus has alrea dy had a significant impact. Sgt. Hanley added

stated: " I find it surprising

Du e to pressure from external markers, medical

600 students are

pa ired with small to medium sized companies every year.

The programme has been running since 1986.

Chris King

part of Marketing and Communications, Cleaning will

system,

the

Hardship

fund and is involved in the disciplinary procedure.

The accusations that the Dean of Students will be judge, jury and executioner have been denied by the Dean of Students.

Dr Annie Grant, of the Dean of Students points to the history of "very strong association with accommodation",

planned initiatives such as swapping some reception staff between the Dean of Students

decisions are unfair"

office and Accommodation office allowing question s to be answered even if students are at the wrong office .

opportunity to revaluate".

TomSutton, UUEAS' Welfare Officer, said: "The Union has had a hugely constructive twoway relationship with areas

Jenny

Ballard's retirement is seen

by Or Grant as a "natural

particularly the Resident Tutor system and argues that "not a great deal will change"

A university statement has attempted to dispel the claims that there will no longer be an independent system available, "All students will continue to have the right

managed by RSD before thi s change. The Union is keen that this relationship, which has guaranteed that students' views and opinions are

except an improved service for students. She high lights

to an independent appeals procedu re if they believe that

represented, is maintained and deve loped."

FREE ENTRY All NIGHT

8 NEWS

concrete.news@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 6th OCTOBER 2009

"Rosa sat so Martin could walk, Martin walked so Obama could run , Obama ran so our children can fly."

Jordan Jackson This year we wi ll be celebrating the 83rd Black History Month {BHM) since 1926. Since then, a lot has changed and indeed improved for black people and contributed to the racial acceptance in today's society.

Things are much easier for black people and other minority groups now, being in the multi-cultural society we are in now. However th1s progression was by no means instantaneous, and took a lot of hardship, sacrifice and good faith to get us he re.

Figures like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X who through hard work and struggle both contributed to the end of racial segregation shouldn't be taken lightly. Without fail, these figu res appea r every BHM and alt hough t here are many new important faces we can now

celebrate and many new things that have occurred since then (Obama becoming America's president is proof enough) it is still important to know where we have come from and look to the future knowing that all is possible. If black people can go from slaves, with no rights and no freedom, to one of their number becoming of the most influentia l people in the world, that is something to be proud of.

As we celebrate, we as black people have a lot to be proud of because of how far we have come, but people from all cul tures and wa lks of life shou ld find anniversaries such as BHM something to embrace. These ce lebration s such as BHM have made society more racially aware, and have brought t he injustices of past times to the forefront once more. The condoning of any type of segregation

according to a person's race (or gender, or sexuality, etc.) are no longer socially acceptable.

Of course these problems have by no means been completely eliminated. However, for the black community, the last 50 years have marked a complete turning point in the treatment of black people. We were once forbidden to vote, but when the 15th Amendment was passed in 1870 we had the 路 opportunity to let our voices be heard, and this marks another building block in the progression in reaching the end of racial segregation and equality of man. lt is with this progression that it is all the more important that we should reflect on the past. We must take advantage of the fact that our voices can now be heard today so that we can speak on behalf of and in remembrance of our ancestors whose voices were once silenced.

When we think of BHM, we should acknowledge the great figures of the past, but to also look at the society we are living in now, and use that as a motivation for the future. lt is about celebrating the new added freedom that we as black people have received over the years. But we don't want to distance ourselves from other racial groups.

Instead we should teach each other so that we can learn about each other's culture and embrace it. At the UEA there are students from all over the world, and there are many ways of immers ing yourself in different cultures, and so developing an understanding of traditions and cultures from all over. Throughout October, to further embrace this diversity, there will be events going on throughout campus organised by the African Caribbean Society, by the University, and

in Norwic h to ce lebrate BHM. Try and get involved and help

us ce lebrate together.

Black history month what did it mea n, what does it mean? 路 Rachel Joseph What did it mean when we were all united as one when t he tone of our skin co lour didn't matter; the richness of our skin was valued and called beautiful.

the

What did it mean when West came over and

robbed us of our homes, our strength, and our worth?

What did it mean when the envious and the greedy turned against their own people, their own colour, and their own family?

What did it mean when t he same richness of the black race became known as powerless, worthless and inferior?

The black race which has been labelled with a stigma that controls who we are, wh at we are and how we ca n never amou nt to anyth ing hides the facts of who we w ere, w here we came from

and how good we can be.

The realism is that as a minority we stand still but as a majority we are strong, too strong in fact. Just as in those days when the minority became afraid of their weakness they dum bed down, beat down and brainwashed a perfectly working race.

So what does it mean that we are now looked down upon? What does it mean that all our strong black men are locked away for turning against one another when the real enemy isn't their fellow citizen, but themselves?

What does it mean t hat the maj o ri ty now accept w hat has been put upon us and leads a life of shame and guilt because that is the path we were forced upon.

What does it mean when somebody says "t hat is the past let 's just forget and move o n w ith th e fut ure".

Wh at does it mean w hen we are put down f rom jo bs,

from education, career prospects, cast down and away because of our colour?

The truth is a piece of paper doesn't change peop le preconceptions, prejudices and behaviour. A piece of legislation doesn't give us hope and a future to rely upon for change. A set of rules do not change what we as a race still have to face day by day whether subtle or aggressive.

Black history month is a time for reflection, a time for belief, a time to embrace the true outer and inner beauty of our skin.

A time to overcome t he way we are shadowed out and make more of ourselves whilst never forgetting what struggle our ancestors came through to make us the people we are today, the people we ca n became.

INTERNATIONAL 9

concrete.lnternatlonal@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 6th OCTOBER 2009

Culture shocks This world is diverse. We all came to this country with totally different social, cultural, religious and political backgrounds, which may clash with British routines.

This issue, we invite three international students to talk about their experiences of cultural shocks, some of which you may also share.

British Gentility

American-English to British-English

"The British generally have a great sense of

"I'm incredibly tired, but I'm from America, and I should understand English no maHer how

social responsibility, which I have named 'the

exhausted I am"

modern spirit of the gentleman"'

Julia Sherman (USA)

Qj Wang (China) .

"You alright? Is this your first year at uni? What course are you doing?" of my English One flatmates is speaking to me.

She is speaking English, but I have no I idea what she is talking about. What is "uni?"

The biggest impression I've got in Britain is, as a stranger or foreigner, you can easily get help even if you haven't asked for it.

The British generally have a great sense of social responsibility, which I have named "the modern spirit of gentleman". This is manifested in many forms which are sometimes a bit difficult to understand. We'll surely have all experienced this, through actions like holding doors for others, which you may not realise.

When I went to Sheffield for a university conference, I was totally lost although I

had a map on my hand . I was struggling until a lady stopped and asked whether I needed help or not. She showed me the right direction and even wrote everything down on the map.

The other story happened on my way home after a crazy shopping from Morrison's.

There were too many bags to carry by myself. Thankfully, a quick lift was provided by a passing student.

This experience plu路s many similar stories indicated a general attitude towards strangers which is quite different from what people believe in China, especially in urban areas, nowadays.

Meet your International Officer Rubina Kalra International Students Officer 09-10 Union of UEA Students

involved with the Union and other general issues that may be of your interest. Recently, a program called "Go Out and Talk" has been implemented Hello! First ot" all, I would which involves student like to express my appreciation interaction with the executive towards the Concrete team officers of the Union. You may for adding an International find me in a blue hoodie asking section to its publications. A you to fill out a short survey big applause! I just want to . regarding several issues each introduce myself to all the week! More updates in the In upcoming issues! Feel free to international students. write to me: March og: I was elected as the International Students Officer of the Union of UEA Students by the student population.

The Union makes decisions regarding issues that may affect student life. Its aim is to represent the views of the students and therefore every UEA student is considered a member of the Union.

Through this segment of Concrete, I ~ill be updating you with ways you can get

and "cou rse?" Is she asking what classes I'm taking?

I know I just spent practically half a day traveling to Norwich and I'm incredibly tired, but I'm from America, and I should understand English no matter how exhausted I am.

Finally I get the general

idea of what she is asking, and pick up a few new words.

Then I realize what is so surprisingly different from home here in the UK is the language!

These small words remind me that there is so much more to the English language than I could have ever imagined.

New Vocabulary -Jumper: sweater.

-Trousers: pants.

- Blank: to ignore.

-Jacket potato: baked potato.

- Hob: burner on the stove.

Two months in the UK: language & lifestyle Dao Minh Trang (Vietnam) lt has been nearly two months since the day I arrived in Heathrow airport.

During sixteen hours on the plane I felt very homesick and imagined almost all the

difficulties I could possibly meet in England.

However, things were far different from what I had imagined. I do not feel homesick, English food is more delicious than what many people told me and a lot of students here are very

friendly.

But still, it felt difficult to make friends with English students, especially as I am the only Asian student in my class and the others are Europeans. Language is the greatest barrier which makes it difficult to understand

what other students say. In addition, different life styles between countries lead to misunderstanding. One obvious example - young people in my country rarely go out to bars or pubs to drink, but it is quite common for the youth here.

Meet your International Student Society!

Rubina Kalra The International Student Society (!SS) brings people together from different parts of the world, giving them opportunities to try new things and above all have a lot of FUN! (See photo, right). We hold all kinds of events such as parties, movie nights, sushi nights, salsa lessons and weekend trips including Amsterdam.

After the huge success of ISS' Ice Breaker Party at Indulge in week one, it hosted a free movie night in week two: East is East; a fantastic British comedy about an international

family growing up and learning to deal with the difficulties of combining different cultures to form one identity. lt starred Om Puri as a strict father struggling his rebellious to control children with hilarious but challenging consequences. lt was a great laugh. If you missed it, keep an eye out for our future events. I can't wait to learn how to make sushi in week three. Tickets have been selling out pretty quickly!

Look out for details about the African drumming session which is likely to take place in week four! For regular updates and queries, join our Facebook

group. There is something going on almost every week!

Remember, if you did not make the SocMart but want to become a member, just contact any of the committee members

at any of our events. Feel free to join at anytime of the year!

The society is for you, so make the most of it!

Do you want to write for us?

We are always looking for students to write for the Concrete International section. So, if you are interested in reporting news, cultural events, ideas of places that ought to be seen within the UK or wish to share any advice with our readers, feel free to email us at concrete.international@uea.ac.uk. Equally if you have any questions we can answer in this space, don't be shy, just drop us an email!

10 COMMENT AND OPINION

oonorete.oplnlon uea.ao.uk TUESDAY 6th OCTOBER 2009

Labour Party conference analysis After the Labour Party conference ended in a media flurry this week, Gareth Coventry gives us his views on whether the conference was a success or a failure. Check out the next issue of Concrete for a Conservative Party conference analysis.

The recent Labour Conference should mark as one of t he most importa nt in t he party's history, afte r a yea r whic h has seen the party take a sustained political beating and culminating in an opinion poll showing that support for t he party is in third place behind t he Li bera l Democ rat s. Its importance is due to motivate a party who seem resigned to the inevitability of defeat at the next election, which explains why thi s conference ha s adopted the sloga n 'O peratio n Fight back' as its mantra . Yet this slogan represents another silly and pointless presentational error which the party could do without, but seems intent on infl ictin g on itse lf; t he slogan is also an existing BNP slogan .

By and large the majority of the activities at a party conference are irrelevant to the majority of the electorate, with the exception of t he leade r's speech sin ce it provides th e opportunity for the leader to spell out their prioriti es for the forthcoming

year. The only problem is getting the bala nce ri ght between appea ling t o party activists and the wider electorate at the same time. In Gordon Brown's speech it did not feel like he had got the balance right and was focussing on making the party fee l better about itse lf rather than appeal ing to the

"The only p roblem is getting the balance right between appealing to party activists a nd th e w ider electorate " wider electorate.

The speech itself was essentially New Labour's Greatest Hits being as remixed and represented somethi ng new; t here were proposa ls to dea l with anti-social behaviour, improving care se rvices, curbing

bankers' bonuses and constitutional reform.

Give n t he recent debate over the current economic climate, there should be detail on how Labour intends to pay for these initiatives and it is stil l unclear which of the proposa ls outlined are comm itme nts and which ones are aspirations. However, the biggest surprise of the speech was th e lack of mention of Afghani stan, especially with the recent ca lls for the case for the conflict to be made stronger and clearer.

Overal l the speech was acceptable; it was Gordon Brown's best speech to date, although that is to damn it with faint praise. The speech will not end the questi ons over his leadership, but it is sufficie nt eno ugh at th e present ti me for him to lead Labour into the next election. If the aim of the conference was to motivate its activists to fight back then the conference has been pa rtia lly successfu l, bu t the prob lem is that there is a world of difference between the world of conference and

the 'real' world.

The conference is best li kely to be remembered fo r being t he moment when The Sun declared that Labour had lost its support. While The Sun perhaps overestimates its influence, this move is likely to be a bad blow for party mora le wi th many remembe ri ng the infamous headline 'it's The Sun Wot Won lt' about the 1992 general The Sun is election.

means it is mo re lead by its readers rather than the other way round; this is why it changed to Labo ur in 1997, when the w riting was on t he wall for the Conservatives. The biggest fear for Labour is that this could mark the poi nt of no return . lt seems that, regard less of wh at happe ns between now and the genera l election, all of Labour's initiatives will be essentially white noise.

Debate: Should Nick Griffin be allowed on Question Time? gainst Fact box Nick Griffin's participation in Question Time is a painful necessity, but a ne cess ity all th e sa me. Democracy does not draw arbitrary divisions between political parties, or invisible lines in the sa nd to ease the cares of delicate sensibilities . Mr Griffin 's views may be repu lsive, but a prohibitio n of the ir discuss ion will on ly blunt the impact of an otherwise powerful political forum and mire the BBC in accusations of partisan programming, hypocrisy and easy indifference to the process of our po litica l system.

The Corporation's po licy of 'due impartiality', written into its charter, ensures equal representation based on popular suppo rt. The BNP's recent ga in s in the European electi ons mean t hat it can no longer be ignored, and should be challenged on a broad range of iss ues in a sphere where empty answers and violent rhetoric fa ll on deaf ears. lt wou ld be too dan gerous to all ow t he BBC to judge for itself as to what kind of political commentary is appropriate for mature

debate; Griffin has to be al lowed to make an appearance, if only to avoid the Corporation slipping into reac tionary complacency.

There is, of course, mo re to con sider he re. Those stil l sce ptica l of the BBC's decision should think over the practical implications of BNP in volvement in Question Time. National exposure wil l rob the party of the outside r status on whic h it reli es so heavily, and will do litt le to appea l to its core support base, protest-voters who poll at a purely local level.

The heat of a hostile studio audience and t he opposition of experience d pa rl iamentarians w ill sure ly only revea l Mr Griffin 's own vertigi nous ineptitude, while engagement with the BNP will allow for an open discussion of the social problems they exp loit, clea ri ng th e way fo r more mature so lutions. The BBC's move has forced the Labour party away from its position of not sharing a stage with the BNP, an important step towards acknow ledg ing the threat t he pa rty poses and introducing measures to blunt its appeal.

The programme is due to be broadcast on BBCl on 22nd October.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw has said that he will face Griffin on the programme.

The Lib Dems have said that Chris Huhne, home affairs spokesman, will probably be their representative of choice.

Nick Griffin simply cannot be allowed to appear on Question Time. The stro ngest argum ent fo r Griffin 's appearance on t he BBC's popular po liti cal debating forum is that it is in the interest of democracy. lt is important to remember that the Nazis became the largest party in Weimar Germany's Reichstag thro ugh democratic elections. lt followed the collapse of the American Stock Exchange which saw unemployment in Germany rise drastical ly. If this sounds fami liar, it shou ld, because recentl y the Trade Un ion Commissio n has warned that unemployment levels in Britain are likely to reach four million .

Yes, I do admit that referencing t he Naz is is using an extreme example; however, we must be cautious. In 1998, Nick Griffin was convicted for inciting racial hatred after he distributed material that de nied the Holocaust. As a resu lt he is not all owed to stand as a UK Councillor - it is a pi t y that th is hasn't barred him from standing as an MEP as well.

Th e sca ry t hi ng is t hat Griffin is an intelligent and pragmatic man. Al though the BNP has steered clear of anti-Semitism in recent years, Griffin has been guilty of spouting th e fear mo nge ri ng (a nd sad ly mo re electable) lslamophobia . In an interview with Channel 4 e~rlier this year, he described Islam as a "cancer" that should be removed from Europe by "chemothe rapy".

The BBC claims that t hey have fo give the BNP "due impartiality".

I can see no logical reason for why it is right to give intolerance and hatred impartiality. Aren't we b~tter than t hat? By using t he same logic, Hit ler wou ld have been entitled the sa me impartiality. Isn 't there something wrong about that idea? There has to be a point where we say "no, enough is eno ugh". If un emp loyment rises in Britain an d if t here are mo re terrorist attacks it is cor1ceivable that someone from the BNP could become a Member of Parliament. This is a slippery slope that has to be avoided. Denying Nic k Griffi n a platform on t he BBC seems like a good start to me.

COMMENT· AND OPINION 11

concrete.oplnlonOuta.ac.uk TUESDAY 6th OCTOBER 2009

lnternships- are they really worth it?

With jobs being harder and harder to find, many graduates ore turning to internships. Lucy Moore looks at the inner world of life after university os on intern. · The internship, your golden ticket is no guarantee that the company to the gates ·o f the chocolate. factory. will offer you a job at the end of A fantastic way to get experience your placement. There is no real for your CV, see how your chosen guarantee that you will even be any industry works from the inside and more employable. In the current make valuable contacts that could financial climate wher:e there is an lead to the Holy Grail -a job. With an average of 48 graduates competing against each other for every place in the job market, anything you can do to set yourself apart cannot be ignored. Every graduate knows this, but do we really know what we're letting ourselves in for when we sign up for an internship? Are they really as good as they seem?

The reality is that whilst some companies will accept you as one of the team and allow you to really get involved, others will see you as a free and easy way to get their photocopying done and the toilets scrubbed. Far from contributing your brilliant ideas to the boss, you . even larger uptake for internships, will be grappling with a filing system they are effectively being rendered that has been neglected since before useless through their ubiquity. you were born. On top of this, there lnternships also penalise those

"Far from contributing your brilliant ideas to the boss, you will be grappling with a filing system that has been neglected since before you were born"

Fact box In a survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 46% of employers said they would pay larger salaries to new graduates with some sort of internship experience.

from low income families. Legally, companies are expected to offer compensation for your time but many exploit grey areas in the law to offer measly expenses or, more often than not, nothing at all. The majority of internships are based in major cities, which can mean a fairly hefty travelling distance for interns, sometimes for up to a year. it is an extremely wealthy graduate who can afford to support themselves for this length of time without any sort of income or without exhausting themselves with a second job. After leaving university with a mountain of debt, adding to that means that g~duates will be paying off the combined sum for many years to come.

Even getting a foot in the door will prove difficult for families who lack the connections of the privileged.

Whilst the well-heeled can stroll into the offices of 'Daddy's law firm', those who are out of the loop can find it almost impossible to make

the initial step into a company, even as an intern. Many industries such as j o urn~lism are very much rooted in who you know rather than what you know, making the process of even gaining an internship an uphill struggle.

Many people find that an internship is necessary to break into their chosen career. For their sake it is time that the culture surrounding internships is re-evaluated.

Students are, despite the excessive drinking, generally a dedicated and dynamic bunch but we are not being allowed to show this. We are young, enthusiastic and willing to work hard. This enthusiasm should translate into benefits for both employers and us, as employees, but it is being exploited. For, as long as those undertaking internships are seen · as second rate by those employing them, they will continue to penalise people desperate to get a rung on the job ladder.

•• •

University it's not for girls The apparently sexist comments of the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham provoked outrage this week. Harriet Stephens offers ·her views on the implications of his commentsfor society os a whole.

Last week the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham, Terence Kealey, published an article in the Times Higher Education explicating that female students at university

"lt highlights the gender hierarchies within what is supposed to be a place of enlightened thinking" are a "perk of the job" and that their bodies should be "enjoyed".

His comments and his position of responsibility in the University of Buckingham point to something far more disturbing than just one sexist academic; it highlights the gender hierarchies within what is supposed to be a place of enlightened thinking.

Academic institutions, in my opinion, are not only a mirror of the structures of society but should - as places aimed at intellectual advancement - be forerunners in cultural change. What does it say about the state of women in society if a Vic·e-Chancellor, commenting about female students in the year with the biggest ever intake of undergraduates,- in fact appears to dismiss the intellect of women in

favour of highlighting their sexual potency?

He. goes beyond just highlighting how the "curves" of female students can arouse lecturers; when he wrote a defence for his original article he explained that "the fault lies with the females". And this is what his comments were really getting at - a common, but seriously defective, belief. .A belief that if a woman happens to arouse a man, despite being passive, it is her fault not his. After all, Kealey couldn't help but be aroused by his femal e undergraduates; it's their fault for being attractive. lt is not their fault he was "enjoying" their bodies rather than teaching them sincerely.

This blame culture . seems to be indelibly fixed within society and flares up in the face of certain

attracting the man in the first place.

I am still disturbed by the Amnesty International report published in 2005 which reported that 26% of the British public thoug~t that women who dressed 'provocatively' were at least partially or totally responsible if they were raped.

Another serious point' is that it is also a comment on the structure of academic institutions in Britain.

His comments assert universities' largely patriarchal structure; of all women's issues, none more potent academics in UK institutions, an t han when the issue of women and· average of just 8% are women. And sex is rai sed. Why do women dress how can this change if, as Terence up if not to attract men 7 Therefore Kealey believes, their lecturers if a woman is raped while wearing "should admire [them) daily to spice nice clothes, it's ~ l ways her fault for up... sex"?

"This blame culture seems to be indelibly fixed within society''

IF YOU HAVE A COMMENT OR OPINION THAT YOU WANT TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST ON ANY ISSUE, THEN THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU. PLEASE CONTACT CONCRETE.OPINIONS@UEA.AC.UK AND WE'LL GET YOUR VOICE HEARD! " I'm so full of bubbles. I need winding". Grace Simpson, LIT 3

I 12 FEATURES

concrete,featur...,ta.ac,uk TUESDAY 6th OCTOBER 2009

ea ation •

f mo s fo

Acclaimed Hollywood director Roman Polanski was the victim of a surprise arrest at an airport in

Zuri~h

after ne·arly three decades of eluding capture for child rape allegations. Now, with

a full-blown celebrity trial imminment, David Biggins explore$ the question of his guilt.

It's 2003 and the Oscar for best director is about to ·be announced.

The orchestra pipes up with John Williams' familiar Raiders March as a shaggy looking Harrison Ford takes to the stage. Instantly, it becomes clear who's going to win. Out of all of nominations - Pedro Almadovar, phen Daldry, Rob Marshal!,

a tense thriller 1988 that sees frenziedly r the streets

Polanski is announced as the winner, the

.delight spreading . across the faces of Hollywood's finest.

Of course, the now infamous Polanski is nowhere to be seen.

Had Roman Polanski set foot America those few years ago, he have been arrested and put trial for six charges relating to an ident in 1977 when he had had sexual intercourse with 13 year old Samantha Gailey i was 44 at the time).

got extradition treaties the United States. At this you can't be blamed for a double-take. Standing ? Wolf whistles? This

to a seedy offence with P.olanski's Oscar win seem the more unfathomable. looking into case itself offers no

.

.

flattered the· young girl, Gailey (now Geimer), with promises of fame before whisking her away to a photoshoot at Jack Nicholson's LA home (Nicholson was absent at the time) before plying her with champagne, drugging her and then sodomising her. · Polanski was arrested at the time and pleaded gui ty to the charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with an underage girl. As a result he was sentenced.to·42 days of evaluation and was released 'at the end of it. His lawyers had managed to agree with the judge (who has since died) that this would be his full sentence. However, when the judge reneged upon this agreement, Polanski fled from America to France (despite his Polish heritage, he was born in Paris and holds French citizenship), fearing imprisonment. Polanski's lawyers have since tried to get the case dismissed.

Although Superior Court Judge· Peter Espinoza concedes that there is evidence to suggest misconduct on the part of the previous judge, he refused to quash the case while the accused was still a fLgitive from the law.

Perhaps surprisingly, the Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby director's shocking misdemeanour didn't impede his career. Since his flight from America to France in ·1978, he has lived a virtually scot-free existence, making on average one film every four years and utilizing a wealth of Hollywood talent from Johnny Depp to Waiter Matthau.

Aside from an awful turn playing a French detective with · a penchant for cavity searches in Rf!sh Hour 3, Roman Polanski's artistic credentials have been equally unimpeded and, truthfully, impeccable. Collectively, his films have been nominated for 28 Oscars, and of those 28 they have won eight (including best director for The Pianist} .

Last montr, Polanski was travelling to Switzerland to collect a lifetime achievement award at the Zurich Film Festival when the unthinkable happened. He was detained and threatened with extradition.

The development was so stunning because the American government has previously made no powerful effort

to acquire Polanski. For example, this wasn't the first time that he'd visited Switzerland during his exile. The current explanation is that he has simply been unlucky as the Zurich Film Festival's announcement of their intention to honour him gave prosecutors in LA. ample time to contact the Swiss authorities with an extradition request.

Regardless, the arrest has generated an explosive reaction from Hollywood with major players almost falling over each other to defend Polanski. An industry petitio'n has gathered signatures from the likes of Woody Alien, / Stephen Frears, Pedro Almodovar, Monica Bellucci, Woopi Goldberg, David Lynch,

Perhaps surprisingly, the Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby director's shocking misdemeanour didn 't impede his career.

Martin Scorcese and literally dozens of other big name supporters. Harvey Weinstein, producer of Lordof the Rings, Sin City and Pulp Fiction, is determined to bring what he calls a "miscarriage of justice" to the Gov.ernator himself,.

Arnold Schwarzenegger. lt is not only Hollywood that's outraged.

Both the Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorki and French Culture minister Frederic Mitterrand have written to the U.S. Secre~ary of State, Hillary Clinton, to express their dismay over the situation. Mitterrand has even suggested that French President Sarkozy has been following the drama "with great attention"..

If you are still scratching your

heads in confusion then don't worry, it's perfectly understandable. This man was not only a fugitive; he was a fugitive from a rape charge. Why wasn't he shunn_ed? Hunted? Why has his work been celebrated with Cesars, Palme d'Ors, Oscars? In Polanski's defence, he maintains that the sex .was consensual and Samantha Geimer has previously asked for the charges to be dropped. There has also always been a strong well of symp·athy for the French/ Polish director. As a Polish Jew, Polanski lived through unimaginable hardship as a child. His mother ·was gassed at Auschwitz whilst pregnant, he was separated from his father who was sent to suffer years in a concentration camp and Polanski himsel f spent much ot the war sleeping in a barn, terrified of being discovered by the German army.

Polanski spent his adolescence in a war ravaged Poland, before he managed to scrape together enough money to attend film school. Years later in 1969, after Polanski had achieved success in Hollywood, his wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered by the Manson ·Family along with two close friends of his. Tate had been eight months pregnant with Polanski's child at the time.

The tantalising thing about Pol~mski is that just when you think the story could not be more dramatic, the plot thickens. He was never known for being monogamous and, pr ior to the murder of his wife, had been committing adultery with Michelle Phillips of Mamas and Papas fame.

So there you have it. Nazis, alleged rape, sodomy, murder, adultery...

Roman Polanski's life story could be a film in itself. The latest reports suggest that he's going be detained in Switzerland for several weeks as his lawyers tight the extradition. With the potential of a full blown celebrity trial in LA and with the adaptation of author Robert Harris' political thriller, The Ghost, now in limbo (the film, starring Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan, has finished shooting but-post production work is not yet complete) this is a story that's going to be making headlines for a long while yet to come.

FEATURES 13

concrefe,ftatu......,_,ac,uk TUESDAY 6th OCTOBER 2009

Roman's famous filmic credits The Pianist

Tess

Rosemary's Baby

Chinatown

Arguably one of the best · Holocaust films of all time, this 2002 film was an adaptation of the autobiography of the same name by Jewish-Polish musician Wladyslaw Szpilman.

The film was acclaimed internationally, winning the Palme d'Or, seven Cesars (Polanski won Best Director) and three Academy Awards, another of which was Best Director. In total, the film won 45 various awards.

This 1979 film was an adaption of Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, showing Tess' . tragic descent into carrying an illegitimate child, on to her eventual execution. lt won three Academy Awards (Polanski was nominated for Best Director}, two Golden Globes (again Polanski was nomlnated for Best Director} and three Cesar· awards for which Polanski won Best Director.

This 1968 horror film was written and directed by Roman Polanksi, based on a novel of the same name by lra Levin.

The story follows Rosemary's suspicion of her neighbours' intentions for her unborn son. She eventually comes to realise that the'/ are witches and she has given birth to the spawn of Satan. The film is continually credited in film history as one of best films of all time. The fi lm won two Acadmey Awards and four Golden Globes.

Made in 1974, this film was eventually The film about a dealer of rare books and categorised as a neo-film noir and was . the entrance to hell is arguably Polanski's the film in which Polanski befriended 'dud' mainstream film. Despite starring starring actor Jack Nicholson. In 1991, Johnny Depp, The Ninth Gote failed to Chinatown was selected for preservation achieve widespread acclaim and won in the US National Film Registry because only one award, at the European Film it was deemed to be "culturally, Awards, for Outstanding European historically, or aesthetically significant." Achievement in World Cinema. When The film won an Academy Award for talking about why he chose the genre, Best Original Screenplay and Polanski Polanski said "Fantasy is always going to won Best Director at the Golden Globes be successful. it keeps people's minds along with three other awards. out of an often painful reality."

The Ninth Gate

The Industry's response to Roman "I can only think this is the result of some district "(Supporting Polanksi] sends a message that the attorney in Los Angeles wanting to make a name · rich and powerful can get away with crimes that no for themselves. it's vindictive and mean. And it's one else can get away wit~ ." just another dreadful thing to go through after Katie Buckland, Executive Director ofthe California so many terrible things he has h!=!d to endure." Women's law Center.

Ronald Harwood, screenwriter of The Pianist.

"I have a lot of affection for him, he i_s a man that "I know it wasn't rape-rape. I think it was 1 like very much but nobody should be above the something else, but I don't believe it was rape- law. I don't know the details of this case, but I think that when you don't show up for trial, you are rape." taking a risk."

Whoopi Goldberg, actress. luc Besson, French director.

"I profoundly regret that a new ordeal is being inflicted on someone who has already known so "You rape someone -- you go to jail. If you rape someone, and then flee the country, you get even many during his life". more jail time. Time to pay. it's that simple."

Frederic Mitterand, Culture Minster of France.

One blogger on the website of Psychology Maga.

"This is a three-decades-old case that is dead but for minor technicalities. We stand by him and "If Vanessa George, the nursery school paedophile convicted last week, were ·somehow to escape .await his release and his next masterpiece." from justice here and stay safely in some other Debra Winger, actress. country for 30 or so years and turn during that "We will have to speak to our leaders, particularly time into a celebrated writer or film maker, lionised in California. I'm not too shy to go and talk to the internationally for her talent and charm, I wonder Governor of Cal!fornia, Arnold Schwarzenegger, wha1 her glittering friends would say then, in 2040, and to ask him once and for all to look at thi-s." . abot-t her terrible crimes of today."

Harvey Weinstein, movie mogul.

Minette Marrin, journalist.

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14 FEATURES

concrttt.ttatureduta.ac.uk TUESDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER 2009·

Last week, The Sun announced that they were not going to support the Labour Party in the next election.

Should we care? Deputy Editor AI ice Violett explores the relationship between print media and politics.

Last week, The Sun sensationally switched its political allegiance from Labour to the Conservatives. The move has prompted many commentators to conclude that this signals the end of the road for Labour; after all, The Sun is the most popular newspaper in Britain and it claims a hand in determining the outcome of the 1992 election. But will The Sun's move really change anyone's mind? Should the media be allowed to influence voters to this extent?

Everyone knows the stereotypes; rightwing "ban this sick filth" Daily Mail readers; left-wing, bleeding-heart Guardian readers; for most papers, a political leaning is inevitable, even expected. lt could be argued that people choose newspapers that reflect their political preferences rather than let the newspaper lead them. Yet it was already difficult to determine where the Sun fitted in with this; the paper has,

after all, been. publishing 'Broken Brit ain' -type stories for quite a while now. Were the 3.13m people who buy The Sun all planning to vote Labour until Wednesday 30 September 2009? lt seems unlikely. How many of them only buy it for Page 3, because it's a light read or because it's cheap? Additionally, it seems patronising to suggest everyone will do as the Sun tells them; people can think for themselves and can see through biased reporting, especially when an issue as big as an election is at stake. The disadvantage of The Sun's grandiose claims regarding the 1992 election is that it cannot be known exactly what changed voters' minds. · A necessary aspect of democracy is that it can't and shouldn't be know.n who voted for whom, let alone for what reasons.

However, if The Sun is going to heavily gear a substantial amount of its reporting in favour of the Tories and it truly it that influential, -it is

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worth examining why the Tories have become so appealing to the paper. Would a Tory government have the same advantages for a Fleet Street reporter as it would Mr. Average? If David Cameron's courting of those in charge of

'' People read newspapers hoping for at least some grounding in reality" the paper influenced this decision in any way, the message would appear to be "vote Torythey're our mates!" it's debateable whether that's sensible voting advice, and .probably more reminiscent of an election leaflet than a newspaper.. Whilst a newspaper industry that aimed to be as impartial as humanly possible would be unrecognisable, it is possible to skew a story so much that it's almost a complete lie.

What's to stop The Sun misleading its readers in its newfound enthusiasm for the Tories?

Announcing its new allegiance so emphatically could backfire if, suddenly, every report in The Sun about Cameron's party is glowingly positive; in addition, most other papers don't make a point of announcing who they are in · favour of. People read newspapers hoping for at least some grounding in reality.

Maybe people confident in who they are going to vote for shouldn't be swayed by the. media .anyway, but those who are less sure may use newspapers as a guide. Someone who picks up a discarded Sun on the train· and reads something great about the Tories and something terrible about Labour could make their decision based on sensational reports without knowing of the personal benefits and drawbacks of voting for either party. People

vote for particular parties for a varii:!ty of wise and not-so-wise reasons; do they really need newspapers obscuring the matter even further with heavily biased reporting? Gordon Brown's reaction to The Sun's announcement was that people, not the media, decide how an election will turn out; the flaw being that some people need more help deciding than others.

Of course, this could all be irrelevant due to the growth of the internet . Gloomy predictions abound that, in a few years' time, the daily newspaper will have been wiped out as more and more people get their news online; the Telegraph has particularly suffered as a result of the economic downturn and . the abandonment of traditional print media.

Some people may stick to the websites of their favourite titles, but other people might Google a particular story with little regard for a reliable site's political leaning, or obtain information from a nu'mber of sources. Many go straight to the BBC, which is required to be impartial.

Despite the fuss, it may not even matter that The Sun has swapped sides when circulation for all newspapers is down and most people are wise to the tricks newspapers use to portray individuals and parties in a certain way. lt is also easier to use the intern et to find out about political parties for oneself than in days gone by. Whilst there are worries about .The Sun's influence, its influence, as well as that of other newspapers, could in fact be on the wane.

LETTERS AND EDITORIAL 15

oonorete.tdlto uta.ao.uk TUESDAY 6th OCTOBER 2009

EDITORIAL

NON-EDITORIAL

CONCRETE PO BOX 410, NORWICH, NORFOLK

OTO RAPH concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Hannah Livingston

concrete.editorial@uea.ac.uk Alice Violett

concrete. t ravel@uea .ac.uk Rachel Conquer

Greg Mann

Tom Hunt. Carrie-Anne Elsden. Gemma Henzley

Andrew Westcott. Koty Staines. Simon Partridge. Laura Smith

Martin Lippiatt concrete.editorial@uea.ac .uk Denise Bartlett

cone rete. focsoc@uea .ac. uk Alice Violett

N George Bennett

Seth Vitalis. Claire Collis James Marlow. Rachel Bywater. Sarah Cox. Frances Taylor. Rachel Finlay.

Stephanie Artley, Mya Wecker. Ella Fairhurst

concrete.news@uea .ac .uk Nicolas Church

concrete.food09@gmail .com Edward Leftwich

Something you want to write about? ~ Co111e to tfie (i..>nu·d e office uprllaiJ <I in Union /(o/IM'.

concrete .lifestyle@uea. ac. u k Samantha Lewis Felicity Darling, Jessica Ball. Kristina Stephens. Bruce Sigrist

concrete .international@uea .ac .uk Qingning Wang & Filipa Mendes

concrete .turf@uea.ac .uk Rebecca Wiles

Julia Sherman, Dao Minh Trang, Rubina Kalra

Sonja Klingberg. Fran Rogers

Gareth Coventry, Duncan Nichols, David Biggins. Lucy Moore. Harriet Stephens

Concrete is published by UUEAS Concrete Society © 2009 Concrete . ISSN 1351-2773 Letters should be addressed for the attention of the Editor, Hannah Livingston . Letters must include contact details, but we will consider anonymous publication . We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity as necessary. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Publisher or Ed itor.

Use of the name The Event is by arrangement with the copyright holders, Planet Zog Ltd .

No part of th is newspaper may be reproduced through any means without the express perm ission of the Editor, Hannah Livingston . Printed by Archant.

Samantha Minny, Daniella Hadley.

Hayley HurreiL Sara Barnard. Sarah Cox

Ion Savage. Sarah Cox. Gareth Coventry. David Churchill, Joey Millar.

Richard Joslin, Lucy Moore. Katy Staines. Danny Keillor. Chris King, Tasha Percy, Jordan Jackson. Rachel Joseph

concrete .opinion@uea .ac .uk Davina Kesby

NR4 7TJ 01603 593466

- D11ail a ,1edion NOli 're interctlted in tl'n.liJJ.qjor. ~ Dnai/ f (i lnnafl a/ cono ·etc.cditor@uca .ac uk.

•

concrete .sport@uea.ac.uk Danny Collins Ion Hobbs. Jessica O ' Sullivan. Harriet Denvir. Ross Grant. Robert Schatten.

Sam Johnson

concrete .features@uea.ac.uk .

Melissa York Harriet Stephens. David Biggins. Alice Violett

Fresher Duck pimps his vocab using one of th is week's competition prizes

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16 TRAVEL

concrete.trovel@uea.oc. k TUESDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER 2009

The wonders of Poland After visiting 20 I

countries and 27 cities

Megabus or mega fail?

Carrie-Anne Elsden

on an lnterRail Trip

many others had learnt of Mega bus' low, low prices as prac ti ca lly no sea t was wit hout an occu pant. I spotted a

across Europe, Tom Hunt

As an unemployed stud ent w ithout a ca r, fin ding chea p and reliable

space at th e far bac k, and my jou rn ey bega n.

reflects on Krakow in

transport poses a difficult challenge.

The firs t th ing I noted, aft er th e

Poland, one of the many

Despite grow ing enco urage ment from our govern ment to use 'greener'

cho ru s of screa ming chil dren, was th e su rpr ising lack o f leg roo m (a nd

countries that stood out to him while on the trip of a lifetime.

modes of transport, ave rage train

I am quite short). Unfortun at ely, my

ticke t prices are growing st eadi ly out of my meagre budget. Howeve r,

trip coi ncided with th e hottest day of th e summ er, so th e tiny fan locat ed

out o f th is increasi ngly infuriati ng situ ati on appea rs a possi ble savi our to suc h money-stret ching pro blems:

above my seat provid ed littl e reli ef from th e stuffy environ ment of th e coac h. But even more unfo rtu nat e for

M ega bu s.

Prov id ing th at you' re travelling

me was that my sea t was positi oned immedi at ely opposite th e to il et, and the t oi let door was bro ken. Being fa mili ar with th e cond ition s of co ach

Thi s summe r I emba rke d on a trip

clock tower and spi ed on th e peo ple

tryin g to avoid our creepy room-

inter-ci ty, and between places t hat

across Europe, taking in 20 countr ies and 27 cities in 30 days from Be lgium

below wi t h t eles cop es, stro ll ed down the Cloth M arket with out

mates in th e old Jew is h qua rt er of th e city. On e of them was ju st like

th e servi ce ope rates, M ega bu s could

to th e edge of Asia and back again,

th e intention of buying any cloth,

Mi chael Jac kson - in fact I'd alm os t

all on th e Euro pean ra il network.

explored the insid e of a giant hea d, and made our eye s so re by gazing at th e stunningly col ourful interio r

go so far as t o say t hat Mic hae l is ali ve and we ll and living in a hos t el in Krako w. An Au strali an room mat e

of Kra kow Cat hedral, whe re not an in ch of space is left undecorated. We app laud ed t radit io nal Pol ish breakdancing over a drink, examined

was ove r-eager to show us eve ry singl e item of hi s di sgu st ing an t iq ues co ll ect ion, bought at a rip-o ff pri ce .

On e of the many place s tha t stood out mos t wa s Krakow in Pol and , whic h we reac hed by night tra in .

We strug gled to sleep in a rattling ca rriage w ith no-one else but an old Poli sh gu ard who couldn ' t speak English and didn ' t kn ow what a

the be nefits of Po li sh bagels and

We patiently sat throu gh it all be fo re we were allowed to go t o slee p.

we ll save you a fair sum of cas h. W ith the majority of llC kets costing well un der ÂŁ20, and many for even less, it 's easy to see t he ap pea l of such a

entire journ ey, but th e stench emitted whe neve r th e doo r swung off its ca tch (w hich was more th an freq uently) was

se rv ice. But having been a customer, I propose th at so me users may face an

enough to ward most away.

Admittedly, I can o nly provide

add iti onal and non-fi nancia l cost.

My journ ey: Exeter to London.

detai ls of my own expe ri ence, and the even ts of my M egabus journey could

The coach arrived on time, a good sta rt . Having show n t he driver our

M ars Bar was. Trund ling through the

Th e nex t day, qu it e a di fferent

printed-o ut ticket s, I and th e oth er

night, we arr ived at Krakow Glown y

mood preva il ed as it w as t im e

Exeter passe nger scram bled aboa rd to fi nd, quite literally, a scene o f chaos: luggage, litter and children sprawled out along the alrea dy claustrophobic wa lk-way bet wee n seats. Obviously

station in south western Poland , ea rl y the nex t morn ing at 6a m .

Krakow, best known fo r the film Schin dler's List and it s prox imi ty t o

th e Auschwitz co nce nt ra t ion cam p, is a definite m ust on any tour of Europ e, as it has a unique vibrancy of life to offe r. Unde r bright blu e summ er skie s we traip sed Wawel Ca stle, resp lend ent in its grande ur as th e seat of th e Po lis h kings. Posing for a photo w it h local cel ebrity Pope John Paul ll, we entered t he sa nct ity of th e sil ent cathedra l, touring the holy site from top to bo ttom : t he bea utifully decora t ed altar, the co ol crypt deep be nea th fu ll of t om bs o f Poli sh royalty and the creaky wooden bell tow er caree nin g into t he sky above . We climbed the ladders up a vert ical maze to the ve ry top -

''lt was a chilling place and strange to see that it actually existed and wasn 't just a horror set." dumplings in great det ail , accepted in good tas te the over-ze alou sness of a drunken man 's devoti on t o th e

t o go to Au sc hw it z/B irkenau and contemplate humanity as we w alked through th e pri son , gas chamb ers and con centration ca mp th ere and stood on th e railway tr acks on whi ch every doo med perso n was ca rr ied to their end. it w as a chillin g pl ace and strange to see th at it ac tu ally exist ed and wa sn' t j ust a hor ro r film

toi lets I avoid ed th e use of it for th e

well bP purely circumstan ti al and not t he same for every passenger. For a ÂŁ12 ticket I was hardly expecting luxu ry, but feel Megabus co uld imp rove their se rvice. However, if you are looki ng for chea p, non-lu xurious trave l, th is cou ld be for you.

Travel London!

Soho

is

always

bu sy,

always

se t. Th ere were many di stressing elem ents which I could go into but

Gemma Henzley

would prefer no t t o div ul ge here .

W hat makes Lond on such an exciting city? In my op inion it's th e peo pl e that

from Soho's centre, is such a surpri se.

su rroun d yo u, and their undenia ble

This pub acts as an alternative to

oddn ess, tha t makes th e ci ty wh at it is; it's t he humanity of th e place that makes it so special. Thi s co uld ma ke

Ca md en for Lond on's met al fans,

Suffic e to sa y that everyo ne should go t o wh o lly app rec iate wha t happ ened there and co m prehen d what peo pl e are still tryin g to ge t over. On thi s rath er drab no t e, our tim e in Pola nd reac hed its co nclusion.

a t ri p to Highga te Ceme tery soun d parti cularly irrelevant, but stay with me. Hig hga te Cemetery is a rath er typical nineteenth -cent ury burial

overprice d, and always va gu ely di sa ppointing. Which is why Th e Intrepid Fox, ju st a fi ve minute walk

and has a much wa rm er atmo sph ere th an other loca l bars. Be assured, yo u do n' t have to be a metal fan to ent er; fellow custome rs and sta ff are all very fri endly, and inten t on making

Virgin Mary he wan t ed us to ki ss, loo ked on bemu sed as a man sa t arguing and wi ldly ges ti cul at ing at

groun d; all elabo rate ly ost entati ous grave stones, which are act ua lly qu ite

thin air fo r a good hal f hour, and

fasci nating and espec ially grea t if yo u

th ere w e desce nd ed in t o th e city, a place full of life. There seemed to be

tri ed to wo rk out wh y t wo pin t s o f bee r were w alking continu ously

are interest ed 111 Gothic ism. However, wh at is rea lly cool abo ut Highga te

chi ldre n sprea d ac ro ss all th e stree t s, eac h pl ay ing an accordion, co ll ecting bowl s of Poli sh zlotter by their sides .

In th e grand squ are, th e largest in Europe, we sa w Mich ae l Jac kso n perfo rm (though t here wer e str i ng ~ at ta ch ed and it w as all a bit wood en). We craw led up the

aro und th e Squ are. We at e mass ive ca ndy f loss, had ph oto s t aken with the bizarrely di sgruntl ed Sub way crocodile and loo ked on as a bunch of over-prote ct ed and nervo us po lice took an age t o remove an angry wa sps' nest from a res t aurant um bre ll a. All the w hile we w ere

Cemetery is that it has 1ts very own vampire! Th e Hig hgate Vam pire was first sighted in 1963, and in 1970 th ere was a mass break- in one night

activi ty, an d stalls range fro m vin tage

t o try to st ake the beast. Surprisingly, th e mob fai led, so hea d down there at du sk and you may j ust ca tch a gli mpse

cloth ing, to bone-c hin a teac ups, t o t he best brownies in town.

Wh en's th e nex t train to Lo nd on?!

t he ho me of th e bi ggest bell in all o f Po land . W hen tolled its chim e ca n be hea rd 18 mil es away ! From

sure everyo ne has fun , w ith t heir own brand of Lond on charm.

Speaki ng of Camden, it is very easy to fo rget all the oth er markets tha t Londo n has to offer, w hen Camden is so reve red. But a sho rt trip so uth of the river, to Greenw ich, takes you to one of the most varied market s in Londo n. Greenwich M arket is a hive of

o f the drea ded neck-biter for yourse lf.

~

I

FOCSOC 17

concrete.editorial@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 6th OCTOBER 2009

Let's Get Political Seth Vitalis UEA's Politics Society is back with a brand-spanking new committee, plenty of enthusiasm and some fresh id eas too . We' re ba sically a society for all those who have an interest in politics, but not necessarily any alignment with a particular party or ideology. ¡ So far this year, we've met up twice, once for an informal meet and greet and the second time for a discussion about current affairs and general politics. We found the discussion pretty light hearted and a lot of fun, as we discussed a huge range of topics - from The Sun's change of support to the Conservative Party to whether or

not compulsory voting is a good way to increase voter turnouts We've got some really cool ideas for the society this year, one of them being a trip to the Houses of Parliament down in

London , alongside a plethora of social s, film trips and interesting speakers . Depending on the success of the Parliament trip, we' re also looking into a trip to the European Parliament in Brussels, which would

be interesting and informative .

I hope that gives you some idea of who we are and what we' re like as a society. If this sounds like your thing, feel free to get in touch via our email address : ueapolitics@

googlemail. com or search for ' UEA Politics Society' on Facebook . Hope to see you all there sometime !

Warning: Assassins operating in this area

Some weapons used by Assassins...

-Water pistols - NERF weapons - Pla stic cutlery - Red food dye - Strongly-flavoured sauces -Rubber bands -Tennis balls - Poster Tubes -Confetti

When can Assassins and Politicians be mentioned together positively?

When speaking of rejuvenated societies at UEA, of course!

Clalre Collls Assassins is returning to the UEA this year, with more sparks, singing birthday cards, (and possibly Exec) than ever before!

The game, also commonly known as 'killer' has many variants and is played at universiti es and cities world -wide, with the aim of the game being to eliminate other players from the game using mock weapons in an effort to become the last surviving player or team . You' ll earn points as you go based on the way you eliminate your targets, with there being an overal l winner

at the end of the year, who will be the person with the most points . So be creative, as even if you don' t win a game, you could win over all by having th e most creative kill s...

Some ot the formats we' ll be using are the traditional, free for all, and team versions, the first game, a Red Vs. Blue format, will be starting 19th October, after we've been seen and hopefully passed by Union Council on the 15th. The aim of our first game is to kill everyone on the opposite team , and preserve the life of the other players on your team, and sign-ups for thi s game will be welcome until October 13th via our email address ueaassassins@

googlemail.com or in our pigeon hole in Union House .

- Beach balls

Want to write for FocSoc? FocSoc needs you! Unfortunately, there have been problems accessing the FocSoc in box and at the time of going to print, these problems haven't been resolved, so if you 've emailed t hat address, you're not bei ng ignored! Until further notice, please email concrete.editorial@uea.a c.uk. You don't necessarily have to write a society or club profi le we could interview you if you prefer. Any other suggestions for society- and club- related articles you'd like to see on this page are also very much welcome; after all FocSoc is a page dedicated to what you - yes, you! - get up to when you ' re not studying.

â&#x20AC;˘

18 FOOD

concrete.food09@gmail.com TUESDAY 6th OCTOBER 2009

The Baker's Dozen brands of flour and it's gentler on the stu dent

Samantha Minny As a nati on, we have a love affair with bakin g.

We have w hole shops espec ially t ail ored for our love of j am fil li ngs and desire fo r cru sty roll s. it's a we ll kn own fact th at superm arkets pum p ou t th e smel l of freshly baked brea d t o lure us past

pocket. lt may also be wi se to make sure you have eggs and milk when attempting to bake as almost every recipe needs t hese basics.

Daniella Hadley and Hayley Hurrell

Sara Barnard and the Food Team

Tip 2: Know your reci pe.

Thi s is a common prob lem. Peo ple t end to go

The Tequila Sunrise

Are you st umped by steak? Terrifi ed by

stea mrollering into th e re cipe w it hout making sure th ey have the co rrect ingredie nts. Doubl e

check your rec ipe and if you 're not co nfi dent with it, th en make sure you have double the th e thre shold and our t elevisio n net wo rks hand over mil lions eve ry year to prod uce coo kery_ ingredi en t s for a second try. shows. Bak ing ca n oft en be loo ked at as old fashion ed, diffi cu lt and ti me co nsu mi ng but we

Tip 3: Si mpl e doesn't mean bland.

Take a crepe suzett e for inst ance. it's pretty

are here to t ell you that that is not th e case ! All

simple to make, it 's j ust a pa nca ke soaked in

you have to do is stoc k your cupbo ard with a few key ingred ients.

warm ed vod ka and orange JUICC to w hich you ca n add crea m, ice crea m or brown suga r on th e plate to make it loo k mo re impress ive. it does n' t even t ake more than one frying pa n and on e

Basic Equ ipment: Th e maJority of recip es wil l need a mixing bowl

Cocktail of the Concrete solves Fortnight your food woes

mixing bowl' If you're livin g on campu s th is year, re cipes

Okay, don't be fr ighte ned by t his cock tail's main ingredie nt. Th is is no sla mme r : sa lt and

taglia tell e? Does th e simpl es t co oki ng t ask fill you w ith dread?

Lea rn ing how t o cook for you rse lf ca n be on e of th e most da un ti ng part s of t he st ude nt

lemon wil l not be necessary. Nei t he r w ill t he horrend ous ha ngover th e next morn ing, which

ex perie nce, an d not hing is wo rse t han eating

we know you rea lly don ' t want. As we ll as

pasta or pi zza every sing le nig ht.

t as tin g grea t, it also looks impress ive; it wa s given its name because of th e way it loo ks in

J

t he glass. We promi se, t his is simpl e t o ma ke and w ill make a great pre dri nk for any LC R.

b_

The Co ncr et e Food t ea m is here to help.

As well as printing simp le recip es every iss ue, we also w ill answer all your que stion s. From boil ing rice to the pro per way to use a funne l, we have t he answe r Dro p us a lin e at co ncre t e. food0 9@gma il. corn : No qu es ti on IS too si mpl e or co mpli ca t ed '

1 Yz parts Te q uil a

or two, a whi sk, a wooden spoon , a sieve, measunng cups an d ba kmg trays. Make sure you

such as thi s wi ll im press your new friends as well

st ock up on grease proof paper, foil and clin g

as help in avoiding usmg th e mi crowave ovens.

film .

Tip 1: Al ways have flou r in t he cup board.

Baking is fun and stre ss-free so why not put on a feel good playl ist, invite a few friend s or

Finish with Yz part

it's an essentia l not only to baking but t o coo king

housemat es to join you and have a good tim e

of Grenadi ne, pou ring

too. Stocking your shelves with se lf-raising flou r can be helpfu l so th at you don' t have to meas ure

w ith it. You ca n have a blast baking, halve th e clea ning duti es and en d up w ith a yummy trea t

gently so th at it falls to th e bottom .

out the baking powd er-to -fl our ratio yourse lf.

Gene ral ly, superm arket s' own self-raising flour

grandparents always insist homemade is better.

Add orange ju ice

to go with your tea w hile di scovering w hy your

does th e sa me job as th e more well kn own

Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato & Coconut Soup

Banana & Cherry Cupcakes Dairy Free Cinnamon Loaf M akes 6 t o 8, and your kitchen smell amaz ing!

If you do n' t own an Ameri ca n 'c up' meas ure, use a small m ug, meas uremen t s do not have t o be exact with thi s one ! If you're on e of th ose peo pl e ' frea ked out ' by rais in s, th en thi s also wo rks great as a basic spo nge base for experime ntin g- try it w it h cho co lat e chips, sli ce d app le o r lemon zest in st ea d.

Investi ng in a blend er opens up loa ds o f smoo thi e, milkshake and so up making option s. Tesco has on e at the moment for less t han t en qu id. Butt ernut squa sh can be qui te t ough to make but thi s soup is rea lly quick and easy, co mes out a bea uti ful co lour and eas il y se rves a wh ole ho use.

Ingredi ents : - On e and a ha lf cups se lf raising fl our

Ingredients : - Half a butternut squash - 1 mediu m sweet pot ato

- Half cup wh ite ca st er suga r - Qu art er cup vege table oil Ingred ients:

- 1 t sp bi ca rbonat e of sod a

- Half cup se mi skimm ed mi lk

- 1 red pe pper - 1 tb sp olive oi l - Half a can 'lig ht '

- 170g self raising flour - 7Sg soft butter

- Large handful glace ch erries

- Half cup mixe d dri ed fruit - Grated peel of one orange

milk - 2 veget able stock cube s - Salt and black pe pper

- 200g soft brown sugar - 1 egg (beaten) - 1 tbsp va nil la extract

1) Pee l th e butternut squ as h w ith a po tat o peeler.

2) Sli ce it in half verti ca lly. Wrap on e half in ce llop hane an d put in the frid ge . Google 'butternut squ ash rec ipes' th en use it for so meth ing else, like a vege t ari an lasag ne. lt w ill kee p for a cou pl e of days.

1) With a fork, blend the brown sugar and bu tter in a large mixi ng bow l.

1) Mi x oil, suga r and bea ten eggs in a large mi xin g bowl.

2) Si ft in th e flour, milk th en rais in s.

2) Add the beat en egg and mas hed bananas, stir vigo rously!

3) Sift in self rai sing flou r, bica rb onate of soda and a splash of vanil la

3) Line a smal l loa f shaped cake tin w ith grease proof paper, empty in th e mixt ure leav ing room for rising.

extract.

4) Mi x aga in until smooth, w ith slightl y lu mpy bana na pi eces.

4) M ix a spoo n of cin namon with a spoo n of brown or whit e sugar in a small bowl or mug.

5) Add a handful of glace cherri es, or froze n ras pberries.

6) Pour into paper cases in a muffin bak ing tray, leav ing space for th em to rise.

7) Place in a pre-hea ted oven, at 180c for around ha lf an hour.

8)1n a separate bowl whisk the rest of the butter, icing suga r and foo d colo uring. Al ternative ly, just use a m ix of icing suga r an d a splash of wate r for a traditi onal 'fairy ca ke' fro stin g.

8) Fi nally, give th e ca kes 20 mi nutes to cool, ice liberally and top w ith a glace cherry.

5) Sp rinkle this eve nly acro ss th e top of t he mixture.

6) Place your ca ke in a COLD (very important, no idea why !) oven. Turn to 160C, and bake for one an d a half hou rs.

3) Scoo p out th e oth er half's seeds, throw th em away.

4) Chop the sq uas h int o small pieces.

5) Pee l and chop th e swee t potato, and put both in a very large pan.

6) Pour over boiling wat er unti l th e veg is covere d, and about 3 cm unde r wa t er.

7) Crumb le in two stoc k cubes .

8) Bring t o th e boil th en simm er for t we nty minutes.

9) De-seed, chop and fry t he pepper in olive oil.

10) Put everyt hi ng in t he blend er, add coconut mi lk an d seasoning, blend unti l smooth .

- 2 over-ripe bananas (mash ed)

or froze n raspberries Buttercream :

(optional)

- 170g icing sugar

- 2 eggs (beate n)

- llOg soft butte r - Pink food colouring (optional)

- 1 tbsp ci nn amon

R cip

By S r h Cox

..

LIFESTYLE 19

concrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 6th OCTOBER 2009

CorifessiollS of a Cl:Jl;fl StLtdel1t Bruce Sigrist confesses

this week about the pitfalls of student living and the irritation of talking bin bags.

"Moving from halls to a house is one of those 'big steps' we students take in the long road to becoming functioning adults. Not only does it drive home the fact that we're out in the wild, it gives ample opportunity to goof around with fabled experiments Mum/ Dad/resident tutor banned. Armed to the teeth with BB guns, novelty hats and a small forest of toilet roll 'borrowed' from Leeds Festival, we took no chances as we moved in six weeks early to indulge in free-house syndrome before academia loomed over us.

Unfortunately, being the sole inhabitants of a building does have its setbacks. As days turned to weeks, little problems - barely noticeable at first - started rearing their heads in our direction. The needing of toilet bleach and soap threw us back, the sinks had decided to smell of fish and all our possessions became coated in a strange greasy film. The bins, however, proved to be the biggest problem. Given our inexperience of recycling, every last bit of meat, egg and teabag got lumped together with an excess of card, bottles and ready meal packaging. In short, ten bin bags of rotting mess were cast out to the shed and forgotten about until last Monday morning when the unsuspecting parents came to visit.

In true sitcom style, we had just 30 minutes to find and destroy any evidence that we're bad people. The bags, however, had other plans and were evolving into a humming mass of stench. One was visibly vibrating and had to be covered in three layers before the smell and noise had been completely muffled. I'm not preaching for recycling, but for the sake of mutation control I highly recommend giving it a go. Either that, or get yourselves one of those built-in sink blenders. They're pretty fun and can ruin a whole chicken in seconds. They do smell of egg though ... ".

Freshers' flu -is it the swine?

Freshers' flu has lodged itself firmly in the student urban dictionary and is a phrase currently being bandied around campus. If you are one of the unlucky ones suffering, curl up with Concrete, boil the kettle and whip out that sachet of Lemsip.

Felicity Darling The start of a new semester is the optimum breeding ground for germs, as hundreds of students from all areas of the country come together. You are just as likely to catch an infection from buying a pint of milk in the UFO, as you are from exchanging saliva in the LCR. With an abysmal diet where your idea of five a day comes from shots of Apple Sourz and the salad from the end of the night burger, combined with the stress of adapting to your new surroundings, it is no surprise that your immune system begins to let you down.

The scientific definition of Freshers' flu is a disease of the lungs and upper airways and the symptoms you should experience come in the form of a headache, fever, sore throat and muscular pain. The bad news is this is a viral infection and therefore will not respond to antibiotics, meaning unfortunately you have to sweat it out. A well respected source (Wikipedia) states that 90% of students will experience the woes of

influenza, so Concrete suggests a good chamomile tea, box of tissues and an early night.

Whilst Freshers' flu is really your body's way of responding to the week's battering, this year it isn't just a bad cold you have to worry about.

Since the HlNl virus, commonly

referred to as swine flu, broke out in Mexico earlier in the year, universities have worried that a pandemic could break out. This fear was so great that over the summer months, reports were released that Freshers' weeks

up and down the country might have to be postponed . One university has announced they plan to make sure the desks are placed one metre apart for examinations and another has set up a flu buddying scheme allowing students to pair up and care for each other. Some have even begun podcasting lectures so that students don't fall behind.

Swine flu may be easily mistaken for Freshers' flu, the difference being a temperature of over 38 degrees.

Swine flu is being treated with the Tamiflu vaccine, and UEA ask you to notify the Dean of Students Office if you have been diagnosed with swine flu. it is also recommended you remain in your room, rest and drink plenty of fluids. One UEA student who has suffered from both remarked "I caught swine flu in July and believe me you'll know the difference. I would rather have the mother of all hangovers than go through that again. lt is so bizarre to be boiling hot yet feel freezing cold ... I will never have another bacon sarnie again".

To avoid Freshers' flu Jessica Ball recommends: "eat fruit and vegetables, don't overindulge on alcohol, get a good eight hours' kip, keep your bodily fluids to yourself and be a conscientious flat mate. Ok, so I just read that back; it is unlikely to happen, so just stock up on Strepsils and Lockets and ride it out. Get well soon!"

Scrimp and save With most student loans finally appearing on our bank balance, Kristina Stephens has some tips on how to look after the pennies.

Though the initial excitement of Freshers' week is now well and truly over, the hole it burnt in your pocket will probably stick around for a while longer. As figures for estimated student debt continue to soar, now is a good time to start taking advantage of all the deals available to help your loan stretch as far as possible.

University students instantly become eligible for various discounts.

Whilst NUS Extra cards are an option, your free campus card will reward you a discount at many places on the high street. Local restaurants and takeaways, hairdressers, cinemas and independent stores are also likely to offer significant deals, so it's always worth asking.

Dig out your freebies from

Freshers' fair and don't forget that . and Photobox offer introductory free the discount booklets handed out prints; ideal if your room still feels like it's missing something after you've offer free food and drink, as well as plastered it with posters. queue jump and entry at several bars Keep an eye out for student and clubs. Don't worry if you missed nights in Norwich. Mondays offer Po out on these booklets as the same Na Na's Trashed, usually packed out extensive offers are available online with DJs playing an eclectic mix of at www.studentdiscountbook.co.uk.

The internet is a great place to indie, electro, pop and rock. MoJos has introduced a new Loco student start saving with websites tailornight featuring UEA DJs playing a made for you; Student Beans is constantly updated with hundreds of range of mu?ical genres and Optic printable online vouchers and offers is always free with a pub2club pass from Office. Mustard, a more some specific to Norwich. Students In Need is a new scheme that intimate venue, offers free entry until 3am every Thursday. focuses on online student discounts Whilst cheap drinks and nights in conjunction with diverse brands; out are probably a priority, discounts French Connection, Play.com and Uniare not restricted to entertainment.

Qio to name a few. Also, on line photo Both Adobe and Microsoft offer developing websites such as Snapfish

massive reductions on some essential software . Equally, if you can allow time for delivery, second hand books can save you hundreds. The lp books from Amazon always go down a treat!

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TURF 21

concrete.turf@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 6th OCTOBER 2009

No Meat Mondays UEA's Environmental Campaigns Society is encouraging students to forfeit meat one day per week. Sonja Klingberg reports on the link between meat consumption and the environment.

The Environmental Campaigns Society has recently launched a campaign for pan-time vegetarianism, by introducing 'No Meat Mondays'. The concept of a meat-free day is fairly self-explanatory, but one question remains: how is 'going veggie' for one day a week going to save the world?

Quite frankly, it isn't. What it will do, however, is demonstrate to anyone brave enough to give it a go how easy it actually is to cut down our carnivorous tendencies. In my experience, students are already quite good at this, as most have noticed 路 how expensive .it is to keep up the

meat-filled diet they are used to.

Eating less meat is one of the very few environmentally friendly choices we as students can afford to make.

'No Meat Mondays' should therefore prove to be a successful campaign, and, while it cannot alone save the planet, it is a step in the right direction. We have all heard by now what a huge difference our diets can have in terms of fighting global warming, and the carbon footprint is a familiar concept to most.

Environmental organisations, such as WWF and Greenpeace, promote moving towards vegetarianism as a means to cut greenhouse gas emissions, as the Food and Agricultural Organisation estimates that about 18% of all emissions are produced through livestock farming. polluting the However, atmosphere is not the only negative implication meat production and consumption has on the environment,

and so 'going veggie' actually has even more potential to do the world some good than you may think. Professor Tony Allan, an award-winning water specialist who spoke at the University's Water Security Research Centre Seminar last week, has estimated that

"a vegetarian's water footprint is only half the size of that of a meateater" a vegetarian's water footprint, which measures the environmental impact of our water consumption, is half the size of that of a meat-eater. Fresh water scarcity, climate change, production of waste, and water pollution all pose a threat to the global environment,

10:1 0 for dummies UEA's Student Union has pledged to cut carbon emissions by 10% during next year, but how can this be achieved?

Fran Rogers If phrases used in environmental conversations such as 'cutting 10% of emissions is easy' and 'combating climate change in micro form' sound a little bit Greek to you, you are not alone.

Concrete has previously reported on the move of the Student Union to join the 10:10 pledge to achieve a 10% cut in the UK's carbon emissions in 2010. UEA, for those who are not aware, works on world-leading environmental research into climate changes and is in the process of developing a Biomass fuelled Gasification Combined Heat and Power plant. Now, for any environmentalists or readers of The Independent, that will not sound like gobbledegook, but for some it all sounds a bit modern. In layman's terms, when operational in 2009, a third of the electrical and heat energy for the campus will be fuelled by renewable woodchips and the other two thirds from high efficiency "carbon lean" natural gas combined heat and power. Impressive.

The kind people on the 10:10 website have offered up some simple ways in which we - the people - can work to tackle our own 10%. Here Concrete summarises 5 favourites for you .

Fly Less : as students we may not be jet-setting business people yet, but our airplane usage counts. By opting to holiday in the UK and Europe and travelling via train or bus we can cut

emissions. Let me remind you that on coach trips you may get to partake in sing-a longs.

Save 10% on heating: turn down that thermostat, switch off those radiators and layer up, my friends.

Then apply for a grant to insulate your loft & walls. Obviously, living in student residences this is not always as easy as it sounds but a little chat to your landlord or free-phoning your local Energy Saving Trust advice centre

on 0800 512 012 couldn't hurt.

Ooh girl, shock me like an electric eel: save big cash by changing light bulbs and ask1ng your landlord to replace old fridges & freezers. Use your bill to compare 2008 usage to 2009. What can you do currently?

Always turn stuff off and plug out.

Eat Better: the less meat, the less emissions. Eat foods that are locally produced and that are in season.

Highly processed food cause more emissions so let's get back to basics with fresh ingredients.

Keep your goods good: check out freecycle .com for some quality second hand stuff and look for home appliances that have been clearly labelled with an energy-efficiency rating.

There we have it. it's not brain surgery, but it's not for dummies. lt will take some effort and research, but you will be playing your part in the global effort to prevent catastrophic climate change and from now you can just nod with a knowing smile during those occasionally confusing environmental conversations.

and they are all linked to meat consumption in one way or another.

Eating meat is obviously not the only harmful practice humans are engaged in, but it certainly is one we can easily change.

At the water security seminar last Wednesday, Allan also argued very strongly that scientific knowledge alone is not going to affect the minds and behaviour of consumers. He

believes that merely knowing how bad meat consumption is for the planet is not going make people embrace knowledge, vegetarianism.

That however, is exactly what made this reporter give up meat, and she thus "' encourages all of you to do our planet a favour, and prove Tony Allan's consumer stereotype wrong .. . at least every Monday.

Turf's environmental product of the fortnight Healthy, tasty and cheaper than meat - Quorn is a versatile and tasty supplement. Low in fat, low in calories, high in protein and with zero cholesterol : not only will it benefit your health, but by reducing your meat consumption you'll be reducing your carbon and water footprint.

All Quom products are made with mycoprotein : a vegetable protein . This was developed in the 1960s as a response to a predicted global food shortage. The criteria for this food were that it should have a high nutritional value, be safe and be 'delicious to eat'.

One bag of Quorn mince is available from Tesco at 拢1.79. lt can

..

be used in exactly the same way as

beef mince.

Check out www.quorn .co .uk for more information and a huge range of recipes. What have you got to loseJ Enjoy trying new food and protect the environment at the same time .

.

22 SPORT

concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 6th OCTOBER 2009

Canary Corner

Five minutes with... Eve Steward Jessica O'Sullivan and Harriet Denvir catch up with the UEA Netba 11 president.

lan Hobbs Before any atten tion can be given to Norw ich's improving plight in

about 6 years old, trying to be more grown-up like my older sister but

England's third tier, it is necessary to mention the retirement of Canaries great, Darren Huckerby.

as I got older I found that I was of a reasonable standard, so started to

finishing with our end-of-season netBALL. Derby Day is always one of

play more competitively at school and in local leagues.

as is Netbaii/Futsal pub golf, where

I started playing when I was

200

flair and talent, often fails to find an end product, and therefore has

games for the club an d was pivotal

estab lis hed him self a reputation as

to Norwich's promotion to the Premiership in 2004. He was adored

a potentially good, but ultimately frustrating player.

He was instrumental against

Huckerby

played

over

of

socials

throughout

the

year,

the highl1ghts of the social calendar, our competitive side comes out and we have to beat the boys!

in the sa me bed! Hangovers were standard the next morning!

Gillingham a fortnight ago, where,

his paltry £500,000 transfer fee with many a 'man of the match'

despite havi ng ten men for most of the game, the Canaries managed to

relaxed and enjoyable on a club night (Mondays 5-7pm). We do a

performance.

salvage a point.

The first half saw City keeper Fraser Forster bring down Curtis

few drill s, play a few games and generally gossip about the last social

year for the club. The banter between

or Saturday's LCR

the girls and the funny stories you

We finished around m1d-table last year in the BUCS league, which

You went on Tour t o Sal ou, near Training

IS

always

qu1te

Monday nights th<;~t

Barcelona last year, what was t hat like?

How did the clu b fare in BUCS competition last year, and what are the targets fo r .this year?

Tour is always a highlight of the

manager Glenn Roeder and many

Weston in the box, and the in-form

are open to anyone

wants to

come back with make the 30 hour

we were reasonably happy with.

fans feel this move contributed maJorly to Norwich's subsequent,

Simeon Jackson slotted home his 8th

have a game and it's a great way to

bus journey worthwhile. lt may not

goal of the season to put the Gills 1 0 ahead.

Gi llingham failed to capitalrse on their man advantage, and Norwich's

seem that funny on paper but our favourite n1ght on tour has to have

However, this year we are hoping to improve our overall performance and

and continuing, dec line.

He subsequen tly moved across the pond to the San Jose Earthquakes, a Major League 'soccer' team whose only cla im to fame is that they somehow enticed Nort hern Ireland

meet new people and get a ba sic level of fitness without having to go to the gym. Things become more intense on a Friday night when it's

been when we dressed in shower caps to keep us dry, acquired room

squad training- and Helene's fitness circuits are not something you look

key cards from other hotels, gained a fascination for travel adaptors and bidets, went for a midnight swim

legend, George Best, to the west coast in the early 80's.

Many had hoped he would return to Carrow Road for another spell, but this proved to be a fal se dawn; a hip injury has finally convinced Huckerby that his fut ure lies aw<Jy from the playing field.

The imaginatively-named Wes

persistence paid off when Darel Russe ll scored a stoppage time heade r to ensure the spo il s were shared.

showed maturity beyond hi s years, making a st ring of fine saves to keep Norwich in the game. This fantastic debut performance earned Rudd a sta rt against Leyton Orient .

Having fallen out of favour with Paul Lambert early in the season he ha s now been transformed into a

City started the game well, creating many a chance but failing to

makeshift strike r.

co nvert any.

Hoolahan,

desp1te

his

natural

The turning point in the game came late in the second half when Orient's John Melligan was given his marching orders .

With a man adva ntage, City went on to record a late flourish, with goals from Michael Speilanne, Grant Halt, Jamie Cureton and Chris Martin. as they wrapped up a flattering 4 0 victory. on

A furth er thrashing was to follow Saturday when the Canaries

thumped high -fliers Bristol Rovers 5-l. Further goals from Martln, Halt, Cureton and Hoolahan helped Norwi ch to banish the demons of an indifferent sta rt.

They lie seve nth. Thing s may just be starting to look up, ju st.

..... -.r.·-

,.~- -

forward to at the start of the season!

in the pool wearing Buzz Lightyear wings and pretty much all slept

The 18-year-old Declan Rudd came on after the se nding off and

The Tuesday night game against Orient saw the return of Gary Doherty, who had also fallen out favour with Lambert afte r a number of lacklustre performances.

Hoolahan is probably the closest Norw1ch have to a Huckerby-esque player these days.

•

What d oes UEA Netball training consist of?

The social side 1s one of th e best aspects of the club. We have a variety

by the fans for his mazy runs and instinctive flair, and fully justified

At the en d of the 2007/2008 seaso n he was released by then "'"

What 's the social side of t he club like?

Ho w d id yo u start playing netball?

push for promotlon in both leagues.

We are also feeling quite confid nt that we can be in contention to win the local 1ndoor league!

Desc r i be the club in 3 w o rds .

Fun. Friendly. Amaz1ng'

Aussies dominate England in Champions Trophy Natwest Trophy a fortnight ago .

Ross Grant

IS able to dictate the match tempo, at tlmes over-cautlously. Thankfully, not in this match

it 's never an easy job be1ng an England cri cket fan.

Their somew hat Jekyll and Hyde

In stark compariso n, the semifinal match against Australia sent England swiftly back to the drawing

nature when performing on the big st<Jge has been highlighted once

board. On a flat, pacey wicket th ey

However, let 's not become too

managed to scrape a respectable

pessimistic; the average age of the

257, after a career best 80 from Tim Bresnan - No.8 in the order.

team that faced Australia was just over 24 , and with youth comes inexperience.

Ricky Panting and Shane Watson recorded an unbroken partnership 252 from 40 avers and Australia subseque ntly WICkets.

prevailed

by

nine

again th1s week in the ICC Champions Trophy.

Throughout th e tournament, England's battirg performances have determined their fate. To reach the semi-finals, England's batting against South Africa was sub lime, striking a record twelve sixes, and hitting their third highest ODI score overseas.

Owais Shah's innings was a particular highlight, hitting 98 off 89 balls.

With a career average of just over 30, this indicated a performance in which England were playing at the very edge of their capabilities.

The inclusion of Shah at No.3 prompted some just scepticism.

His habitual ro le at No.6 allows his batting to be shaped by the state of the game, however, at No.3 he

Bresnan's stand of 107 with Luke Wright just about saved England's blushes.

Australia then obliged to show the calm and authoritative nature that led them to a 6-1 victory in the

If England's youngsters contlnue to play with such character, the England ODI side promsingly has time on its side .

SPORT 23

Giggs continues to prove that age is no obstacle Robert Schatt n The fact that Ryan Giggs has scored one goal and created three more in Manchester United's last two games isn't as remarkable as it might look - Giggs has been doing that month in month out for the last seventeen years. That he's still producing the goods after so long is the remarkable part.

This week, we've seen why Giggs, now almost 35 years old, is still irreplaceable for Sir Alex Ferguson in the United midfield . Left out of the starting line-up for the visit to Stoke at the weekend, Giggs watched a lacklustre 45 minutes by his teammates before coming on to set up both goals in a 2-0 win. Four days later, he played the full 90 minutes in the Champions' League game against Wolfsburg, of Germany, scoring one goal and creating the other as United came back from behind to win 2-1. On

both occasions, Giggs was one of the best players on the pitch .

Giggs, the only one to play- and score- in every Premiership season to date, has been a regular in the Manchester United starting lineup almost the entire lives of most current UEA students. His prolonged success has seen him become the most decorated footballer in English league history. it's always worth reeling off his medal tally : eleven Premiersh ip titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, seven Community Shields, a UEFA Super Cup, an Intercontinental Cup, a Club World Cup and, of course, two UEFA Champions' League titles.

But the team achievements are only one part of his story. Giggs has made over 800 appearances for United - his only club - and scored 150 goals. Last year, the Welshman collected the prestigious Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Player of the Year award for the first time . He has been twice voted

PFA Young Player of the Year and has featured in the PFA Team of the Year on eight occasions . There have been the extraord inary moments to suit that legendary success, too and none come more easily to mind than his breath-taking run through the Arsenal defence to win the 1999 FA Cup semi-final replay and set up a shot at the Treble .

In many ways, his career can be said to mirror that of George Best - both have been hugely successful for their clubs on the pitch , and are iconic figures off it (although their private lives have admittedly followed different paths). On the international level, both represented one of the Home Nations but were never able to take their world -famous talents to a World Cup. Giggs, indeed, actually represented England as a schoolboy -a great shame, then, that he chose Wales at senior level and gave birth to a decade of discussion on England's "left wing problem".

Giggs has shown no sign of slowing down in the last few seasons. Switched by Ferguson to a central role, he is still able to maximise his array of passing and shooting abilities without missing the phenomenal pace he once possessed . He, Paul Scholes and

Gary Nevllle, three of the five most capped players in club history, have now combined for over 2500 appearances. None of them - least of all th~ mercurial Giggs - show any sign of winding their amazing careers down just yet.

Obama influence fails to spoil Rio's Olympic party Danny Collins A full 120 years after Baron Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympic Games in 1896, the world's greatest sporting spectacle will finally reach the last untouched continent: South America .

The second city of Brazil beat off competition from Madrid, Chicago and Tokyo in what experts judged to be the closest Olympic host race yet.

Rio de Janeiro can offer a rare ingredient to the Olympics that few other cities can provide - a truly celebratory and party-like atmosphere.

If China was a statement of intent from the world's next superpower;

and if London promises to play on British eccentricities - beach volleyball is to be held in Horseguards Parade - and revive a degenerated area of East London, then Rio promises to do what it does best and stage a carnival of sport in 2016.

Barack Obama may well be the man of the moment, but even his charisma could not sway a pragmatic IOC board that saw the unique opportunities presented from the powerhouse of South America.

Political commentators are already suggesting that this is the first real sign that the honeymoon period for Mr Obama is well and truly over. This would be to do a

disservice to the South Americans.

Acknowledgement, then, must be given to the IOC members who refused to be overly influenced by the starstudded delegation of the bookies' favourite Chicago. Even so, Brazil were not short in that department either, taking a certain Pele in their party.

The decision to export the Olympic brand to new and uncharted territory is precisely the mission of the IOC; it is their prerogative to encourage a 'sport for all' message around the globe.

This is not to suggest that Chicago would have staged a poor Games, however, for the Games to return to the U.Safter only 20yearswould have been an uninspiring move in the extreme.

So too would a Games in Madrid.

Despite a tidy, well-run campaign, to host three consecutive games in Europe - London 2012, Sochi 2014, and then Madrid - would suggest an unacceptably Europhile bias.

•

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In t~eir decision on Friday, the IOC have, at most, opened the door to a wealth of possibilities for the furthering of the Olympic brand; at the very least they have ensured one hell of a party in seven years' time .

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'"'

concrete .sport@uea .ac.u k

TUESDAY 6th OCTOBER 2009

GOLDEN GLEN FOLLOWS OLYMPIC DREAM IN USA Danny Collins

in 2012: "I'm doing about 80 miles a week, depending on how I feel. With

Many mere mortals might justifiably

all the training it's important I eat

big step up for me, as I'm fighting for a

struggle to run three kilometres.

Fewer still could do so in less than ten

and sleep well, I do lots of stretching, have ice baths and reduce the training when I need to."

place in the team and adjusting to the altitude."

minutes; and to do this whilst hurdling

Despite all that America offers

metre-high barriers is an achievement of the h1ghest order, and one which

With fewer distractions and more

to Watts, he admits that it is hard to

emphasis on training, he tells Concrete

UEA alumni and steeplechaser Glen

that, "Th1s year I am completely

adjust to life away from the UK and UEA, saymg: "I wouldn't say it's a

Watts takes in his stride.

focussed on giving everything to my running. The extra training and higher

W<Jtts, 23, graduated from UEA in July this year, having won a prestigious BUCS gold medal in the 3000m Steeplechase in 2008. To give an indication of the gravity of this achievement, the BUSA system has seen athletes such as Sebastian Coe

culture shock, but there are many differences to life in Blighty."

level of competition- along with being

''I'm gettmg lots of funny looks

at over 7,500 feet altitude - should improve my running and give me an

as I'm the only Englishman 111 my university, and we're always noticing

indication of what I'm capable of.

"Looking forward, I dream of

the small things, mainly to do with the spelling or pronouncing of 'English' words. I miss my girlfriend

representing GB at a senior level and competing on the biggest stage of all, on home soil."

pass through its ranks and, without fa1l, sees several Olympians compete ,_

the USA for XC, and is hoping to win the national title in November. it's a

Emily very much, and my parents, old team-mates and the East Anglian countryside!"

on a yearly basis, including Simeon

Mountains, as he explains: "it's the

posted simi lar times to those of Watts,

The level of competition in the

Williamson and Cra1g P1ckering.

highest university in the USA, at 7, 703

departed for America a year ago and

states, however, is so intense that

And while he may miss life in

Watts'

ft. We train up to 12,500 ft, running up

has slashed a remarkable twenty-five

Watts is having to first concentrate

rapid ascent to the forefront of UK distance runnmg that he was offered a scholarship to the Western State College of Colorado upon graduation.

lots of the Rocky Mountains!"

If UEA helped him to realise his potential, Watts hopes that the

seconds off of his best mark.

Watts hopes a

England, as he continues to acclimatise to both college and altitude in rnidwest America, one thing is for sure路 If Watts continues his current ascent through the English athletics hierarchy he may soon prove to be 0lA's :nost successful sporting alumni ever.

So

impressive

was

here that Watts intends to realise

prestigious American collegiate sport system will help him fulfil his huge

has undertaken will give him the best

on establishing himself at a university renowned for its running prowess: "Collegiate sport is a big deal in the USA with lots more money invested 1n facilities, coaches, stadiums and

his full potential whilst training in

talent. His rival from the 2008 BUCS

possible chance of fulfilling his dream

merchandise.

the altitude of the mid-west Rocky

campaign, Stephen Lisgo, who had

and pulling on a GB vest on home soil

lt

IS

similar

improvement will be possible for him, and the intense training regime he

"My university is ranked second in

HOCKEY SUCCUMB TO SECOND PRE-SEASON DEFEAT Sa m Johnson

penalty corner This proved to be a turning point,

UEA Mens 1st XI- 1 Dereham 2nd XI- 6

as sloppy errors from the home side allowed Dereham to score 2 goals in quick success1on, undoing all the hard work displayed by th1s newly

After a tough first fixture, which saw UEA Hockey 1st XI soundly beaten away from home, they were hoping to follow up a far more prom1sing

put together team.

Another goal before half time increased Dereham's lead to 1-3 -

mid-week friendly with a first win of the season on Saturday.

a lead they took into the half-time interval.

Playing a new formation, UEA were heavily pegged back in the

The second half provided little opportunity for UEA. A few balls

first 5 minutes, conceding an unbelievable 10 penalty corners in the first 10 minutes.

The defence were struggling to cope with the higher level of skill this league is posing.

glanced across the face of the goal, but nobody was there to increase UEA's goal tally.

A combination of Dereham's effective penalty corners and incisive

However, despite enjoying the biggest proportiOn of possession,

attacking proved too much for the UEA defence as the second half saw the visitors score another 3 goals.

U EA's defence did well not to concede and when t hey eventually

Despite two defeats in two matches for the Men's 1st IX,

began to put a succession of passes together, Dereham proved to be vulnerable to counter-attack.

UEA slowly became more comfortable in possession and the defence began to win and distribute

the ba ll . They found success with a quick counter-attack, stringing together five quick passes before hesitation in the Dereham defence allowed Alec Zetter to capitalise by deflecting the ball into the goal.

This brough t renewed confidence and, although Dereham had the

for a second time shortly after, but were bitterly disappointed when

UEA are still looking forward to a successful season as the team still

majority of the possession by now, the counter-attack was being used

the umpire failed to play advantage, and pulled back play for an earlier infringement against UEA, who

needs time to gel with the 6 freshers in the squad.

to good effect.

UEA found the back of the net

subsequently failed to convert the