The movement to release exam timetables earlier has won at the Union Priority Campaigns Poll. It has beaten the other nominees – Ethical Investment, Coursework Return, a Campus Safe Room and Get the Vote Out, with Get the Vote out trailing behind the others.

Academic Officer Louise Withers-Green, who ran the campaign for exam timetables, said: “It’s incredibly exciting that exam timetables have won - it’s the evidence we need to show the University that this is a really important issue for students.”

The five nominations were selected from officer manifestos, student survey results and union council policy. All will be important issues dealt with during the year, but the winner will be a priority for the Student Union. Last year the winning campaign was for exam feedback, a policy that the University have implemented this year.

Votes were cast by tokens at stations in

the Hive, bars, The Shop and the box office, as well as a mobile station taken around by officers. There was also the opportunity to vote on Twitter using the appropriate hashtag, to vote on the website, and to vote using the Union iPads.

The Union have allowed students to get involved by introducing Union Campaign Teams. These will be made up of student activists and volunteers, and lead by elected part-time and full-time officers to plan, design and co-ordinate a Union Priority Campaign.

As part of the Union Campaign Teams, members will receive a free ticket to the Union’s Annual Campaigns Forum and Campaigns Conference. Guests will include speakers from the Guardian, NUS and the New Internationalist.

The Union made a concerted effort to provide more information on the campaigns this year, including a greater amount of detail on the flyers. More than 10,000 post cards were given away, each specifying the details of the campaigns and how to get involved.

Despite this, the number of votes cast

has been significantly less than last year. Around 16,000 votes were cast for the 2012/13 campaigns, compared to 8,325 this year. Communications Officer Rosie Rawle said, “I expect the drop in votes this year is because we had fewer permanent voting stations. Last year, there was also one in the post office and paper shop. In addition, the self service machines in the shop meant that fewer people were being served face-to-face and so didn’t receive tokens.”

“Generally, there’s been a greater level of discussion due to officers getting out and talking to people. Trips to Edith Cavel and INTO helped us reach more than just the ‘hive-goers’ as well. It’s also just the start - campaign teams will be building even more momentum during the year.”

Exam Timetables win Union Priority Campaigns Poll

Inside...

UEA’s Student Newspaper

Issue 286 • Free • Tuesday 8 September

Want more? Find us online at concrete-online.co.uk!

/ConcreteNewspaper

@Concrete_UEA

ConcreteUEA

Concrete Meets Eddie Izzard

We talk continental standup with the comedian

Special FeatureP. 6

You Are What You Tweet

What does your social media activity say about you?

FeaturesP. 12

Interview: The 1975

Sidonie Chaffer-MellyEditor-in-Chief

Venue gets up close and personal with the band

MusicV. 4

Union Priority Campaigns - The Results

Exam Timetables - 3,143Coursework Return - 1,804Ethical Investment - 1,375Safe Room - 1,290Get The Vote Out - 713

Win! Win! Win! Tweet us a picture of your best LCR

costume and win a fish finger sandwich and a Curly Wurly!

Concrete welcomes all letters and emails, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Letters should be addressed to the editor-in-chief, and include contact details. All emails should be sent to concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk. We will consider anonymous publication, and reserve the right to edit for length and clarity. Anonymous article submissions are permitted. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the newspaper. No part of this newspaper may be reproduced through any means without the express permission of the editor, Sidonie Chaffer-Melly. Published by UUEAS Concrete Society ©2013 Concrete BMc ISSN 1351-2773

Editor-in-chief | Sidonie Chaffer-Mellyconcrete.editor@uea.ac.ukDeputy Editor | Sophie Wittsconcrete.managingeditor@uea.ac.ukOnline Editor | Billy Sextonconcrete.online@uea.ac.ukDeputy Online Editor | Amelia Marchingtonconcrete.online@uea.ac.ukNews | Andrew Ansell & Lara-Jayne Elliceconcrete.news@uea.ac.ukComment | Zoë Jonesconcrete.comment@uea.ac.ukGlobal | Ella Gilbertconcrete.global@uea.ac.ukFeatures | Bridie Wilkinsonconcrete.features@uea.ac.ukEnvironment | Peter Sheehanconcrete.environment@uea.ac.ukScience & Tech | Dominic Burchnallconcrete.science@uea.ac.ukTravel | Niyonu Agana-Burkeconcrete.travel@uea.ac.ukLifestyle | Lydia Cliftonconcrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.ukSport | Charlie Savage & Will Medlockconcrete.sport@hotmail.co.ukCopy Editors | Stephenie Naulls & Lucy Morrisconcretecopyeditors@gmail.comChief Photographers | Jacob Roberts-Kendall & Will Cockramconcrete.photography@uea.ac.uk

Editorial ContributorsNews | Chloe Moore, Sophie Witts, Andrew Ansell, Holly McDede, Lara Ellice, Geraldine Scott, Kathryn Fox, James Mills, Sidonie Chaffer-MellyComment | Stuart Bell, Matthew Finucane, Geri Scott, Harry Mason, Rosie Yates, Alex George, Amy RustGlobal | Joe Jameson, Harry Maxwell-Jones, Ella GilbertFeatures | Sarah Boughen, Sarah Roberts, Courtney Pouchin, Louis CheslawEnvironment | Peter Sheehan, Jacob Beebe, Florence GreatrixScience & Tech | Dominic Burchnall, Julie Bishop, Ian RobertsTravel | Florrie Harris-Scott, Sophie Peters, Sarah BoughenLifestyle | Rebecca Bemment, Lewis Buxton, Rachel Knott, Sidonie Chaffer-Melly, Shelley Hazlewood, Dominic Burchnall, Rebecca GodfrySport | Will Medlock, Charlie Savage, Cameron McNeillProofreaders | Sophie Jackson, Calyssa Erb, Rebecca Hedger, Georgina Munn, Becca Oram, Imogen Orchard, Hatie Sambrook

Union HouseUniversity of East AngliaNorwichNR4 7TJ01603 593 466

www.concrete-online.co.ukwww.concblog.wordpress.comEditorial inquiries / complaintsconcrete.editor@uea.ac.ukconcrete.venue@uea.ac.ukGot a story?concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

Contact Us

The Editor’s Column

Tweet of the Week

2 Editorial08/10/13Issue 286concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk

Hayden Helps...

“Was Greg James at UEA yesterday?

Nobody fucking mentioned it.”

@AdamPlom

Dear Hayden,

Any tips on shifting a one night stand out in the morning?

Hook -up From Hell

I’m of the belief that anything can be solved with a simple playlist. In this case, I’d suggest anything along the lines of Jojo’s ‘Leave (Get Out)’. Alternatively, try planning out your first date and/or wedding – nothing kills the post-coitus mood quicker. Whatever you

do, don’t fart in bed, or else you might find yourself the subject of next issue’s question.

It’s been real, it’s been cute, but it’s not been real cute,

Hayden

Dear Concrete...Dear Concrete,

I was really pleased to read your article in Issue 285, ‘Warning: Estate Agents...’ as you rightly pointed out that Estate agents very often take the money and leave you waiting, whether that’s to do a viewing or to have a repair dealt with.

I cannot fault your advice to students, other than that you forgot to signpost them to Home Run, the Union’s Accreditation scheme where students won’t have to pay any fees or charges, or the Union Advice Centre,

who can help if your landlord or agent are not providing you with the service you are paying for.

Both of these services are located in the Advice Centre on the walkway between the main Union House entrance and the Travel Shop and are available to anyone needing help or advice. You can also go to ueastudent.com

Thank you,

Jo Spiro Union Student Support Services Manager

Welcome Week is over for another year, and what a Welcome Week it was. UEA celebrated its birthday in style with celebrities, explosions and Greg James. We managed to get a slice of it and had a chat with Eddie Izzard. You can read the full interview on page six.

The end of Week 2 always sneaks up surprisingly quickly. You’re probably still getting over that bad case of fresher’s flu you picked up in the LCR when classes start to take it up a gear. Don’t descend into panic though, this issue

we’ve got some pointers to help you get the best start to the year. Features have a guide to handling lectures and seminars, while lifestyle has tips on how to fight off a hangover. Hopefully you will have your routine sorted out by the time deadlines start bearing down.

In the meantime, kick back and take some time to flick through this issue. It’s a good one.

Sidonie Chaffer-MellyEditor-in-Chief

Send your questions anonymously to concreteuea.tumblr.com/ask

According to a new study from the University of East Anglia’s School of Environmental Sciences, in 1.75 billion years Earth will no longer be able to support human life.

Researchers Andrew Rushby, Mark Claire, Hugh Osborne and Andrew Watson analysed other planets outside the Milky Way to determine how long it would take before our planet would become uninhabitable. The study showed that as with Venus, Earth’s oceans will evaporate before trapping heat in thick clouds. Four billion years or so later, Earth will be consumed by the ever expanding sun.

The study did not include global warming’s impact. “One of the assumptions built into the original model we based this paper on was a steady 300 parts per million level of carbon

dioxide in the atmosphere,” Rushby said. Currently, the level of carbon dioxide in earth’s atmosphere is much higher - and rising.

The realization that someday Earth

won’t be around is psychologically disturbing for Rusby. “Along with the forces of evolution it has served to mould us into the organisms we are today,” Rushby said. “It forms the grand stage for all of our achievements, those of global significance as well as everyday trivialities of relationships and work. It is impossible to imagine that one day it will be gone.”

Habitable Zone Lifetimes of Exoplanets around Main Sequence Stars was published in the journal of astrobiology earlier this month.

On the 14 October, The University of East Anglia will be the first Institution to launch a massive open online course (MOOC), provided by FutureLearn.com. Approximately 20 courses from 20 other University’s also partnered with FutureLearn will start in the following months.

MOOCs are free online courses enabling large scale global participation, usually in short, topical modules. The courses could “revolutionise conventional models of formal education,” according to the universities minister David Willetts.

The course available at the University of East Anglia entitled, The Secret Power of Brands, will be studied over ten weeks focusing on brands and how they work. It is anticipated that each course will attract 20,000 students.

Professor Neil Ward, the University of East Anglia’s pro-vice-chancellor, said: “in the ever changing higher education sector it is vital that we strive to be at the forefront of developments and can meet demand for new ways of learning.”

According to Sir Michael Barber, chief education adviser to Pearson, “the establishment of FutureLearn represents an important step in realising this change and seizing the opportunities technology offers in creating a broader, deeper and more exciting education system.”

William Dutton, professor of Internet Studies at the University of Oxford, remains unconvinced. Professor Dutton has questioned the long term financial viability of online university courses and suggested online courses may work better if ‘blended’ with some time spent in the classroom.

There is the potential for MOOCs to enable taster courses to be provided for school pupils mulling over what to study in higher education. The Department for Education has also mooted that courses of this nature could be used for students in further education colleges and sixth forms in England.

News 308/09/13 Issue 286 concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

Enough time for a quick one: UEA Astrobiologists predict Earth’s lifespan

Holly McDedeNews Reporter

UEA enters the global online university race

Andrew AnsellNews Editor

Public banned from UEA bars

The Union of UEA students have decided to restrict public access to the university’s bars and pubs.

The decision was made after students were assaulted by members of the public, and burglaries occurred on campus earlier this year.

People that live nearby the University of East Anglia but don’t have a legitimate reason to be on campus will no longer be able to use the student bars at the LCR and the pub.

The Union hopes the new rules will make students feel safer when socialising in their bars.

Rosie Rawle, Union of UEA Students communications officer, stressed the importance to the Union of students’ safety: “As a student charity, we are committed to ensuring the wellbeing of our members, and look forward to providing a safer and student-focused environment in our licensed premises.”

A spokesman for the Union of UEA students also commented: “This is the

first of a number of policies that may be introduced to make our services feel more accessible to our members and those with a legitimate reason to be on campus.

“The union has worked closely with university management and Norfolk police to review the way it manages access to our licensed premises.

“We pride ourselves on operating safe licensed premises and developing positive relations with students, staff and the local community.

“We hope these changes will further contribute to the outstanding student experience at UEA and help maintain a safe campus with a greater sense of community.”

Ticket holders for gigs at the LCR will still be able to use campus services, and students will still be able to bring up to two guests to the bars.

UEA alumni will also still be allowed to bring two guests, but they must have proof of ID.

Brian Summers, UEA registrar and secretary welcomes the ban. He said: “We are committed to putting the safety of all members of the university community first, and this underlines our efforts to make UEA a safe and enjoyable campus.”

Lara ElliceNews Editor

“It is vital that we strive to be at the forefront of

developments”

“It is impossible to imagine that one day it will be gone”

The Union of UEA students has banned the LCR burger van from trading on campus from the start of this academic year.

The Corkys Event Catering van has been selling food outside LCR club nights for the past eight years, paying the Union 10% of their profits in an agreement that allowed them to trade on campus.

However, the company were contacted by the Union in August this year to be told that they would no longer be allowed to work outside the LCR.

Julian Lambe, who owns Corkys Event Catering, told Concrete: “we were only given a months’ notice before the students came back to UEA that we wouldn’t be allowed outside the LCR anymore. It takes us six to eight months in advance to organise a new catering contract and if we’d been told earlier we could have organised something else. Four people have lost their jobs now that we’re out of employment.”

On both Saturday 19th and Monday

21st September the van traded on campus away from the LCR up the slope above the car park without issue, but received a call on Thursday 24th from campus security asking them not to return.

Lambe explained: “we were just rung out of the blue as we had been there Saturday and Monday with no problems. Campus security even came up and had some food off us (on Saturday and Monday) which we always supply free of charge to LCR and security staff.”

He added that he had contacted Concrete as he felt that it was unfair that students had not had a say in the decision as the van had always proved popular, “we thought the Student Union was run by students for students but they were obviously never consulted about this. We would like to thank all the students for their custom over the years and apologise for not being there this year.”

Union Finance Officer Joe Levell told Concrete: “The Shop now opens later and stays open until after LCR events for students to have some food. As a result, the burger van was no longer needed.”

4 News08/10/13Issue 286concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

Sophie WittsDeputy Editor

In his speech to the Conservative Party conference, David Cameron revealed that young people under the age of 25 would not receive housing or unemployment benefit if they are not in work, education or training.

The plan would save almost £2 million a year and is aimed at the million young people not in education, employment or training (NEET). Along with the Conservatives’ newly announced Help to Work scheme, it appears to form part of the party’s strategy to combat long term unemployment and make the welfare system better value for money.

As a policy solution however, the Director of Research at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) calls David Cameron’s proposal “way off target.”

Clive Lewis, Labour Parliamentary candidate for Norwich South, is equally sceptical. He said: “The vast majority of young people who find themselves as NEET do not do so voluntarily.

“What young people need is access to benefits separate from adult welfare that enables them to complete their education and gain experience in the labour market, while preventing unemployment or inactivity.”

According to the Director at the Centre for Economic & Social Inclusion, less than one in four workless young people claim housing benefit, while one in eight claim unemployment benefit.

LCR burger van banned from campus

Andrew AnsellNews Editor

Student expenditure accounts for over £80 billion of UK output and generates 830,000 UK jobs, a report has found.

The NUS study, entitled ‘Student Contributions to the UK economy,’ found that for every pound invested in Higher Education, graduates return £3.22 cashable benefits to the economy during their lives.

The number of people directly and indirectly supported by student spending was greater than the population of Liverpool. In Scotland almost four out of every 100 people were in employment due to student contributions to the economy.

The report featured a breakdown of student spending, indicating that each year the average student spends £9204 on living expenses, £1300 on food and £832 in bars and clubs.

Higher Education institutions were found to contribute massively to the

local and regional economy, with the University of Birmingham alone supporting 11,800 jobs and generating 2.2% of Birmingham’s wealth.

NUS President Toni Pearce said, “This report proves the tremendous social return on investment in students…The benefits are also highly significant at regional and local level. Through their subsistence spending, students contribute to regional value creation and support local and regional employment.

It’s the simple value of students living within a community. More worryingly, our report highlights the dire economic implications that would result from a reduction in student enrolment in many areas across the country, and shows that this would be most severe in the most deprived areas.

Students worth £82 billion to UK economy

Sophie WittsDeputy Editor

Flickr

“Earn or learn”: Tories’ ultimatum to young people

The university has become one of several regional groups to offer training and development to support the new Norwich International Aviation Academy, based at the city’s airport.

Up to 40 apprentices will be in training at any one time using the state-of-the-art facilities, which will include a full size aeroplane.

The project will particularly benefit students studying UEA’s new engineering degree programmes, as well as those in Mathematics and Computing Science. The academy is hoped to attract both local and international students, with the programme designed to provide the

experience and knowledge required to further a career in the growing aviation industry.

The project will also act as a platform to enhance the city’s reputation within aviation. Andrew Bell, chief executive of Norwich International Airport, said: “One of the Airport’s core strategic objectives is to become a thriving centre of excellence in the aviation Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul business.”

The ambitious Aeropark project is another facility that will be based at Norwich Airport, after being granted planning permission this July. Both initiatives are set to boost local employment and the local economy in the future, with the potential of creating up to 1,400 new jobs. The academy is set to open by 2015.

Chloe MooreNews reporter

Aviation academy takes off with help of UEA

“One in four workless young people claim

housing benefit” “Students contribute to regional value creation

and employment”

Amid both domestic and international tensions regarding the wearing of religious face coverings, the University of East Anglia has hosted the first public screening

of a new documentary that looks into the experiences of three Muslim women who wear the Islamic veil. On 2 October 2013, I Wasn’t Always Dressed Like This was aired to an audience in a Lecture Theatre, followed by a Q&A with the writer and producer.

The documentary interviews Islamic

women, who all live in the UK, regarding their experiences and opinions on their religious dress.

The film focuses on issues surrounding individual choice and a personal experience with religion, whilst looking to dispel

stereotypes that surround the veil, such as issues of consent.

Betty Martins, who wrote and produced the documentary has said: “I want people to see these women as they want to be seen, not as people would like to see them.”

Recently in the UK, David Cameron has promised to “back up” schools and courts who request that people remove Muslim veils. However, despite many Conservative MPs being supportive of a full ban on the veil, Mr Cameron has said that: “we are a free country and people should be free to

wear whatever clothes they like in public or in private. But we should support those institutions that need to put in place rules so that those institutions can work properly.”

Debates surrounding reasonable accommodation of religious rights versus secularism in Europe and the western world may continue on, but I Wasn’t Always Dressed Like this allows a behind the scenes look into the rationale behind the wearing of religious face coverings and lends another perspective to the continuing debate.

New research by Dr Amy Godoy-Pressland of the UEA’s School of Education and Lifelong Learning has shown women are under-represented and sexualised in weekend sports reporting.

It is the first study to examine how sports reporting and gender differs at the weekend, particularly on Sunday’s, from weekday reporting.

The study found that over the course of two years, five national UK papers commited 21,531 (93.8%) of articles to sportsmen, and just 826 (3.6%) to sportswomen. Despite the success of female athletes at the London 2012 Olympic Games and what Dr Godoy-Pressland views as the “very gender equal” media during the time, the number of articles have since decreased again.

Furthermore, of the 25,717 photographs accompanying sport articles in the papers, only 1,780 (6.9%) have been of women. In many of the pictures, the women’s bodies had been sexualised and their sports performance overlooked in favour of photographs which showed them to be nude, semi-nude or in revealing clothes. Additionally, up to a third of the depicted women were not actual athletes, but the wives and girlfriends of sportsmen.

According to Dr Godoy-Pressland, it is clear from the research that Sunday newspapers promote the weekend as a “male preserve, not only in the level of coverage devoted to sportsmen and women, but by the language and images used and the choice of stories.”

Dr Godoy-Pressland’s research was published in the Journal Leisure Studies.

News 508/10/13 Issue 286 concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

Geraldine ScottNews Reporter

Sunday newspapers are a “male preserve”,

study findsKathryn FoxNews Reporter

Documentary film explores Muslim women’s experiences behind the veil

A study conducted by UEA-based Environmental Economists has revealed that allowing land use decisions to be determined solely by a heavily subsidised agricultural market will result in substantial financial and environmental costs to the public.

The project was funded by partners in the Global Food Security (GFS) programme and published in the journal ‘Science’. It shows that reforming the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy to consider non-market environmental benefits and to reward farmers financially for delivering ecosystem services could lead to net

financial gains nationally. This could also improve environmental management of the British landscape through pollution reduction, enhanced recreation spaces, and biodiversity habitat improvements.

Professor Ian Bateman, who led the study by the University of East Anglia’s School of Environmental Sciences, further highlighted the environmental importance of such a reform, stating: “It is absolutely vital that impacts which are difficult to put a price on, such as a loss of biodiversity, are incorporated into land use policy”.

Professor Bateman also elaborated on the approach that should be taken towards such a change in policy, saying: “No single policy will be optimal everywhere. Our findings show that a targeted approach towards decision making is best”.

James MillsNews Reporter

UEA economists show the true cost of farming

to the UK economy

Want to Write for Concrete News?

Email Andrew and Lara at concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

“I want people to see these women as they

want to be seen, not as people would like to see

them.”

Eddie arrives looking sharp. He’s dressed in a tailored black suit, ankle boots with 50s-style specs. A bit of chic for a French show perhaps. The room we’re given to interview Eddie Izzard unfortunately isn’t so glamorous. We meet in the UEA Finance office; just one blue sofa and one blue chair, in a very blue, very carpeted room.

Eddie is friendly and chatty as soon as he steps through the door, and we instantly begin talking. After a brief confusion over the photographer’s name (Kieran) and my name (Ciara), this unexpectedly leads to a masterclass on how to do a Northern Irish accent (I tell him Ciara is an Irish name and my dad is from Derry). We spend about five minutes repeating ‘Weetabix’ with a Belfast slant, and ‘hau nau braun cau.’ We then quickly and sensibly move on from accents onto languages.

His show, Stripped Tout en Français was announced with short notice and sold-out immediately, happily coinciding with UEA’s 50th Anniversary celebrations. To some, one of Britain’s most popular comedians performing a whole show in french on home-turf might seem risky, so why do an entire tour? “Well, I’m ambitious – but you can be ambitious and negative. I feel like I want to reach out with an open hand; some people reach out with a closed-fist, I’m an open-hand person. I was born in Yemen, I’ve lived in Northern Ireland and South Wales, and I like languages.” He shows me his metallic red manicure. On his set of glossy nails he has one Union Jack and one European Union flag transfer. “Seeing as I’m a British-European transvestite, I should put my money where my mouth is.”

Eddie’s enthusiasm for language is coupled with his love of Europe, not shy of professing his ardent support of the

European Union. “It’s quite difficult to make a governmental system sexy. The idea was to stop people from killing each other.” For Eddie, the learning of languages and the continuation of

cooperation in the EU are interlinked. “Arthur Smith, who is going to introduce me tonight – he did the first ever French gig in Paris, ten minutes it was, and then I’m going to take this further and drive this through and then I’m going to do German next year, then hopefully Spanish at the end of next year or in 2015, then Russian, then Arabic.”

He continues, “touring France, which I’ve started doing, is just beautiful. I saw French people fighting to sell out my show and it blows my mind.”

I ask if doing a show in French in a very un-bilingual country might perhaps be seen as niche. “I think people see it (speaking French) as ‘other’ rather than niche. Learning a language might sometimes be seen as niche, but right-wingers in Europe tend to go “oh they’re so ‘other’ they’re so different to us” What I’m trying to do is show the similarity between us.” Even he admits that learning new languages, potentially for an entire stand up show “scares the shit out of me.” Yet, he holds the strong belief that it isn’t an exclusive talent. “Learning a language is like driving a car. Some people are not the sharpest people, but you would never say “they’re so un-sharp they can’t drive car.””

Eddie is a huge advocate of European standups coming to perform in Britain, such as German standup Michael Mittermeier. “The Russians the Germans and the French; if they’re doing are doing it (standup) in English, hopefully I can do it in German and eventually Russian.” He reiterates that this mixing of languages is a way of bringing people in Europe together. “A lot of people aren’t following what I’m doing, it doesn’t seem they’re beating

a path in, maybe if I make more money doing this, then maybe they might. It’s quite hard, but it’s not that hard.”

Stripped Tout en Français has

gone down a storm where it has been performed, however his plan

for a standup tour in French had inauspicious beginnings. “It was a complete and utter failure. Authur Smith did ten minutes and I think did pretty good, but I did an atrocious five minutes. I got so scared I couldn’t remember French.”

Eddie’s standup routines often have the Python-esque surreal narrative, which one would think might not sit will with French audiences, and that he would perhaps have to change his material. “No, I don’t. There is a mainstream sense of humour in every country. Alternatives will do more surreal, out-there stuff. Like all us surreal guys, the Python’s children, they exist in France and Germany. The audiences exist there, you just have to find them.”

We round up the interview but I have one last, very important question: what is “covered in bees” in French? This turned out not to be a simple question. “Ooh good point...” he pauses and has a think. “Couvert des abeilles? Il a été... No... something like that... I’m going to look it up now. I’ll do it in the direct translation, this should be fun.” He whips out his iPhone and quickly tries to Google the answer. “Je suis couvert chez des abeilles? That’s weird. Home of the bees. That’s wrong. Je suis couvert des abeilles. That’s what it is.” You can download his show, Stripped Tout en Français from the french iTunes, and Stripped from the UK website.

6 Special Feature08/10/13Issue 286

Ciara JackVenue editor

Interview: Concrete meets Eddie Izzard

Kieran Rogers

Kieran Rogers

“I saw French people fighting to sell out my show, and that blew

my mind”

“Hopefully I can do standup in

English, German and eventually Russian”

September came, the nights drew in, and three political parties met separately in the hope that they would be able to defeat winter and make the world light again, or something like that. Here is an overview of what happened arranged and presented in a biased fashion.

The Lib Dems started off the season with the slogan (which is a hashtag, but

in the real world) ‘Stronger Economy … Fairer Society’ and you cannot say better than that really can you? This, coupled with policies such as free school meals for primary school children, and a commitment to further the increase of the income tax threshold even more than they have done already.

These policies are sweet. Too sweet, a cynical man might say, considering what we know about Lib Dems and promises. However, the Lib Dems are obviously, as Nick Clegg laid out in his speech, trying to

say that they are the nice to the Tories’ nasty. That they have and will go on to exclude the worse of the Tory policy and indeed will go on to sanitise any future Coalition, be it with Labour or the Conservatives. And I think they mean and believe it.

Now, to Brighton and we have Ed Miliband screaming the chosen slogan: “Britain can do better than this!”, and you cannot help but agree with the audiences ferocious nodding. Policies in pursuit of this include the two year price freeze on fuel, a tax on big business which will fund tax breaks for small businesses, and a new

plan to get Britain building 200,000 new homes every year by 2020.

Miliband also began decrying the divide and rule politics of the Conservatives, pitting old against young and those in work against those out of work as he put, and I feel in that he struck a chord with the electorate.

And that brings us on to the Conservative Conference in Manchester. The slogans here were ‘Land of Opportunity For All’ and ‘For Hardworking People’. So we have one that alludes to every good Conservative’s deep desire to be American

and create opportunity through ruthless capitalism, while the other slogan tells us that far from being the party of ‘all’ they are only the party of the people they deem

‘hardworking’ enough. Hey, I said it would be biased.

Honestly, the Conservative conference sent chills down my spine. This is because, just as Labour have lurched to the left to some extent, I would say the Tories have lurched to the right. They want to encourage people into work or education by taking the benefits away from under 25’s, which follows the ethos that if you take away the ladder they can build one themselves. Not always possible if your family do not have money or your education has been poor. A second example is the commitment to get rid of the Human Rights Act. Theresa May ridiculously stated that it puts the law on the side of the criminals. Rather, it puts the law on the side of the individual and makes sure the state treats every human being with the dignity they inherently deserve.

Anyway, those are a few thoughts on the conferences. If the conferences show one thing for sure it is that there is going to be a real choice between right and left in 2015.

Looking at the Political Party conferencesStuart BellComment Writer

Comment 708/10/13 Issue 286 concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk

History was apparently made when Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, received a phone call from Barack Obama at the United Nations assembly last month. It marked the first time in 27 years that senior leaders of each government had talked directly, and - besides exchanging the usual sycophantic pleasantries - they reportedly discussed their mutual desire to rapidly resolve the ‘nuclear issue’ that has divided them for so long.

Some quickly lauded this as the first sign of an American/Iranian rapprochement, however, to those well versed in the history of these two states it is clear that there remain some major challenges before cordial relations can really be back on the table. Fundamentally, any agreement with Iran must include substantial (or total) relaxation of the sanctions enacted by the US and the European Union. Secondly, Iran will not accept any offer that forfeits its indisputable right to the peaceful use of nuclear technology. While there has been

some suggestion of eventual reductions in sanctions, in many sectors of the US policy machine Iran’s retention of nuclear technology is unthinkable. Indeed, these hardliners follow a path laid by Israeli president, Benjamin Netanyahu—a keen advocate of pre-emptive strikes and regime change in Tehran.

This is not to say there are not hardliners on the Iranian side. Rouhani’s car was pelted with eggs and shoes by protestors incensed that he would entertain talks with “the Great Satan”, America. Indeed, chants of “death to America” are not uncommon, but it must be remembered that Iran’s people suffer terribly by the international sanctions - just as Iraq’s people before them. They have led to great deficits in medicine and standard of living, and this serves only to further embitter the populace.

To those who ask why Iran won’t just roll over and die, the answer is clear. Imagining for a moment that such hawkish ambitions did not exist among the higher echelons of the US government, Iranians have already

had two clear examples of states that surrendered their nuclear programmes: Iraq and Libya. They too have a partner in nuclear ambition - one far more dangerous than Iraq ever was - whose regime nonetheless lives and breathes today: North Korea. Of Iraq and Libya’s leaders, the first was hanged in a military base and the second shot in a ditch. Neither would have perished without American backing, and the

possession of a nuclear arsenal (or at least the capability to develop one) has proven to be the only dependable guarantee against such transgressions.

Whether progress in their relationship can be made will be almost entirely determined by the flexibility of Obama’s diplomacy. Intransigence will only beget frustration and escalation; America would be wise to avoid yet another conflict in the Middle East.

Matthew FinucaneComment Writer

America and Iran have challenges yet to come

“These policies are sweet. Too

sweet a cynical man might say”

“A second bad example is the commitment to get rid of the

Humans Rights Act”

Wikimedia

The Spectator

Could complaining on Twitter get you in hot water?

Social media has quickly become a medium on which members of the general public complain to big corporations regarding substandard products, customer service issues, or just look for guidance.

Due to the instantaneous nature of social networking websites such as Twitter, the gap between large corporations and the customer has shrunk, allowing 140 rage induced characters to be directed straight at the company involved. It only takes one look at the timeline of Student Finance England (@SF_England) or Greater Anglia (@greateranglia) to see that the public relations representatives responsible for answering these queries are desperate to portray a positive and helpful image, regardless of the quantity of complaints.

However, Mark Leiser (@mleiser),

a supervised PhD law student at Strathclyde University, found that tweeting comments regarding a delay to budget airline EasyJet did not offer any guidance or support but rather a confrontation with the manager of EasyJet at Glasgow Airport. After being informed that the delays had held up a serving solider who was on route to take part in active service, Mr Leiser vented on Twitter.

The resulting clash with members of EasyJet staff, who went on to inform Mr Leiser that he would not be allowed on the flight because of the tweet, raises serious issues not only regarding freedom of speech but also questions surrounding information security. Revealing information on other passengers travelling on that flight is a breach not only of the soldier’s privacy, but also a possible security risk given the nature of the person’s occupation.

Mr Leiser was eventually allowed to travel on the Glasgow to Gatwick flight

after demonstrating that he did, indeed, understand the law surrounding the circumstances. However, this could signal the beginning of the changing nature of large corporate presences on social media, from a helpful direct line to a team of customer service representatives, to individual staff members taking it upon themselves to follow up on comments made. This vigilante system

of PR does nothing for the image of the company, but also severs a unique form of communication between these two entities. Shamefully, this may mean that names such as EasyJet gain a reputation for punishing their critics, effectively silencing those who may wish to weigh in, and therefore not allowing companies to constructively use this feedback to their advantage.

David Cameron has recently come under scrutiny after backing away from the question of whether or not he is a feminist. When asked, he stated: “I don’t know what I’d call myself...it’s up to others to attach labels.”

Admittedly, the question does place Cameron in tricky territory – there’s been heated debate over whether it’s possible to

be a Conservative feminist, and even more over whether it’s possible to be a male feminist. As leader of the Conservative party and one of the nation’s foremost males – our top Tory Y-chromosome, if you will – you can see his conundrum. And, sadly, having a Prime Minister call himself a feminist at a time when many women are themselves reluctant to would be a surprising move.

Maybe he avoids all labels, aiming to appeal to a wider demographic through ideological fence-sitting. Or maybe, like many, he’s bought in to stereotypes and is wary of associating himself with feminism lest he be expected to rock up at parliament in dungarees, hurling copies of The Female Eunuch at backbenchers.

Still, given that he represents a party

that, despite boasting our only female PM, is male-dominated and surrounded by notions of ‘old boys’ clubs’ and white male privilege, making a definitive statement about feminism probably wouldn’t do Cameron much harm. Ultimately, being a feminist wouldn’t compel him to radical policy overhauls. Quite literally, it would mean advocating the equality of women at a government level – something his hasty add-on of “But I believe that men and women should be treated equally” would (if meant sincerely) confirm anyway.

Perhaps the labelling of Cameron’s stances should be left to the ages. But while tags like “stuck-up public schoolboy” and “camp gammon robot” are past his control, ‘feminist’ is a label that people usually ascribe to themselves with as much passion and belief as ‘liberal’, ‘socialist’ or indeed ‘Conservative’.

So while no one’s asking him to launch into a rendition of Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves at the next party conference, seeing Cameron align himself with the more modern man by showing some support for feminism - if only for the sake of his wife, sisters and daughters (not to mention the 51% of his electorate that happen to be female) - might actually do his ever-shrinking approval ratings some good.

However, if the Sisters performance does go ahead, then I nominate George Osborne to be the Aretha Franklin to Cameron’s Annie Lennox.

David Cameron: Man, tory... feminist?

The run-up to Halloween has already seen two of our biggest supermarkets in trouble. Both Tesco and Asda have hastily withdrawn and apologised for two of their Halloween costumes, one described as a “psycho ward” costume and the other as a “mental patient” costume.

Asda’s “mental patient” ensemble consisted of a torn and blood-stained tunic which came with its very own plastic meat cleaver, whilst Tesco’s “psycho ward”

costume was essentially an orange boiler suit with a plastic jaw restraint (think Hannibal Lecter). No faux-weaponry was provided with Tesco’s outfit but worry not - the website suggested ways to “complete the look” with a fake machete.

Mental health charity Mind has released a statement criticising the supermarkets for being “out of touch” and accusing them of “fuelling stigma.” Huge numbers of people have spoken out against the insensitivity of the outfits, and they are right to be offended.

People with mental health problems generally do not wander around covered in blood. Nor do those who spend time in mental health hospitals (or “psycho wards” as Tesco so sensitively describes

them) walk the streets brandishing various weapons.

What people with mental health problems do face is a stigma which still runs deep in our society. The promotion of the myth that those with mental health problems are violent or are a minority to be feared is damaging. One in four people will experience mental health problems at some point, and a reluctance to seek help is a huge issue. Misperceptions of mental illness can make it all the more difficult for individuals to take the first steps in asking for help.

Whilst there was an outcry of disbelief that such a poorly considered product was ever allowed onto the shelves, there was a predictable chorus of “political correctness gone mad!” across social media.

But this really isn’t so much about political correctness as it is about pure and simple correctness. Politics has nothing to do with this issue, labelling something as a “mental patient” costume when it bears absolutely no resemblance or accuracy is incorrect. Not only is it incorrect, it also perpetuates the idea that mental illnesses and those who suffer from them are to be feared.

At least some positives have come out of this whole fiasco. Mental illness and our perceptions of it have been thrust into the limelight. Above all, it was heartening to see such an outpouring of support for those affected by mental health problems, showing that the ill-considered use of utterly false stereotypes is not something

Harry MasonComment Writer

Geri ScottComment Writer

Rosie YatesComment Writer

8 Comment08/20/13Issue 286concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk

Mental Health insensitivity results in public outcry

“The question does place

Cameron in tricky territory” “They are right to be offended”

digimonica.com

Due to my mother’s inability to throw anything away, even if the items are completely useless and uncomplimentary to the house, I spent most of my childhood with a set of half-broken marionette clown puppets suspended along the walls in my hallway and up the stairs. That will probably sound disturbing to many reading this article, and in my opinion, there are only a few things more unnerving than coming home after a heavy night out to a dark hallway with many small eyes staring at you. However, having these unusual stringed dolls around the house has meant that I’m not scared of clowns.

Having a phobia, (the definition of which is to have an irrational fear of something) is common amongst almost all of us and most fears fade away by adolescence. The fear of clowns, Coulrophobia, is one of many common phobias. In 2008, the University of Sheffield surveyed 250 children aged 4-16 about their opinion of the brightly dressed performers and they found that

the majority disliked and feared them. This evidence is quite challenging as many children’s entertainers dress up in their spotty jumpsuits and white make-up to actually make the kids laugh. This therefore

can only make us wonder, why do people find clowns so scary?

The origin of a phobia is unknown and many professors and experts in the study of phobias argue whether it is associated with your genes and the fears your family have, or whether they are learnt through interactions at an early age. The study carried out by the University of Sheffield found that 1 in 7 children and teenagers have a fear of clowns to a certain degree. It is easy to see how, as clowns are so closely associated with horror and violence through the media industry. Within the film sector alone, clowns are often used as a

disguise and are associated with horror and negativity. For example, the 1990s miniseries It, the Saw saga and the famous Joker in the recent Batman films probably left many of their viewers having nightmares or hiding behind the sofa. The negative image of clowns has impacted many people’s views of these talented performers and therefore children grow up with a stigma against them.

However, a recent scheme carried out in Great Ormond Street Hospital and around the world found that clowns are beneficial to sick children by reducing their anxiety and creating natural pain relievers. ‘Giggle Doctors’ work in pairs and often perform to a ward of around 20 patients. This scheme shines light on both the wonderful work that is being carried in our hospitals, but also that not all clowns are angry, menacing criminals like the ones portrayed in films.

Clowns shouldn’t be feared and the terror of a clown itself is minimal. It is time to start embracing our red nosed, smiley friends and subside the negative images the media is forcing upon them. Really the worst thing a circus clown is going to do is spray you with water, so you’ll be fine.

In the UK the government controls a majority in the House of Commons and can compel its members to support its budget. In the US however, the President, House of Representatives, and Senate can find themselves opposed.

Presently, the House is controlled by the Republicans, the Senate controlled by the Democrats, setting the stage for a budget that eternally bounces between the two. This partisan battle had been raging throughout September. On the1st October the federal government ran out of money and, without authorisation of a new budget from Congress, was forced to “shutdown”.

In simple terms, the federal government is running on air until Congress gets its act together. Most federal offices have closed, and employees are at home, hoping Congress will back-pay them once everything is

up and running again.Some essential services are still

running – air traffic control, for example – but in the District of Columbia, home to the nation’s capital, all of their money comes direct from the federal government. This means the city government has shut down along with its federal parent and for residents, that means no garbage collections (though, fortunately, it also means no parking wardens).

The US military are expected to keep working, being paid with IOUs.

The House and Senate have been split since 2011. What makes this budget different from its predecessors is the President’s flagship healthcare reform – so-called “Obamacare” – which came into force the day the government shut down. In exchange for allowing the government to borrow more money to continue its operations, House Republicans wished

to delay Obamacare. Senate Democrats disagreed, and continually rejected the House-approved budget.

Barack Obama weighed-in, accusing

Republicans of holding the nation to ransom. Republicans in turn point to the dismal public support of Obamacare, and, after all, they were elected on their policies as legitimately as their Senate counterparts.

For now the US finds itself in limbo, and some of the only federal employees whose pay cheques won’t bounce this month, are those that deserve it the least – the politicians. Everyone has made their point; all that is being achieved now is a record low level of public satisfaction with Congress.

There is, at least, one piece of good news: the Ku Klux Klan have been forced to cancel an upcoming rally at Gettysburg after the federally-funded National Park Service closed its gates nationwide.

The US shutdown showdownAlex GeorgeComment Writer

Comment 908/10/13 Issue 286 concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk

Amy RustComment Writer

Why are we so scared of clowns?

Flickr: Images_of_money

“In simple terms, the federal

government is running on air until

Congress gets its act together”

“Those whose pay cheques

won’t bounce are those that

deserve”

“A phobia is common amongst

almost all of us and most fears fade

away with age”

4.bp.blogspot

The last part of September was incredibly bloody in Pakistan - 38 people were killed in a car bomb blast in Peshawar, just miles from the site of another bombing that targeted the All Saints church just one week earlier, killing 85. A bus bombing that killed 21 government employees and three other militant attacks in the country’s most sparsely populated province also barely registered on the news desks of UK media agencies. Nor did the earthquake in the same fortnight that left over 100 people dead.

Such tragedies should be headline news, and yet the deaths of innocent civilians in the continuing violence in the country seem to be ‘old news’ for the media. Terrorism and violence in Pakistan is no longer considered newsworthy despite the devastation it continues to bring to the lives of ordinary people there. However, as soon as there is a hint of a connection between terrorism and Britons, particularly somewhere that is considered ‘safe’, such as an opulent mall frequented by ex-pats in Nairobi or in Capitol Hill, the story is plastered across British media.

Although any links to terrorism have been refuted in the recent incident in Washington D.C., any attempt to breach security at the White House seemingly merits coverage. It has emerged that a woman driving a car with a one-year-old child in the backseat attempted to get through a security checkpoint, and when challenged, she fled, leading police on a car chase through the streets of Washington D.C. Tensions in the US are high after 12 people were shot dead in a naval yard last month, and government

buildings were placed on lock-down until the all-clear was given.

The terrorist attack in the Westgate mall was splashed across front pages because Kenya is not a country where terror attacks happen frequently – and of course because of the speculation that British nationals were involved. Al-Shabaab militants, who have been linked to Al-Qaeda, killed many people in the attacks, indiscriminately gunning down civilians during the 80-hour siege. It is unclear how many people died in the collapse of the building which occurred as a result of the four days of fighting but at least 67 are known to have been killed.

The ‘war on terror’ seems to have merely encouraged the very type of attacks it aimed to wage battle on. It has even been suggested that following the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan in 2014 groups such as the Taliban will use the opportunity to manipulate the situation in the country to reclaim some power. Terror attacks are more common now, arguably as a result of the inappropriate intervention in crises such as these by Western powers. There is a tangible sense of anger in the aftermath of the Kenyan attack, and amongst civilians in countries like Afghanistan where people are tired of violence and bloodshed. In his short film recently screened at UEA, “15 Million Afghans”, Guy Smallman explores the reaction of local people to their situation, including the poverty that has not been alleviated by Western intervention, as well as the pervasive atmosphere of fear. From their responses, and those of people in similar situations around the globe, it would appear that it is the War on Terror that deserves to be ‘old news’.

War of Terror

As part of a speech he gave to the UN on the 27 September, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg called for reform of the United Nations so that the institution could better represent “the world we live in today”. He claimed that if change was not forthcoming, the UN would become “a relic of a different time.”

The issue that Clegg has chosen to champion is not a new idea, which is the first hurdle the international community would need to negotiate. Fear of change and reform is engrained in society, from the scale of small rural

communities to international coalitions; hence why previous calls for reform have been met with silence or half-hearted agreement.

Specifically, Clegg spoke of making room “at the top table”, meaning granting permanent membership on the UN Security Council to states which have seen their global importance rise exponentially over the last few decades.

The UN was created in the aftermath of the Second World War, the Security Council put together by the victorious Allies - the United States of America, the former Soviet Union, China, Britain and France. Naturally, a quick assessment of the last 68 years will show that the state of our world has changed significantly

and that the world is much more multi-polar than it was during the cold war. Therefore reform seems only natural, and there are many candidates from which to choose such as Brazil, India, Germany, Mexico or South Africa.

The issues with reform refer back to the idea of resistance to change. Those countries which have already carved up the “top table” may be somewhat reluctant to “make room” for more countries all holding their own opinions and seeking to achieve their own goals.

As the US has recently failed to garner support for direct military intervention in Syria to remove Bashar al-Assad’s chemical weapon stockpiles (due to the dogged stand taken by Mr.

Putin), is there going to be much desire to see additional states to weigh in on matters of crisis? There is, of course, the view that “too many cooks spoil the broth”; if there are more countries involved in global security decisions the process of decision-making may get tied up in endless rolls of red tape.

Mr. Clegg sums up very simply by stating “we are stronger together, than apart”. Reform of the UN Security Council is unavoidable if global issues such as extreme poverty, global warming and the AIDS pandemic are to be successfully dealt with. What is more, we are now at a point in history where change not only makes sense, but is realistically achievable.

UN Security Council reform - a load of hot air?Joe JamesonGlobal writer

Harry Maxwell-JonesGlobal writer

10 Global08/10/13Issue 286concrete.global@uea.ac.uk

On 3 October a boat carrying hundreds of migrants en route from numerous African countries sank off the coast of Lampudesa in the Mediterranean Sea. This is not the first time a tragedy such as this has happened, and it is likely not the last - countries like Malta, Greece and Italy often see vast numbers of migrants arriving in boats from Africa hoping to make better lives for themselves in Europe.

The deaths of migrants, who are often escaping human rights abuses in countries such as Libya, Egypt and Sudan, register low on the priority list of some nations, with countries like Malta stubbornly refusing to help those stranded on several occasions, despite calls to deal with the situation on humanitarian grounds.

More than 100 people have lost their lives this week, with a further

200 registered missing. The chances of death on the perilous journey to Europe are high, but the situation faced in many of the migrants’ home countries is enough to drive them to try their luck at the gates of the EU.

Tough immigration policies mean that the journey is often fruitless, and migrants are held in facilities like Yarl’s Wood detention centre in the UK, which has a reputation for abusing detainees.

Migrants are routinely exploited by traffickers who organise the trips, often overcrowding vessels beyond safe and legal limits. A man accused of organising the disastrous Lampudesa crossing has been arrested, but the lucrative trade will no doubt continue until the problems that cause people to emigrate have been addressed. Until then, there will be more tragedies, more deaths, and more scenes like those at the port this morning, described by the Mayor, Giusi Nicolini, as “horrific, like a cemetery. They are still bringing (the dead) out.”

Ella GilbertGlobal editor

Hundreds perish in LampudesaIndependent.co.uk

It would be so easy to simply surf along, still on the high left from the summers sun, to go from night out to night out and from lie-in to lie-in. However, the fact is that the new term is well and truly underway, and it is time for all second and final years to crack down. The freedom of freshers is over. Your deadlines are fast approaching and this time they count.

This whole year counts; remember that. Going into your final year without any hope of achieving your aspired end grade would be a sickening feeling. Avoid it. Even those students who, after a care-free summer, sit contently on a comfortable 2.1, this is not time to get complacent and watch your sparkling grades lose their shine. Here are a few top tips to help you get motivated for a year of success.

1. Build a routine. Welcome Week is always pretty chaotic, so you can be forgiven for not having found your way by the end of week two. But now it’s time to find what works for you. Make a timetable or a ‘to-do’ list. It may sound a little childish, but it really works. It’s good to know what you are doing and when you are doing it, then you’ll know what free time you have.

2. Limit nights out. A declaration of

‘I’m never going to the LCR again!’ is indisputably more than a step too far. However, would it be so unreasonable to suggest only going out once week? Maybe go out more when you have reached your deadlines or it’s your best friend’s birthday. At the very least, aiming to be absent of a hangover the next morning is also a great idea if you want to avoid writing off an entire day.

3. Get up early. It’s amazing how much you can get done when you decide to get up before midday. ‘Ten more minutes...’ is a phrase uttered by all of us, but forcing yourself to get up may be all it takes to get that essay finished. Even starting your work an hour earlier than you already do could make a huge difference.

4. Leave Facebook for later. Logging onto any social network site early in the day is a sure-fire way to slip into

a dark abyss from which there is no return. Once logged on, you will be forever clicking refresh to see if your friend who you haven’t spoken to for three years has uploaded anymore photos of her new puppy, or you’ll be glued to Youtube searching for videos of Hitler-like cats. Maybe leave the joys of the internet for an evening activity, and concentrate on managing your growing workload in the day.

5. Reward yourself. Whatever your treat may be, be sure to get enough of

them. Whether it’s deciding that you can have a cup of tea and a biscuit once you’ve read to the bottom of the page, or allowing yourself a trip to the cinema if you get your essay plan finished, rewarding yourself can be an effective way of completing your work. Set targets, reward yourself. Easy.

Everyone has their own ways of getting motivated and avoiding procrastination but this is a good start. The best piece of advice? Remember, this year counts, don’t let it pass you by.

The Second Year Slump: how to stay motivated at universityFeatures writer Sarah Boughen has some words of wisdom to all students struggling to adapt to life post Welcome Week

Your new best fresher friendsFeatures writer Sarah Roberts lists the types of people that all students will meet in their first year. Have you met any of them yet?

Features 1108/10/13 Issue 286 concrete.features@uea.ac.uk

“The freedom of freshers

is over. Your deadlines are

fast approaching and this

time they count”

Most people spent their first two weeks at uni in a whirl of meeting as many new people as possible, whether it’s new classmates in the lecture theatre or BFF’s the LCR smoking area. Here are just a few of the characters that you have more than likely run into so far on campus.

The Over EnthusiastThe Over Enthusiast will be a

member of at least four different societies by the end of the first week and they will be writing their flat number on every Facebook page inviting people to parties in their hallway. Having an Over Enthusiast in your flat can be a nuisance if your room is next to the kitchen but it’s not all bad news. They’ll probably know all the best nights in town after long hours of research over the summer!

The Cry BabyThe ultimate Debbie Downer, the

Cry Baby will ruin every night out

before it has even begun. And the worst part is that they will make you realize how much you miss your mum, too. So be kind because it could be you blubbering next!

The Re-inventorWe all come to Uni with a desire to

better ourselves, but The Re-inventor takes that desire to new extremes. They will probably tell you everything you could ever need to know about their clique at school, which probably wasn’t actually their clique at school. The problem is that you may only realize this person is not who they say they are half way through the year.

The Wannabe DJThe Wannabe DJ defines themselves

by their music taste. Unable to sit still at any predrinks, they will be dominating the Itunes playlist, desperate to educate everyone on their vastly superior song choices. After recommending you twenty underground and unheard of

bands, the DJ will probably fade into obscurity when he discovers your Britney Spears obsession.

The First Time DrunkRemember when you were 15 and

you got drunk in a very messy, very annoying way? Well this fresher didn’t do that when they were 15 so they are doing it now. Unless you want to spend your years at university feeling like you’re re-living your first house party where you spent the entire night with your head over the toilet, this friend may be more useful to take with you to the library than to the LCR.

The Instant CoupleYou probably won’t know these

two very well because two days into freshers week they decided they were moving in together for the rest of uni and broke off all ties with the outside world. If you do happen to know a member of the Instant Couple, cherish every conversation, because come

second year they’ll be too tied down to their significant other to venture outside.

The HermitYou might meet a Hermit in first

year, but then again you might not. If it’s more than two weeks into the year and you still haven’t met that elusive sixth housemate then chances are that ship has sailed and you won’t hear much from them aside from the odd scuffle under a door or the sound of a kettle boiling at six in the morning

The LadYou will probably bump into The

Lad somewhere along Prince Of Wales Road. They could be in a number of different scenarios, these include being initiated into a sports team, throwing up on themselves outside Mercy, trying to jump the queue at Mantra or ordering four meals at a kebab shop. Do not be afraid, they can be tamed with nothing more than a VK and a bit of banter.

Photo: Lee Burgess

Features 1308/10/13 Issue 286 concrete.features@uea.ac.uk08/10/13Issue 286concrete.features@uea.ac.uk12

You are what you tweetYou’ve just recovered after a wild night out at the LCR. You check your phone only to discover a camera roll full of pictures that have the potential to rival the current exploits of Miley Cyrus. So what do you do with said images? Upload them straight to Facebook of course.

We are the internet generation, and sharing information about our lives online has become almost second nature to us. Social networking sites such as Facebook (which has over 1.5 billion users worldwide) and Twitter (which has roughly 500 million users) have become somewhat of a safe haven to us,. With gadgets such as laptops, phones and kindles providing ease of access to the internet, and Wi-Fi hot spots popping up almost everywhere you go, we now have even more opportunities throughout our day to like someone’s excruciatingly long status about the unfairness of life, or to retweet a few lines of hopelessly romantic song lyrics.

Whilst detailing our innermost thoughts and feelings on social media pages can be extremely relieving, it could also become a potential issue for us in the future. Every status we write, every photo we upload, every painstakingly thought out 140 characters that we tweet- they all say something about

who we are as an individual. But do we ever pause long enough to decide whether our posts create a positive or negative image of us? And who is really paying enough attention to notice?

Online branding is happening all

the time. By simply having an account on a social media site, you have created something which in itself is arguably a virtual representation of yourself. Your likes, dislikes and your opinions are laid bare for everyone to see, by your own admission. Think about the most recent status you posted on Facebook or the last tweet you sent: Without even realising it, you could have just possibly added another bit of fuel to the fire of your own online brand, but you may get burnt from it in the long run.

While Facebook and Twitter are helpful in terms of connecting you with people around the world, they can also be helpful tools for employers to use when making a decision about a candidate for an important job position. Right now, quite understandably, you might not be too interested in what your future employer will one day think of you. You’re a university student, you want to go out and party, meet new people and have such a good time that you won’t remember

half of it the next morning. But what if your drunken antics could one day cost you your dream job?

To some degree, we can think of our social networking accounts as being relatively private, potentially because with the right settings, we are able to limit the number of people who can see our profiles. However not everyone is keen on limits. Some people prefer their account to be “open for business”, with everyone and anyone being able to see their information, including those potential future employers. Of course, settings can be changed at any given time, but if you still aren’t in favour of that option, then there’s another easy solution: just try and be a little more selective about what you’re putting onto your page in order to be sure that the image you are cultivating of yourself is one that you can be proud of.

If all else fails, simply ask yourself a quick question before you click post; would you let your mother see it?

Everytime we use social media, we are creating an online brand of ourselves for the world to see. Features writer Courtney Pouchin discusses the effect and impact that this has on us.

Photo: Jason A Howie

The six people we all know on Social MediaFeatures writer Louis Cheslaw lists the types of social network users that we love to loathe.

It is fair to say, judging by the amount of PhDs being completed on the subject and editorials venting about it, that social media has become engrained in, if not become the essence of, our day-to-day life. Now that the excitement around these new things has faded, patterns have begun to form, and certain personality types are beginning to appear in virtual packs. So without further ado, here are Six Types of People We All Know online…and where to find them.

Mr. Webcam

Every profile picture of this user, without relent, has been taken against the same background, from the same webcam. Rarely does the expression on the face within the grainy image change, even if the subject has experimented with some of the more dubious effects offered by Photo Booth. This person probably still uses AOL, socialises on MSN and turns off their computer between uses, but are still convinced that they are completely web savvy.

Most likely found on: Facebook, MSN,

Myspace and maybe even Bebo.

The Streamliner

Whenever this person uploads an image to Instagram, a clip to Vine, or an album to Facebook, the information is fired across their various feeds. This immediate chain reaction ensures that it is impossible to miss the important fact that their Cappuccino came with heart-shaped powder on the foam. This particular breed may well be friends with…

Lady Location

Just in-case the gargantuan 02 logo behind Beyoncé’s head didn’t make it clear enough, this person will be sure to tag 02 Arena/Beyoncé/London on the photo that they have posted, so that the rest of us can bask in the glow of their globe-trotter lifestyle. If you ask them how the show was you probably won’t get much of a recap, but ask who ‘liked’ their upload during the performance and you’ll need to spare at least a few hours.

Both of these types are most likely found on: Instagram, Twitter, Keek, Facebook, anything that allows Geotagging.

The Excessive Poster

This person would also be in the crew of The Streamliner and Lady Location, but only were they not so careless with their

sharing. It’s as if whatever they’re doing doesn’t count unless it’s made public. Every aspect of their life, from their breakfast to the television programme they’re watching, is hash tagged, uploaded and posted without fail. There is never any need to ask The Excessive

Poster how they are; just a quick scroll down their newsfeed will give us more information than we will ever get from their own words. Sherry Turkle gives a great TED talk on this ‘I Share, Therefore I Am’ phenomenon, if you have the free time that I do, it’ll sum up the issues with this social media user.

Most likely found on: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and any site that will have them.

The Tormented Soul

Perhaps the direct opposite of the Excessive Poster, this person is buried somewhere in all of our friends lists, forgotten until every few months they post such a vague, tormented thought on a status that we consider messaging them to make sure they’re okay…until we remember that there are YouTube videos to watch and so we agree with our conscience that they’re probably okay.

Most Likely Found on: Facebook, forums in the underworld of the internet.

Peter Pan

This person refuses to mature into using social media in a different way than they did when they were thirteen. If they have a cup of tea, we hear that it is the

‘best cup of tea ever!!!’ The night before an exam? Prepare for an avalanche of updates about how nervous this person is. Photos are given song lyric captions. Their statuses are filled with emoticons and exclamation marks. And any personal, private matter that would be better suited to be dealt with in person is aired on a massive seventy comment long wall post.

Most Likely Found on: Facebook, MySpace, Club Penguin.

“By having an account on a

social media site, you have

created a representation of

you”

Photo: freakonomicsradio.com

“Every aspect of their life is hash tagged, up-

loaded and posted with-out fail”

“Any personal, private matter is aired on a

massive long wall post”

We are all too familiar with the unfortunate truth that many species’ numbers have been falling over recent years in various countries. It is very common to hear in the news that species such as the UK’s red squirrel or the famous giant Galapagos tortoise are suffering at the hands of human disturbance or interspecific competition. However, in a rare piece of good news, numbers of some of Europe’s most iconic species are on the rise.

Up until the mid-1900s, some of the continent’s renowned animals, predator and prey alike, had struggled for survival as a result of hunting, pollution and habitat destruction. The red kite, for example, was all but extinct in the UK because of mass extermination through the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries when they were classified as vermin. This led to the need for human intervention to conserve the species.

A study commissioned by Rewilding Europe of 18 mammal and 19 bird species has shown that, with one exception, their numbers have risen since the 1960s. Species among those doing increasingly

well include the European bison, brown bears, grey wolves and white-tailed eagles. Brown bears have doubled in number and the grey wolf population has increased by 30% - a very clear message that conservation techniques can actually make a significant difference to a species’ progress.

It remains a sad fact however, that it is often the iconic species that define nations, such as koalas, bald eagles and giant pandas, or the animals of a ‘fuzzy’ nature, that we seem keener to protect. It is questionable whether a lone natterjack toad would have quite the same emotional impact in a TV advert as a clumsy tiger cub, or that you would be that thrilled to receive a stuffed one in an adoption pack! The UK’s native bat species, for instance, have been in decline for the past century as a result of habitat loss through building developments and the use of insecticides diminishing their food supply. Do these species deserve our attention any less that those that dominate media coverage?

While it is fantastic news that some species are steadily making a comeback, we need to capitalise on this success worldwide and perhaps spare a thought for Mother Nature’s more aesthetically challenged species.

Jacob BeebeEnvironment writer

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released the summary and final draft of its fifth assessment of the state of scientific knowledge on climate change. The authoritative panel, which examines the latest results from both observation and model-based studies, concludes that “warming of the climate system is unequivocal”. It goes on to state that human activity is “extremely likely” to be the dominant cause of this warming.

This is the phrase that the IPCC uses when it has 95% confidence in a conclusion. Importantly, it is five percentage points more confident that humans are driving climate change than when it published its fourth assessment report in 2007.

In addition to identifying the causes of the observed warming, the IPCC also examines the changes in the climate system that are happening as a result. It finds that:

• Almost the entire surface of the planet is warmer now that it was a century ago.

• The atmospheric concentration

of carbon dioxide has increased by 40% since the start of the Industrial Revolution to a level that is unprecedented in at least 800,000 years.

• Land ice is melting at an increasing rate around the North and South poles.

• Global average sea level has risen by 19 cm since the start of the twentieth century due to expansion of the warming water, as well as fresh water input from melting land ice.

The report provides a bleak picture of the future. Continued emissions of greenhouses gases, the IPCC believes, will provoke changes across the entirety of the climate system. There is a reasonable chance that by 2100 the target of limiting warming to less than 2oC, thought to be necessary to avoid so-called dangerous climate change, will have been breached.

The only way to prevent the worst of the predicted changes from occurring is to make cuts to our greenhouse gas emissions that are “substantial and sustained”.

Dr. Tim Osborn of UEA’s Climactic Research Unit contributed to the writing of the summary during an international meeting in Stockholm. He highlighted the extent of human influence on climate as the “key finding” of the report. “Policy makers now have the latest independent and authoritative assessment to help guide their decision making”, he said. He added that the report does not present politicians with any easy choices.

Key species making a comeback in Europe

14 Environment08/10/13Issue 286concrete.environment@uea.ac.uk

IPCC releases 5th climate reportPeter SheehanEnvrionment Editor

Flikr: Wylie Maercklein

Team ENVisage are finalists for the RWE npower Future Leaders Challenge 2013, a competition aiming to inspire the university community to reduce energy use on a daily basis. We sought to put on an event that would provide us with a platform to communicate with students, staff and the wider community about sustainability.

Since becoming finalists, our ideas have been refined and developed, but our principles have remained the same. ENVisage understand that awareness about climate change and sustainable living are already present. Therefore, our primary objective is to provide information on realistic adjustments to current lifestyles that can inspire people to make everyday changes in the long term. UEA has other groups achieving this; however, this competition enables us to make our own unique contribution to a more sustainable future for the university.

The idea of solar-powered phone charging came to us during the exam period last year. The library was busy and demand for study space was high. Students often stay at the library all day, even into the early hours, and may not be lucky enough to get a spot by a plug socket. Also, work space with access to plug sockets required for laptops can often be occupied by phone chargers. What if there were somewhere you could temporarily leave your phone on charge that only requires renewable energy?

Other countries are already providing this service in public areas such as airports, train stations and pubs. The UK is far behind countries like Japan and the USA in implementing solar-powered technology, but as it becomes more affordable this is likely to change. ENVisage plans to introduce solar power systems to the library.

If you saw us in the square on 7/10/13, you may have seen our solar panel and have tried out our electricity generating bikes! This is just a taste of what we hope to implement in the future. If you have any questions or feedback on our event, don’t hesitate to find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UEA.ENVisage

If you are also interested in the environment and sustainability look out for next year’s competition and search for the RWE npower graduate scheme on Facebook!

ENVisage a sustainable

futureFlorence GreatrixENVisage team member

Flikr: Tony Hisgett

Flikr: josullivan.59“Warming of the climate

system is unequivocal”

To anyone who watched the show Thunderbirds, the latest development of the company SpaceX will look eerily familiar. The Grasshopper is a Vertical Take-off Vertical Landing Rocket (VTVL) ten storeys high that can “hop” over a thousand feet straight up into the air, and hover in place like a helicopter. It’s manoeuvres are now more impressive than ever, as in its latest launch the rocket was able to shift a hundred metres sideways, and then settle back down exactly onto the landing pad it launched from.

Most traditional space faring rockets are called multi-stage rockets from their use of disposable boosters and fuel tanks, which fire off at different points in the ascent before detaching and tumbling back to earth while the main capsule breaks through the Kármán Line, the point sixty two miles above sea level which is agreed on as the edge of space. The Grasshopper is a one-stage rocket, carrying all the fuel needed for its climb and controlled landing internally. This makes the whole unit reusable with no need for refitting

with new boosters, a task which can take months.

SpaceX is the company behind the highly publicised Dragon capsule launches in October last year and in this March. The hope is that the Grasshopper will be another step closer towards affordable, reusable commercial space flight.

Developers have fashioned a chip no bigger than a grain of rice of nanostructured glass, which can boost the speed of electrons to ten times of that of conventional particle accelerator technology.

Researchers from the Stanford Linear Accelerator Centre (SLAC) are used to working with a two mile linear accelerator which uses microwave emitters to accelerate atomic particles for study. New developments in the technology mean that commercial lasers and mass production techniques can sculpt silica beads on a nanoscopic

scale to contain ridges, which when lit with infrared light generate electric fields that accelerate electron beams from incredibly fast bursts of laser light at a rate of 300 million electron volts

per metre. This speed, measured during preliminary trials of the technology, is ten times faster than that which can be reached by the current SLAC accelerator, and it can be done in a distance of just 100 feet.

Since the electrons are already travelling at near light speed when they pass through the half a millimetre long silica chip, they gain additional charge from bouncing between the precisely formed ridges within the chip, as opposed to speeding up. This forms them into a type of supercharged laser, useful in fields such as protein crystallography, molecular imaging, and even with potential for use as a surgical laser.

Modern medicine is advancing in leaps and bounds. Nearly every month new medications and treatments for previously incurable conditions are discovered and begin research and refinement.

Yet doctors are still often presented with cases which they are unable to even diagnose. However, advances in DNA sequences in the wake of the Human Genome Project now mean clinicians can turn to checking a patient’s genome for clues to their ailments.

Of the three billion or so base pairs which make up the human genome, only one percent codes for the proteins are required to make a person. This tiny slice of DNA is called the exome and in the trial of the technique, two hundred and fifty patients were tested. The full article, which was published in The New England Journal of Medicine details that most of the test subjects were children. Children can be the hardest to diagnose because they’re unable to properly communicate how they feel, something which is often further complicated by their conditions.

However, none tested had a

clear diagnosis of their disorders. The 200,000 base pairs of the exomes of the patients were sequenced and compared to the latest iteration of the human genome sequence, which is in its’ nineteenth version.

Of the two hundred and fifty patients, a quarter were able to be positively diagnosed. Furthermore, thirty patients were found to have conditions that could be treated. Another thirteen patients were also found to have mutated

‘carrier’ genes which may have resulted in genetic defects in their children.

This trial showed how successful gene sequencing can be for diagnosing a patient from looking at just a tiny part of human DNA. Patients were found to have several conditions that stemmed from a single mutation, or ones which were so rare they were the only ones to suffer from it in the whole group. As such technology becomes more common, it can be hoped that more people will be able to receive appropriate treatments.

WorldNomads.com

Dominic BurchnallScience Editor

Exciting ElectronsJulie BishopScience writer

Ian RobertsScience writer

Thunderbirds are go!

Science & Tech 1508/10/13 Issue 286 concrete.science@uea.ac.uk

“This speed is ten times faster than that which can be reached by the current

SLAC accelerator”

Credit: SpaceX

New methods for diagnosing mystery maladies

“Of the two hundred and fifty patients, a quarter were able to be positively

diagnosed”

Credit: Brad Plummer, SLAC

A Greek getaway in Syros

If you are looking for a reasonably priced quiet week away on the Greek islands, Syros is the place. Flights go from London airports to Mykonos, where a Blue Star ferry will take you the hours journey to Ermopouli, the capital of the island and surrounding Cyclades.

A peaceful island of only 32 square miles, Syros has a striking landscape, winding roads and beautiful rocky

coastline. The hills of the small town of Galissas on the west coast are home to the blue and white holiday apartments which overlook the shallow, clear bay below. The town is clearly a Greek treasure, as tourists are few and far between and mostly of Greek nationality.

Galissas has three restaurants which all offer authentic Greek dishes and live music Friday to Sunday, with the possibility of eating outdoors on their whitewashed decking at night. Adjust to the ‘as and when’ Greek restaurant

culture by ordering starters and salads to share with a meat or fish dish, which will all arrive whenever they are ready!

Though it looks a little run down, the cafe close to the beach is a gem, frequented by locals twiddling their worry beads and serving delicious chicken souvlaki, which the owner will proudly announce was made by his wife with the freshest ingredients.

The tranquil environment means there is little to do on Syros besides lying on the beaches and exploring nearby coves

on foot. However, its close proximity to Mykonos means you can stop to explore

the vibrant island en route to or from Syros. Mykonos Town is bustling by comparison, and consequently rather more expensive than Syros. Never the less it is definitely worth a visit as the architecture and harbour are stunning.

There is a lot to do on the island; from hiring scooters to enjoying beach parties; it is a lively, friendly place with great history and roots in Greek mythology. The 16th century windmills overlooking the town are a must-see, as are Little Venice and the pelicans on the waterfront. The trendiest of the Cyclades by far (the Kardashians holidayed there this year), a stopover in Mykonos is a great idea for those seeking a quieter retreat to the surrounding islands.

Florrie Harris-ScottTravel Writer

16 Travel08/10/13Issue 286concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk

For the student saving up for the trip of a lifetime Thailand can offer many great things on a small budget. Bangkok is both the capital and heart of Thailand. Hot, dusty, sweaty, chaotic and vibrant; Bangkok is certainly not dull. Enjoy the royal palace by day and at night walk down the backpacker haunt of the Khao San Road, where no one sleeps as the bars spill out into the street.

Visting the older parts of the city you can see where the canals have been paved over, and the streets are much quieter. The local markets overflow with motorcycle parts and stalls offering meat and flowers.

You will also see where families live in cramped rooms just off the street, owning no more than a picture of the King Rama IX and a flat screen TV.

In contrast, if you travel over to the newer city you will discover Starbucks’ ‘Iced Green Tea Special’ and that McDonalds swap from ketchup to wasabi sauce.

There are some useful things to

know when you arrive in the city. Most importantly: don’t worry about booking accommodation in advance. It does not matter what time you arrive at Bangkok Airport, get a taxi (about 500 baht/£10) from the airport to the Khao San Road. Here you will find plenty of accommodation, and bars, at cheap rates. If you want somewhere a bit quieter then you can easily find somewhere nearby on an adjacent road; the city of Bangkok has an incredible ability to mute sound as soon as you’ve turned the corner.

Be aware that when you arrive you will immediately be swarmed with people trying to sell you things. It will usually be at an inflated price so give a firm “no thank you” and keep walking. To see the sights take an infamous ‘tuk-tuk’ (motorcycle

taxi), but always make sure you agree a price before you get in. This is the cheapest option as well as being the best way to see the city.

The Khao San road may be the busiest and most tourist-centric area of Bangkok, but even if you dislike the bright lights its central location makes it worthwhile. It is close to the Royal Palace and National Museum. Enjoy the view of the city from the Golden Mount (Phu Khao Thong), Thailand’s most religious site. Here you can see Bangkok stretching out before you, all glass skyscrapers and banana trees. You will see large areas of wooden huts ramshackled together and then a sudden emerging white and gold glittering temple. These sites are religious places so always carry a light cotton shirt and long trousers or a skirt to cover yourself with when entering.

At the end of the day, cool down with a Change beer and enjoy the delicious national dish, Pad Thai, for fifty baht off a street vendor anywhere in Bangkok.

Bangkok on a BudgetSophie PetersTravel Writer

“Hot, dusty, sweaty, chaotic and vibrant; Bangkok is certainly

not dull.”

“The town is clearly a Greek Treasure”

It is great to be back at university, but understandably you’ll want to relive those summer days every now and then. Instead of waiting for next summer; why not make the most of the start of term and take a day trip around our region? East Anglia has lots of hidden treasures and some perfect locations for days out.

Norfolk BroadsGrab a group of friends, jump on the

train to Wroxham and hire a day boat. Spend your day navigating the man-made Broads, feeding the ducks and visiting the many different pubs. What better way

to spend a chilled Saturday afternoon? If you are feeling a little more adventurous, perhaps take the whole weekend (and perhaps even a few weekdays, if your schedule allows) to truly discover the gems that the Norfolk Broads have to offer. Doesn’t that sound like a perfect mid-term get away?

SouthwoldThis quintessentially British seaside

town is the perfect destination for those of you wanting to take it easy. Although this pretty town can be tricky to access by public transport, for those with cars it is certainly worth the hour-long drive from Norwich. With its colourful beach huts, lighthouse, boutique shops and bundles of charm, it is clear to see what attracts so many tourists each summer. Once you’ve taken a leisurely walk on the beach, followed by a delicious serving of fish and chips, it will be difficult to resist a second visit.

CambridgeBrimming with history, students and

magnetism, Cambridge can be the ideal location for any sunny afternoon. Stroll around the city and admire the university

buildings, picnic by the riverbank or take a trip punting - a ‘must-do’ for any visitor. As Christmas approaches Cambridge becomes the perfect place for seasonal shopping as a Dickensian Christmas scene comes to life. Ladled with old English charm, Cambridge is certainly worth a visit.

Cromer (Pictured above) Idyllic and unique seaside towns are

in abundance along the East Anglian

coastline, but Cromer is usually the students’ first choice when seeking a classic seaside day out. Why not try crabbing along the coast or see what’s on at the end-of-pier theatre? Maybe just treat yourself to an unseasonal ice cream or a more warming Cromer crab sandwich and watch the boats from the shore. Simply hop on a direct train from Norwich and enjoy the last few mildly sunny days before Winter arrives.

UEA travel lookbook

Visit the hidden treasures of East Anglia

Travel 1708/10/13 Issue 286 concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk

Sarah BoughenTravel Writer

Take a look at some of the best and most inspiring photos taken by UEA students whilst on their travels.

1. The Teton Mountain Range in the Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, taken by Sarah Boughen during her Trek America trip in June 2013. Sarah said “Grand Teton is just South of Yellowstone National Park. It was so calm and beautiful and such an amazing place that it is hard to understand why it isn’t as well known as its Northern neighbour.”

2. Laggan Sands, The Isle of Mull, Scotland, Joel Taylor.

3. Sphinx Rock, The Isle of Mull, Scotland, Joel Taylor.

4. Tobermory, The Isle of Mull, Scotland, Joel Taylor. Joel said “Tobermory is better known as Balamory, which is where the kids TV show is filmed! They were the first film photographs I’d ever taken so I was just trying to find landscapes that looked dramatic, had a bit of character to them, or that showed really how isolated and empty the Isle of Mull is.”

Want to share photos of your travels? Email:

concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk

1 2

3 4

Spoken word is not a new genre; if we’re being pedantic about it the ‘spoken word’ has been around for as long as there’s been story telling. However, if we push the pedantic definitions to one side, we can ask what is meant specifically by ‘spoken word poetry’? Unfortunately the answer is still not that simple, and almost equally as pretentious. The quickest, easiest way to define ‘spoken word’ is that it is poetry written with the purpose of being performed. Spoken word has many different origins but more recently it has been influenced by beat poetry, folk storytelling, hip hop, rap and theatre.

Because of the many different origins of ‘spoken word’ there are now many different genres, styles and approaches which make the scene much more of a spectrum than an easy definition. Included in this is a range of synonyms for ‘spoken word’ like performance poetry, slam poetry or live literature. The latter more refers to poets who write predominantly for the page, someone like Simon Armitage, who for many of the UK was ‘that poet who wrote about Batman at GCSE’. Armitage, when he reads his poetry, turns it very much into a performance: he addresses his audience, he tells jokes, he adds hand movements to support the weightier

parts of his poems and he reads with a practised rhythm. Armitage’s performance however is nothing the work of Polarbear: a Birmingham born rapper who strips music back and tells stories about life through rhythm and rhyme.

Spoken word in the UK is a relatively new art form and so still exists in tattered pubs, vegan cafes and muddy festival tents but it is on the rise. Organisations like Hammer and Tongue organise nights in London, Oxford, Bristol and Cambridge. Alongside this, events like Bang Said the Gun occur in both London and Manchester. The scene is thriving across the UK and has now found a muddy, wellington-booted foothold in festivals like Latitude, Glastonbury and Secret Garden. What you will find now is that most festivals have a poetry tent tucked away somewhere, usually behind a falafel van next to the kiosk selling Ostrich burgers.

Not only is spoken word popular in the UK but across the world: the US boasts a proud spoken word culture, as does China, Canada, France and Germany. On a local level Norwich has a thriving spoken word scene; there are monthly, if not weekly events at the Birdcage, Olives Cafe, The Bicycle Shop and Norwich Arts Centre. Spoken word is so much more that self indulgent poetry: by its very nature it is about an audience, it needs an audience to exist and, for the most part, does not involve pretentious people soaking microphones in spit, beer and self deprecation.

After a week of partying and socialising it’s time to begin the academic side of university. The rather different structure of lectures and seminars compared with the way you were taught at college can often be overwhelming for freshers who find that they need to be much more independent with their learning. However, being prepared and organised from the beginning will help no end when it comes to those coursework deadlines and exams.

Lectures are intended to give you background information on the subject, which you can then take away and research further. You will then attend a seminar which involves discussing as a group the material that was presented to you in the lecture as well as your own ideas, questions, and conclusions. Seminars are a lot like what you were used to at A-Level in that it is a smaller group, so it is possible to have more detailed discussions than what the lectures allow. Furthermore, seminars are an opportunity to gain other perspectives

which you may not otherwise have thought of, so be sure to make notes! Equally they are a time to question things that you may still be unclear on. Speaking in seminars can often be a daunting thing to do particularly when you are sat in a room full of unknown faces, so getting to know your group members by introducing yourself before the seminars begin will make you feel more at ease when speaking aloud in front of others.

The key to getting the most out your seminars and lectures is preparation. Turning up to either unprepared will not benefit anyone and you will soon find out how easy it is to fall behind. Checking that you have done any pre-seminar tasks,

reading all the material (also any further reading if possible) and having a few questions written down that you want answered are all good ways of ensuring you get the most out of your contact hours with your tutors. You will find that you have a lot of hours that don’t require you to be in a class or lecture so this is the time to research and plan in your own time.

During lectures and seminars make sure you take down notes in the form you wish to so that you have something to reflect back on. Afterwards, go back over the material you have collected and add any other thoughts you may have.

Remembering that your tutors and personal advisors are there to help you with

any queries you may have is important. Don’t be afraid of emailing or going to see your tutors in their allocated office hours to discuss what you are unsure of. Although university is a much more independent way of learning, this does not mean that you have to struggle on your own when the work becomes overwhelming.

It’s not always going to be easy, so be prepared for a change and a struggle, but lectures and seminars are designed to help you get as much out of your university experience as possible. Just make sure you prepare, ask questions, and seek advice from your tutors so that you stay on top of things and come out with the best marks you can at the end of it the year!

How to handle lectures and seminars

Spoken word: spit, beer, and self deprecation

Rebecca BemmentLifestyle writer

Lewis BuxtonLifestyle writer

Lifestyle18 08/10/13Issue 286concrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.uk

Flickr: TheArches

Flickr:Gabriel Sai

While first years may be able to get away with going out every night, it is definitely more difficult as your degree progresses and your workload piles up. Turning up to lectures in last nights UV paint becomes less acceptable, and you will watch in despair as you swap the LCR for nights in the library. If you do choose to go out in the midst of deadline week, there are ways of trying to beat the hangover. If you’re lucky you might just make it to your seminar without throwing up.

Tiredness will always make you feel worse, but be careful when grabbing a coffee or an energy drink. The caffeine and sugar will dehydrate you more and irritate an already troubled tummy. Having some toast and a banana will lift your blood sugar and wake you up, alongside stopping the shakes. A glass of orange juice will get you back on the path to rehydration and help your liver get rid of all the jaeger in your system. If you need something more, try scrambled eggs on toast with beans. It should be fairly easy to keep down and will help your body recover from the shock.

For sore heads reach for a paracetamol, aspirin is not so easy on the stomach. Water-soluble painkillers are quickly absorbed and will help with replacing fluids. If you can stomach it, an Alka-Seltzer will help ease nausea. Berocca will also help to replace vitamins and get your liver back

into action, while isotonic sports drinks will help your body rehydrate.

Of course prevention is always better than cure. If you can remember, try to have a glass of water with every alcoholic drink you have. Drink a pint of water before you go to bed, and one as soon as you wake up. Making sure you eat a proper meal before you go out is key as well. Not only will it stop you getting hammered too quickly, it will help your body process the alcohol more easily.

Try to have something balanced, you will need the nutrients the next day.

Trying not to mix drinks is always a good idea too, though definitely a challenge with enticing drinks deals. Not only will this make you uncontrollably drunk very quickly, it will make you feel terrible the next day as the different chemicals swirl around your stomach. Some research has suggested that light coloured drinks like vodka and gin are less likely to make you ill because they

contain less toxins. Moderation is still key though, and if you drink a litre of gin then you’re going to be feeling pretty ropey.

Ultimately there is no miracle cure except time. If you’ve got a chapter of your dissertation due in the next day, chances are you’re not going to make it to the LCR. While it’s a tough transition to make, your life will be all the easier for a few skipped nights out and a decent degree mark.

The topic of lad culture is gaining momentum across campuses nationwide. It first received mass media attention after the NUS Women’s Campaign published their seminal report, ‘That’s What She Said’, studying the lad culture movement and its impact on female students experience in higher education.

The concept of the ‘lad’ is not a new one, however. Some claim it began in the 90s, with the first publication of men’s magazines featuring nude, overtly-sexualised women, and pop icons like the Gallagher brothers paving the way for today’s ‘lads’. Others claim that the attitude fostered by ‘lads’ everywhere is one that has always existed, handed down by fathers and male relatives everywhere, but only becoming prevalent with the increasing use of social media to ease mass communication. With many universities across the country beginning campaigns to combat the effects of lad culture, many are still left confused about what is even

meant by the term ‘lad culture’ and why it is an issue.

Lad culture is dominated by misogynist, prejudiced attitudes that are swept under the carpet as ‘just a bit of banter’. It is often referred to as a ‘pack mentality’. One male by himself may be a perfectly pleasant and amiable individual, but bring a group of young men together, add in heavy alcohol consumption, and the issues can begin to arise. Sports club initiations and night outs are typically referred to as prime examples of the culture in action. These hyper-masculine environments are dominated by crass conversations and taunting,

all claimed to be performed in a joking manner. To the lad, any subject matter can be made light of. Even those present who may not agree with the actions of their peers don’t feel able to speak out, for fear of the negative attention being turned on them instead of women or minorities, the typical targets of lad culture’s attentions.

One participant in the NUS study stated that they did not have a single friend who had not experienced harassment while at university. Other students have also stated that the prevalence of lad culture on certain campuses made them reconsider their options when applying to universities,

even choosing to live at home or take an Open University course instead. The issue of lad culture and its negative impact on students’ experience of university is not simply limited to the social aspect either. The NUS’s report found that it crossed over into their academic lives also, with traditionally feminine subjects, such as Nursing, being dismissed as less important than other traditionally masculine subjects, and women students feeling silenced or unable to speak up in seminars.

The issue of lad culture, whether old or new, is clearly no longer something that can be ignored. Student unions have taken moves to counteract its negative effects, such as banning songs with offensive lyrics like Robin Thicke’s popular hit ‘Blurred Lines’, or launching good behaviour campaigns aimed at sports clubs, like Oxford’s ‘Good Lad’ campaign.

The Union of UEA Students already has a Zero Tolerance to sexual harassment policy and this academic year will see moves made to ensure that further steps are taken to combat unacceptable behaviour in the name of ‘banter’.

Combating university lad culture

Fending off the dreaded hangover

Rachel KnottLifestyle writer

Sid Chaffer-MellyEditor-in-chief

Lifestyle 1908/10/13 Issue 286 concrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.uk

Flickr: Michael Hanscom

Flickr: Tom Ellefsen

Missing those home cooked roasts? This dish is a simple, cheap and an easy way to get your roast fix, with everyone’s favourite sausage - chorizo!

Ingredients • 1 chicken breast• 1 portion of chorizo• 1 clove of garlic• Dried rosemary • 1 jacket sized potato• Sunflower oil• 1/2 a red onion (or white if you’d

prefer) • 2 slices of Olive breadMethod1. Preheat the oven to 200c2. Peel and chop the potato into large

chunks and cut the onion into strips. Place the potatoes, chicken breast and onion on the baking tray, drizzle over some oil and then sprinkle on the rosemary.

3. Pop it in the oven for fifteen minutes.4. Whilst that is cooking, chop the chorizo

into bite sized chunks and finely chop a clove of garlic.

5. After 15 minutes add the chorizo and garlic, before cooking for a further 10 minutes.

Serves 4

Ingredients• 100g chorizo sausage, peeled and

diced • 4 chicken breasts, diced • 1 onion, diced• 1 clove garlic• 2 celery sticks, sliced • 2 peppers (any colours), sliced • 3 tomatoes, skinned (place in boiling

water to peel skin easily) and chopped • 1tbsp olive oil• 175ml rice• 600ml chicken stock • 1tbsp Tabasco (more if you like it spicy,

less if not)• 1 bay leaf• Salt & pepper

Method1. With no oil in the pan, brown the

chorizo.2. Once done, remove the chorizo but

leave the oil in the pan. 3. Add olive oil to the chorizo oil and

once heated, brown the chicken. 4. Meanwhile, make up your stock, and

add the Tabasco to it. 5. Remove browned chicken from pan. 6. Fry the onions and, once brown, add

chicken and chorizo to pan again along with the garlic, celery and pepper. Continue frying until pepper and celery softened.

7. Stir in the rice then add tomatoes, bay leaf, stock/Tabasco mixture and seasoning.

8. Put a lid on the pan, turn the heat low and leave to barely simmer for 25 minutes, checking that the rice is cooking well.

Winner winner, chicken dinner!

Chicken Jambalaya

Shelley HazlewoodLifestyle writer

Rebecca GodfryLifestyle writer

Lifestyle20 08/10/13Issue 286concrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.uk

Chicken and chorizo roast

This delicious chicken meal serves up to six, so feed your friends as well and you’ll definitely impress with this dish.

Ingredients• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil• 20 anchovy fillets (drained), or use

fewer if you prefer a milder flavour• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly

chopped • 600g cherry tomatoes (orange Sungold

will give extra sweetness)• 3 tbsp good-quality, mixed marinated

olives (stoned)• 2 tbsp capers (if salted, rinse before

using)• 12 boned, skinned chicken thighs• bunch of fresh basil (approx 30g),

stems removed

• salt and pepperMethod1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. 2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based

casserole dish (shallow works best).3. Add the anchovies and garlic and

gently fry for 2-3 minutes until the anchovies have melted but the garlic has not browned.

4. Add the cherry tomatoes, olives and capers and turn down the heat to simmer gently for five minutes.

5. Add the chicken thighs to the tomato mixture and stir to combine.

6. Place a lid on the casserole and position on a middle shelf in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven.

7. Give the chicken a good stir so it’s well coated in the puttanesca sauce.

8. Put back into the oven without the lid and cook for a further 20 minutes.

9. Remove the lid and allow to cool for

Chicken PuttenescaDominic BurchnallLifestyle writer

Flickr L.Richarz Flickr new_sox

Flickr Dennis Amith

As it became apparent that Britain and Ireland’s top six golfers had all declined the opportunity to partake in the Seve Trophy last week, it felt as though a small part of the legacy left by the great man himself was being slowly diminished.

It is true that Severiano Ballesteros did more for European golf than create the

Seve Trophy; it would be an insult to his astounding career to imply otherwise.

However, the Seve Trophy, while not carrying the same weight or significance of the Ryder Cup or the Masters, represents a poignant reminder for both players and fans. A reminder of the impression that Ballesteros left on the game, much deeper than the hole he would place the golf ball down with poise and aplomb.

The tournament, created by Ballesteros, is played in years when the Ryder Cup is absent from the golfing schedule and represents an opportunity for players from Europe to acknowledge, through their presence, what Seve stood for.

Some have questioned whether the seemingly uncompetitive nature of the tournament is the most fitting way to remember the two-times Masters winner. Yet it feels important that players should do their best to appear, even with busy schedules, so that future generations realise that the name attached to the tournament holds significance, that Seve is worth remembering.

Of course, a three minute ‘best of’ video could never pay true testament to Seve and the void his passing in 2011 left in the golfing community. Seve’s enthusiasm for the sport, highlighted in poignant fashion by his frequent nightly trips to his local golf course as a child to practice, transcended the boundaries of the game.

Seve’s name was synonymous with

dedication and endurance. He continued to demonstrate such qualities in his last years on earth as he fought cancer.

Sport aficionados came to adore Seve not just for his dogged determination, but for his enigmatic persona. For every moment of golfing aptitude, such as his dramatic birdie at the 1984 British Open, there was a wonderfully executed deployment of charm. Seve’s humorous, yet stern, order to a supporter to stop moving as he prepared to take a shot continues to induce laughter. Seve, with complete integrity, said, ‘I know you’re nervous, but I am too’.

At 23, he would become the first European to place the coveted emerald jacket upon his back at the Augusta Masters. In the process, he allowed the rest of Europe to dream that one day they too could compete outside of the continent.

It is naive to suggest that the likes of Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose should disregard their already busy schedules, but if there was a greater presence of some of the game’s best players then perhaps every last inch of Seve’s legacy would be hounoured in the way it deserves to be.

It would be churlish to suggest that the successes of the golfers who declined the chance to play in the tournament would not have been possible without the groundwork laid by Seve. However, it is at least possible to suggest his ingenuity got them there a lot sooner. For that, their absence from the Seve Trophy is a disappointing one.

The return of British Universities & College Sports, or BUCS as it’s more casually referred to around campus, brings with it a wealth of opportunities for the students at UEA.

From futsal to table tennis, our university has a number of sports teams competing in the BUCS leagues, allowing students to spend their Wednesday afternoons competing against the best that other universities have to offer.

BUCS is one of the biggest draws to prospective players, as a high standard of play can be expected week in, week out, with promotion on offer for clubs at the end of the season; yet another incentive for becoming part of a university team. What better way to sign off for the academic year than sleeping soundly in the knowledge that the hard graft put into studying countless text books has been coupled with the unrivalled joy of achieving promotion with your teammates.

It’s not just on pitches or on courts that teams registered for BUCS play on, but in water too. The university water polo teams also compete to earn points for UEA, with the women’s team set to travel up to Nottingham and Birmingham this year in their Midlands 1A division.

Part of the joy of sport, of course, is that it doesn’t matter if you’re not Steven Gerrard or Jonny Wilkinson. Watching sport gives us unimaginable highs and inconceivable lows, so come and offer your support at Colney Lane or the Sportspark.

This also presents an ideal opportunity for budding journalists to write match reports for our section. However, it’s not the most glamorous of jobs. You won’t get a press box shielding you from the torrential rain on a typically British summer afternoon, but you will be playing your part in one of the most engaging and enjoyable features of university life.

CANARY CORNER By CHARLIE SAVAGE

Norwich City lie precariously above the relegation places as the Premier League table begins to take shape. Yet despite indifferent league form, the canaries progressed in the League Cup where a mouth-watering tie against Manchester United awaits the Norfolk club.

Former City boss Paul Lambert took his Aston Villa side to Carrow Road and left with all three points courtesy of Libor Kozak’s winner. Brad Guzan was in inspired form, saving a Robert Snodgrass penalty and denying Gary Hooper a debut goal with an acrobatic save.

Norwich did bounce back from the Villa disappointment however, showing considerable strength in depth as they overturned a two-goal deficit to defeat Watford after extra time. Two goals from Gary Hooper and one from Jo Murphy helped set up the daunting clash at Old Trafford at the end of the month.

On paper Norwich need a minor-miracle to progress to the quarter-final stages, but this may be the perfect time to play the Red Devils as the champions continue to falter under the

stewardship of new boss David Moyes. Chris Hughton will certainly want to stay in the competition for as long as possible, with the hope that a cup-run may instill drive into their league form.

Norwich then earned a valuable three points against Stoke, with Jonny Howson’s goal separating the two sides in a tight contest.

On a negative note, Ricky van Wolfswinkel is yet to add to his solitary league goal this season.The Dutchman will need time to settle into the English game, where he has looked lacklustre in front of goal at the best of times, and completely unnoticeable at the worst. With Hooper fit, Van Wolfswinkel may have the ideal strike partner to help unleash the form he produced during his spell at Sporting Lisbon.

Norwich will need both strikers to spark an instant connection as they face tough away trips this coming month. If they can combine positive league performances with another win in the League Cup, then that momentum will be invaluable through the winter period but, if not, Chris Hughton’s position may be under serious scrutiny.

Sport22 08/10/13Issue 286concrete.sport@hotmail.co.uk

Will MedlockSports Editor

Will MedlockSports Editor

Top British and Ireland golfers snub Seve Trophy

Editor’s column

Sport 2308/10/13 Issue 286 concrete.sport@hotmail.co.uk

This week’s Student Voice is with... UEA Cricket’s Callum Hansey

Concrete: With athletes continuing to test positive for banned substances, what sort of penalty do you think should be implemented to put an end to it once and for all?

Callum Hansey: I feel that there will always be attempts to abuse the system in order to get that little bit better at a sport. Unfortunately, because of this it is nearly impossible to eradicate the cheats without massive penalties to dissuade them. I think the only way would be lifetime bans, or perhaps even going to the other extreme of allowing the substances to be used.

C: A New York Yankees fan recently lost his job after taking a day off work without permission, in order to maintain his run of not missing a home game since the age of ten. What is your opinion on this kind of fanatical support?

CH: This kind of support is what seems to be so lacking in many sports. As an Ipswich fan, I have seen attendances dwindle over the years, so fanatical fans that always attend are almost the

lifeblood of teams. However taking a day off work without permission probably is a sackable offence! I hope that the Yankees can find him a job.

C: While on Twitter, Colin Kaepernick, of the San Francisco 49ers, decided to ‘favourite’ some of the abuse he was getting from angry fans. Do you think it is right for fans to vent frustration, or even constructive criticism, towards a player via the internet?

CH: Putting yourself on Twitter, a public platform, and being in the public eye means you will always be open to abuse. Fans have every right to be disappointed in an underperforming player, but many do not have the prerequisite abilities or knowledge to actually know why the player may not be playing well, if indeed they are not. Criticism is OK, but actively abusing people and their abilities is not.

C: Do you think that professional sports clubs should place priority on giving an opportunity to homegrown players to play in their

first teams, even if foreign imports are considerably better?

CH: Again, as an Ipswich fan I love the idea of homegrown players. From the sides of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s to the promotion winning 1999-2000 team, there were plenty of homegrown players. We are seeing a return to that, with academy products like Tommy Smith and Luke Hyam in the first team. Without homegrown talent being played, the English football team will never develop to the levels of its Spanish and German counterparts.

C: A Tranmere Rovers footballer was recently accused of spitting at an opponent during a match. Do you think the ‘heat of the moment’ is ever a valid excuse for such incidents?

CH: In a word, no. Maybe an over-zealous tackle can be excused as ‘heat of the moment’, but spitting at a person is inexcusable in any walk of life, let alone in a job where children look up to you as a role model.

Men’s rugby team return with comprehensive home victory

UEA 118

Swaffham 0

After a year-long absence from UEA’s sporting roster, the men’s rugby club returned with a crushing 118-0 victory over Swaffham.

Following suspension for off-field activities in 2011, the reformed club set about gaining publicity for all the right reasons at a heaving Colney Lane. A vocal crowd swelled with anticipation at what was about to unfold.

A fired up team faced neighbours Swaffham, aiming to convert the work carried out in a gruelling pre-season into a winning first 80 minutes. It was no surprise that the opening try of the match, arriving in the first minute, was a UEA one, much to the partisan crowd’s delight.

Charlie Nicholson dotted down following a barraging run, with Cameron McNeil adding the extras to set UEA on their way.

The try count continued to escalate as the game progressed, with the visitors struggling to supress the focused and resolute home side. Debutant wingers Nicholson and Koolade Ewobwale both scored six tries and in the process staked claims for permanent spots in the new look side.

Oliver Lacey, Jack Walsh, Ed Gaudencio, Will Clark, Rich Heap and

McNeil added gloss to the score, and ensured that this was the club’s biggest recorded victory. Without question, it was a dominant display, sending a purposeful message out to future opponents.

While the size of the score-line was impressive, it was the brand of rugby that caught the eye. The slick style of play will have given the hosts encouragement ahead of what is set to be a testing season. Quick ball was served to the half backs, allowing the backs to conjure up some magic out wide and utilise their superiority to score.

Club President Bruce Whiting, keen to express his delight after the match, said, “with interest from over 120 lads, the club will only go from strength to strength from here.” With record high numbers expected at training, promotion at the end of the season appears well within the club’s reach.

Following the sour events of last year, the club appeared to have turned a corner and have begun on-field events in the best possible manner. They will look to build on their impressive display against Swaffham and carry their momentum into the final pre-season fixture against RAF Marham, who are set to prove a stern and physical test for the club.

Men’s 1st XV Opening Fixtures:

(H) Northampton - 9th October(A) Coventry - 16th October

(H) Befordshire - 23rd October

If you would like to be interviewed as part of Student Voice, then email us at: concrete.sport@hotmail.co.uk

Moji Adegbile

Every issue, we’ll be talking to a member of a UEA sports club to ask their opinions on the most recent sporting issues. This week, we spoke to UEA Cricket Club’s Callum Hansey.

Cameron McNeilSports correspondent

The UEA Women’s Football Club were beaten by a Hethersett side inspired by an in-form centre-forward, who bagged herself a hat-trick.

The hosts had lost their previous Norfolk Women’s & Girls Football League match of the season, but will feel hard done by not to have taken a point from this keenly contested encounter.

They may well have done so had they avoided the early goal that proved the catalyst for the Hethersett number seven to notch a brace before half-time. The striker raced through on Becky White’s goal before slamming a shot high into the net. It was a sign of things to come, as the pacey forward continued to look like the visitor’s best outlet.

UEA began to find their feet, with the impressive Ellie Norton, making her debut up front and showing flashes of brilliance to lose the opposition surrounding her.

At the other end, the Hethersett number seven continued to cause problems and

should have made it 2-0 after running clear. She clipped the ball past White, but couldn’t catch up with her slightly over hit touch.

In midfield, UEA started to move the ball better, with Sammy Algar making the hosts tick with clever passing and a desire to burst forward. On the left wing, Abbi Knell showed plenty of industry throughout, displaying no fear in taking on the visiting right-back at every opportunity.

However, the Hethersett number seven scored her second before half-time. Again, she ran through to slot the ball into the corner, giving the visitors a slightly flattering advantage.

The response was swift from UEA as Norton’s well executed volley was finger tipped into the net by the away keeper, providing a well deserved lifeline. The home side looked to grab another before half-time, but Leanne Stubbings was just off target.

UEA were forced to replace keeper White, with Amy Shaw donning the gloves for the second half. The stand-in keeper produced two fine stops in a similarly tight 45 minutes.

UEA captain Lois Dunn and Algar combined neatly down the right, but an important intervention from a defender denied the onrushing yellows.

Hethersett were thankful for their

livewire number seven as she put the result beyond doubt, finishing clinically past Shaw to complete her hat-trick. Stubbings put an effort just wide in the closing stages as Hethersett held on to claim an important victory.

However, there were a healthy number of positives for UEA to take from their spirited display, in particular Norton’s promising debut and Algar’s energy in the midfield. The team are back at Colney Lane in November, with a match against Attleborough Town.

Issue 2868 October 2013

SPORT

Concrete Sport UEA

Men’s Rugby

Page 23

Sport Student Voice

Page 23

Canary Corner

Page 22

@concretesport

UEA WFC’s hard work undone by lethal Hethersett striker

Will MedlockSports editor

UEA WFC 1

Hethersett AFC 3

Upcoming UEA Fixtures

Women’s Hockey I v Harper Adams

Men’s Squash v Nottingham Trent

Women’s Tennis v Nottingham Trent

Men’s Water Polo v Nottingham

Mixed Golf v Nottingham III

Men’s Tennis I v Aston

Men’s Tennis II v Leicester II

Women’s Lacrosse v Bedford I