Anglia Square Update

The Anglia Square redevelopment application which is recommended for approval, will be considered by City Council’s Planning Applications Committee at 10am, Thursday 9th June 2011 at City Hall.

To voice your opinion (3 minutes max) at the meeting, whether for or against the proposed development, please contact the Committee Officer before 10:00am on Wednesday 8th June 2011. Tel: 01603 212 033.

Celebration 2011 Is Coming!

Anglia Square Redevelopment

Want to have your say on the Anglia Square Redevelopment plans? Add your comments to the Norwich City Council website here. You'll have to be quick as the deadline is this Friday - 8Apr2011.

It's not the clearest site to follow so here are some instructions you may find useful. Follow this link to the site. Click on 'View associated documents' to view all relevant documents in Planning Application Document List. If you wish to go straight to the visual plans, click on Page 8 and view the document called 'DCL2 - Photographs Submitted'. Use the 'Click here to open document' link to download as PDF for best view.

Further Info

More Cafe Conversations

The Cafe Conversations on Magdalen Street have been going well and many more topics for discussion have been added to the updated programme. Conversations are instigated by University of East Anglia staff and everyone is welcome to take part. Check the programme details below and come along to Aladdins Cafe, 3 Magdalen Sreet (near Fye Wensum Bridge) to find out more and add your opinion to the debates.

		APRIL
Engineering Earth Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have provided little sign that we will avoid dangerous climate change. But can technology succeed where we have failed? The new science of Earth Engineering offers promising and innovative new technologies to capture emissions and cool the planet but raises novel social, ethical, legal and political questions.	Rob Bellamy Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research	Fri  1 April  8 pm
SOMETHING KINDA FISHY GOING ON How good are we at detecting air quality?  Can anybody tell if it’s a bad pollution day? Now that the factories in Norwich have mostly closed or relocated, is air quality even a problem?  We will sniff out the air quality around Magdalen Street and use resources (i.e. a map of the new one-way system around St Augustine’s, reproductions of paintings of smoke and smog) to think about the invisibility of air pollution and how that influences attitudes to its regulation.   This event is part of the Invisible Dust project supported by Arts Council England, the Wellcome Trust and CUE East.  (Please note 6 pm start time)	Peter Brimblecombe Environmental Sciences,  Lawrence Bradby  Artist	Fri 8 April  6 pm
Sustainable Food Systems: Can Farming be Green? With growing populations and diminishing resources, sustainable agriculture and food security are top priorities globally.  Modern agriculture is one of the most energy-hungry and polluting industries in the world and covers nearly 40% of the land surface, yet without it we cannot survive.  How can we increase agricultural yields, reduce environmental damage caused by farming and achieve long term food security?  Come share your views with researchers in sustainable agriculture.	Tom Powell, Melanie  Bennett School of Biological Sciences	Sat 15 April 3 pm
talking to children about Lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender people How are sexual minorities portrayed in children’s books?  We will look at current examples and discuss your experiences with children’s questions about diversity.	BJ Epstein School of Literature & Creative Writing	Sat 30 April 3 pm
		MAY
WHAT IS LEARNING? Must education be either teacher-driven or learner-driven?   John Dewey describes an ‘aesthetic experience’ for learning and proposes that the most worthwhile education consists of memorable experiences which make a real difference to one’s life.  What are your views on what learning and education should be like?	Geoff Hinchcliffe School of Education	Fri 6 May   8 pm
cAN WE Control our brain activity? Techniques have evolved which allow us to measure the activity of our brain, and evidence suggests that we can use biofeedback methods to control and change our brain activity. The equipment used is becoming more accessible, so is this useful to us? Could we use it to maximise our cognitive performance, or help us to relax? Can it also be used as a treatment method? How would this change our view of ourselves?	Neil Rutterford  Social Work & Psychology	Wed 18 May 12:30
A day in the life of a hospital lawyer What are the pros and cons of the principle of confidentiality?   Does everyone have a right to make decisions about their medical treatment?  What are current myths and realities about the NHS?  Come meet a medical law specialist to discuss these topics.	John-Paul Garside School of Medicine	Wed 25 May 12:30
The values revolution: why everything comes down to the values you hold In politics, at work, when making major personal decisions, the values you hold dear determine what you do. Often, people and organisations are unaware of the values they hold. This conversation will be about getting clearer about (y)our values using techniques derived from the latest philosophical, psychological and linguistic research.	Rupert Read School of Philosophy	Sat 28 May 3 pm
Commute, Work, Commute, Sleep... What is Work/Life Balance? What is the relationship between 'work' and 'life'?  Does a 'work/life balance' suggest that when we're working we're not really living?  Is work simply the means by which we acquire resources to keep us alive? These are some of the questions we'll discuss, and I'll outline ways in which people thought differently about the relationship between work and life in the past.	Ross Wilson School of Literature and Creative Writing	Wed  1 June 12:30
introduction to translation What is involved in translating a piece of writing from one language to another?  After a general background to what translation is, we will practice a short translation/adaptation exercise together, either into another language or from English to English.	BJ Epstein School of Literature & Creative Writing	Sat 4 June 3 pm
Bioplastics:  Waste product or gold mine? The food and drink industry generates 12.6 million tonnes of waste per year, more than 10% of UK’s total.  Can food waste be used to make ‘bioplastics’ for packaging and other sustainable materials?	Dominique Georget School of Chemistry	TBA

Cafe Conversations Review

Kerry Lane has been along to some of the Cafe Conversations at Aladdins and written a great review on the Transition Norwich blog - This Low Carbon Life. Read Kerry's review here and view the upcoming conversations here.

"... I haven't voluntarily subjected myself to discussing maths for quite a while, but I really enjoyed the session. Robert Henderson, a PhD researcher in Maths, was infectiously enthusiastic about his topic and had all number of interesting paradoxes and patterns that he wanted to share with us - including fractals ... He explained everything clearly for those of us a bit rusty on our maths and it was great to learn about something completely different ..." More here

Cafe Conversations @ Aladdins

A series of informal debate and conversations are currently taking place in Aladdins Cafe at the town end of Magdalen Street. Throughout the coming months, join scientists and academics from University of East Anglia as they present ideas about contemporary social and scientific topics. All welcome. See below for more details.

Café Conversation Topics  updated 1 FEB

Topic		Facilitator	Date & Time
			FEBRUARY
What is Infinity? Why is the universe infinite?  If a tree grows for an infinitely long time, will it be infinitely tall? What does "infinity" mean, and why is it so controversial and misunderstood?   In this Cafe Conversation we will answer these questions and more with interesting examples and thought experiments.  No mathematical experience is required, only a willingness to try out new ideas!		Robert Henderson and Lydia Rickett School of Mathematics	Friday         4 Feb     8 pm Saturday     5 Feb     3 pm Wednesday  9 Feb  12.30 pm
Increasing Happiness, Decreasing Consumption What makes us happy?  In this workshop we will do some simple exercises, hear a brief introduction to research findings on what generates wellbeing, and talk about how these findings translate into activities that have little or no cost to our purses or the Earth.		Teresa Belton School of Education	Saturday     19 Feb     3 pm
			MARCH
Too busy to be bored? Is feeling bored a good thing or a bad thing?  This conversation explores what older people mean by “being bored”.  Your input will help define various kinds of boredom and what value older people place on not being bored and on maintaining activities and social relationships.		Kathleen Lane Centre for Applied Research in Education	Saturday 5 March at 3pm
International Women’s Centenary International Women's Day (8 March) celebrates the economic, political and social achievements of women.  The first International Women's Day event was run in 1911; 2011 is the Global Centenary Year.  As part of a city-wide series, the following talks will be offered: 1. Is a feminist approach in medical education possible? 2. Women and the glass ceiling		Andrea Stockl Sara Connelly	Wednesday 9 March 12.30 Thurs 10 March 12.30
OUR HERITAGE IN A CHANGING CLIMATE  The historic buildings and monuments in our cities bring character and context and stimulate tourism. In the 20th century improvements in air quality  have lessened the threat from pollution but more recently a changing climate has started to alter the appearance and weathering of buildings. This café will explore these changes and what they might mean for heritage management and our appreciation of the built environment.		Peter Brimblecombe School of Environmental Sciences	Friday 18 March 8 pm
Greenspeak: How to talk people into compost and other inconveniences Sexing up recycling: Can it be done? The conversation revolves around the techniques we might use to generate and created messages that might encourage the reluctant to recycle and the grudging to act green.		Simon Hampton School of Social Work & Psychology	Saturday 26 March 3pm
			APRIL
Engineering Earth Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have so far provided little confidence that we will avoid dangerous climate change. But can technology succeed where we have so far failed? The new science of Earth Engineering offers an array of promising and innovative new technologies designed to capture emissions and cool the planet; but raises a number of novel social, ethical, legal and political questions. Come and share your views on this rapidly evolving and vibrant topic.		Rob Bellamy Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research	Friday  1 April  8 pm
Bioplastics: Waste product or gold mine? The food and drink industry generates 12.6 million tonnes of waste per year, more than 10% of UK’s total.  Can food waste be used to make ‘bioplastics’  for packaging and other sustainable materials?		Dominique Georget School of Chemistry	TBA

Celebration Slideshow!

Here's a slideshow of the bits of the event I managed to get to see....



Running order(roughly): Taiko Drummers, Eastern Straynotes, the Sheriff of Norwich Derek James and star wandering minstrel Rio Santana under the flyover with MC Helen all powered by Tom Foxe's fantastic Human Dynamo PA (a big thank you to all who cycled!); Musical Keys Children's Workshop at Aladdin's Cafe; Pearl in the Egg Medieval Duo perform at St Saviour's The Gate near the flyover; the community mural by Stickyfingerz under the flyover.

A Musical Review

Local musician, Heather Enid Wells, was one of the many visitors who ventured down to Magdalen Street two Saturdays ago for our debut celebration and it seems she had a thoroughly enjoyable time!

Heather writes: "I had a fantastic day out yesterday at the Magdalen Street Celebration, some great music on the various stages indoors and out, I bought and enjoyed some Mexican food from a stall in the Square, where there were lots of arts & crafts stalls, others for various organizations such as the Surrey Chapel, the Green Gym, the Drop-In Centre, and loads of other attractions ... there were thousands of people all enjoying the day. And the weather was perfect!

I went on the Magical History Tour, which was just amazing. I often walk up and down Magdalen Street, probably four or five times a week, yet we were shown so much that I'd never even noticed before, a great big studded oak door, all the Georgian buildings and who built them and who owned them, coats of arms and other markings and what they all meant, it was excellent!

The Gate Stage was in St Saviour's Church, where I spent a lot of time yesterday, saw virtuoso guitarist-songwriter Tom Conway there; a jazz band WSM-Trio who are normally a quartet but their bass couldn't make it; a brilliant guitar and cello duo James Frost and John Mudd played a beautiful set; and medieval duo Pearl in the Egg were just wonderful, Liz played lap-harp, rebec, various whistles and flutes, tambour and other percussion, Karen played the psaltery too, and both of them sang. They also looked great in their mediaeval dress. They play lots of prestigious gigs like Hampton Court Palace, but Liz also plays bass in the Pavilion Big Band, where I sometimes stand in for her. She also used to play with rock band Cortez, they were a good band, now sadly defunct.

Another good act, this time on the Flyover Stage, was Tom Foxe, he sang a hilarious song by Hayes Carll, "She Left Me for Jesus" ... He put it across very well. The Flyover Stage was great, as they had a bike hooked up to a generator to power all the amplification, and some other very good artistes. Then there were bands most of the afternoon and evening in the Blueberry.

I understand it is hoped to make the Magdalen Street Celebration an annual event ... Certainly a great day out for all ages and a lovely atmosphere. The live music on the Gate Stage was very varied in genre, but mostly of the acoustic-style variety, just gently amplified, and the church was packed most of the time with a very attentive audience. It was great that they were all listening, even the little children (and a dog!) were quiet and well behaved in there."

Thanks Heather - so glad you enjoyed!

Originally posted on Norfolk Freegle Cafe

Celebration Survey

Phew! The first celebration is over and we are exhausted and happy! We hope everyone involved in the day, either with planning, organising or attending had an enjoyable experience. Do let us know what you thought about the event by taking the Magdalen Street Celebration Survey here. Your comments and answers will help us to plan future events so we look forward to hearing from you. Huge thanks!

What a day... Even the sun came out!

Click on the image to see a bigger version - top left to right: Sheriff Derek James on walkabout with star Magdalen Street minstrel Rio Santana; Taiko drummers shake the flyover foundations and wake up the street; lively kletzmer & jazz trio Eastern Straynotes with amplification powered by Tom Foxe's Human Dynamo PA and that's Green City Councillor for Mancroft ward Adrian Holmes pedalling away there; bottom left to right: another human dynamo and MSC organiser Stefi getting everyone in the party mood; enchanting medieval musical duo Pearl in The Egg at the lovely St Saviours "The Gate" venue; children's music workshop at Aladdin's Café with the wonderful Musical Keys based on nearby Silver Road.

And the glorious sunshine happened and the crowds came out to see the stalls and exhibitions and hear the music and take part in the workshops and history tours, and all the rest... well done again all that took part in the adventure and thanks to everyone that came along on Saturday and making it such a fantastic day!

I've uploaded just a small batch of photos here of some of the things I managed to capture on the day. If you've got photos of the day then please please send them (or links) to us here [click to email] with any credits and we'll put an archive together. There's some lovely photos published in today's EDP too and a great spread in the Evening News. There's an online version here - less pics sadly but the same text.