Concrete - Issue 174

CONCRETE HOUSING GUIDE FOR 2005

Issue 174 · Wednesday, February 23rd, 2005

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IN MONTY PYTHON REDISCOVERED

Page 8

BILL MURRAY SWIMS WITH THE FISHES Page 4

WE BORE THE PANTS OFF JOANNA TROLLOPE Page 6

NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE

UNION PUTS FORWARD MOTION TO BAN SMOKING IN THE HIVE Katharine Clemow Deputy Editor

Voices have been raised around campus since it was learnt last week that a motion had been proposed at Union Council to ban smoking in the Hive. The popular hang out spot plays host to large numbers of students who meet to chat, have a drink and a bite to eat, and often also a smoke.

Since the catering block

The only eatery on campus to allow lighting up could soon be smoke-ffree after a recent motion put forward at Union Council was refurbished last summer and became entirely non-smoking, the Hive has been one of just a few places around campus you could light up with impunity. On Tuesday, February 8th, however, it was suggested that it

too should become smoke free.

The motion was proposed by Academic Officer Chris Ostrowski, who is not a smoker but has no problem with the habit himself, and seconded by Helen

Davis, Sports Officer.

Mr Ostrowski said he was acting in response to the many people who have approached him since he took up office in September who don’t want smoking allowed in the Union House café.

The motion was opposed

by Finance Officer James Drakeford for a number of reasons. He says that ‘the Hive was ‘specifically designed to provide a nonsmoking area with 80 seats and a smoking area with 60

seats’ and has ‘a natural ventilation system using air currents to take smoke away from the non-smoking area and to remove it from the area itself effectively and efficiently.’

While he doesn’t smoke he is concerned on behalf of the economic welfare of the Union that the ‘design was specifically undertaken, at considerable expense, so as to create a non-alcohol but smoking space for those students who by choice or cultural background do not wish to congregate in an alcohol space to smoke.’ He goes on to say that ‘if the Pub is the only indoor smoking space it is likely that the mechanical extraction system will have to be upgraded to make it a pleasant place for both smokers and nonsmokers.’

Mr Drakeford states that according to national statistics, over 40% of students smoke and ‘the non-smoking social space in the University already occupies well over 70% of the social areas available to students.’

Student feedback to the proposed ban has taken a variety of forms. One student who is studying an MA in Creative Writing says he More on the potential ban See page two

NORWICH BACKS CAMPAIGN FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT Katharine Clemow Deputy Editor On Friday the 18th nationally and internationally respected peace campaigner Bruce Kent was in Norwich talking about the need to end the threat of nuclear weapons to every country in

the world. Braving the wintry weather Kent and his fellow activists talked about the history of nuclear weapons, saying why they think the manufacture and use of warheads should be banned, and asking people to sign the petitions urging Tony Blaire to set an example of how a Government can

desist can pull away from using the threat of weapons against their enemies.

The talk was held at the charity stall on Hay Hill in the city and was initially well attended but the area cleared when the rain started though the half-term crowd of shoppers and other people browsing the market

were drawn back by the arrival of Ian Gibson.

Norwich North MP Gibson, best known for his outspoken stance on Top-Up Fees, also feels strongly about the need for the for an end to the manufacture and often-used threat of nuclear weapons. He supports the campaign to bring about the

end of the nuclear era saying the weapons are a ‘waste of money and effort and the resources being used on them should be going towards the NHS instead.’

He goes on to say that there is no longer a Cold War and nuclear capabilities are used as threats from one country to another with the argu-

ment boiling down to ‘ours is bigger than yours’. He also points out that only a few years ago Tony Blaire himself was a member of CND and ‘it’s no good blaming Iran and Iraq when you have nuclear weapons yourself!’

Mr Gibson is just one of Kent’s campaign See page four

NINE TEAMS MAKE KNOCK OUT AT BUSA SEE SPORTS PAGES

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FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT JOAD ON THE ROAD COMETH LECTURER RUNS FOR RESEARCH Saturday the 26th is the first day of this year’s FairTrade Fortnight. After the success of last year’s UEA-focused celebration of all things equitable. The Big Fair Trade group and their associates have taken the struggle for global trade justice into the city proper.

Many companies have contributed towrds the various endeavours to make Norwich a Fair Trade City and last year many nightclubs, such as Mercy and Time, along with our own LCR nights, played host to FairTrade fundraising on the most popular club nights.

The decision by the Council to play host to a fortnight of city-wide fairtrade awareness has been welcomed by many full-time fairtraders, such as the city’s Bannana Link. The various Union societies, such as SPEAK and SEED, will also be organising their own contributions towards the fundraising.

With the massive nationwide support for the Make Poverty History campaign, which the Union recently voted to support, hopes for this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight are even higher.

PARTY DIVERSELY UEA’s annual International Party has been given a 2005 date. On Wednesday the 2nd March. As usual, the event is an eagerly awaited part of the UEA social calender and this years celebration of our the varous international cultures will feature another stunning line-up of acts.

There will be Barber Shop Quartet, gospel choir, Capoeira and there will be Japanese cuisine for chowing down on.

National dress is encouraged (although home students are discouraged from wearing rolled up trousers with hankies on their heads), and some of the clothing has proved to be a highlight at past events

Philip Sainty

Dr. Joad Raymond, Lecturer in the school of LIT, will be running in this year’s London Marathon to raise money for World Cancer Research Fund – UK (WCRF UK) and hopes staff and students at the University will sponsor him in his endeavour.

Joad has returned to the UEA this academic year after conducting research at Princeton University in the US. His decision to run sponsored in the Marathon is due to his brother-in-law having been recently diagnosed with an inoperable

brain tumour.

WCRF UK is a charity committed to “saving lives by funding cancer research and providing education programmes that expand our understanding of the importance of our food and lifestyle choices in the cancer process”. The charity is instrumental in providing support and advice, both in the prevention of cancer, and to the families of those diagnosed with cancer. The charity organises a fundraising team for the London Marathon each year - last year the event raised over £40,000.

Joad would be grateful for any sponsorship that staff and students can afford to give

WORLD YOUTH CONGRESS BRITISH STUDENTS GIVEN UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY Nadia Bennich International Editor Environmentally-conscious and socially aware students from the UK have the chance to take part in a unique and exciting event which will take place in Scotland this summer.

Around 600 young people between the ages of 18 and 25 will be selected from around the world to participate in the third World Youth Congress which will be held in Stirling from Saturday the 30th of July until Monday the 8th of August.

The World Youth Congress was launched by the educational charity Peace Child International (PCI) in 1999 and occurs every two years. This year’s event is being organised and funded by the Scottish Executive with the support of other groups including Scottish Youth Parliament and other youth groups.

Young people have been actively involved in setting up the agenda for the event.

The World Youth Congress

stresses the important leadership role young people can fulfil in areas such as poverty eradication, peace, equality and environmental issues, and provides a forum for dynamic individuals to share their skills and experience.

Scotland’s Deputy Minister for Education and Young People, Euan Robson, enthused: “The World Youth Congress is a major opportunity for young people to make their voices heard on an international stage.

I look forward to hearing these views” He added “I would urge any environmentally and socially aware young people to sign up and join us at Scotland 2005.

Scotland is a modern outward-looking country with a strong commitment to its young people and heritage so it is fitting that we should be chosen to host this prestigious event.”

The World Youth Congress’ main theme for the upcoming event is ‘Young people working for a sustainable world community’ and the programme reflects the UN’s Millennium

Inside Concrete This Week Page 2: Lecturer Fundraising for Cancer Research, World Youth Congress Page 4: CND Protest, Student Language Barrier Page 6: McLibel and Free Bus Service Page 7: LINKS society and Iraqi Elections Page 8: Norwich and eBay, Drink Spiking warnings Page 9:

Hunting Bill and the Popularity of the Lib Dems Page 10: The Union Exec 2005-06 Page 19: Enquirer Page 20-21: Turf - Election results Bjorn Lomborg Page 22: Lifestyle - Stress Page 23 Travel - New Year in Vietnam Page 24: Lifestyle - Using Mooncups Page 25:

Horoscopes and Letters Page 26: Sport - Women’s football and Badminton Page 27: Sport - Athletics Team at Cross Country and Futsal Page28: Sport - Nine teams make it to qualifying final in BUSA. Also in this Issue: Special Concrete Housing Supplement

Development Goals which includes focus on poverty, equality, community and health. The programme includes three days of working on projects across Scotland including, for example, schemes to help inner city communities.

As a result of the information and ideas generated by the event, delegates will prepare and present a policy document to the UN General Assembly in New York in September.

The World Youth Congress says this document is expected to highlight how young people from all across the world ‘can play an integral part in future international sustainability’.

The event is free to attend with all accommodation, meals and equipment provided but delegates must pay for their travel to Scotland.

If you would like to apply to be a part of the third World Youth Congress, or for more information about the event, please visit www.scotland2005.org . The deadline for applications is 31st March.

A Terrible Idea Continued from page one thinks ‘It’s a terrible idea, an infringement of civil liberties and people should just walk round the Hive if they don’t like the smoke’. His opinion is countered by a student who preferred to remain anonymous but is in LLT 3, ‘I’m for the ban as passive smoking is a known cause of cancer and a smoky atmosphere, which aggrevates my medical condition.’

If the ban proceeds there have been fears that the Hive will lose revenue with smokers eating in the Pub. But Mr Ostrowski says he was prompted to write

WIRED FOR TALENT UNI RADIO SEEKS NEW STARS

Sarah Smith Livewire, the university radio station, has recently been running a competition aimed at all the new and original musical ability out there locally.

The Livewire: Unsigned competition was created to expose and nurture the raw talent in music on campus and in the city. The competition was run in association with XFM and was sponsored by music upload site brightskies.com. The station asked for people to send in their demos for judging by the Livewire music team, the closing date was the Tuesday 22nd February. the motion by ‘the sheer number of people’ and ‘there is no way it can affect the union financially’ as at the moment people who don’t like smoking are being excluded from eating their lunch in the Hive. He adds that when the exec met to discuss the issue before the council meeting ‘there were very strongly held opinions on both sides such as “all smoking should be banned in all places at all times and have a 5 metre exclusion zone by the doors”.

In cases such as these there is never a solution that suits everyone but smoking would definitely still be allowed during LCR nights

Those who made the cut were invited into the Livewire studio to play live, a performance that was play across Norwich as well as globally on www.livewire1350.com.

And for the ultimate winner? A day’s recording session at the Mill Recording Studio, an E.P mixed and mastered, as well as the opportunity to play at an exclusive Livewire: Unsigned event. As well as all this, songs that the team liked particularly were playlisted.

and at gigs, any time alcohol is on sale in the Hive, and it has been decided that a policy ballot will be held and the exec agreed that the wording will be “This union resolves that the middle floor of union house will become a no-smoking area except when alcohol is being served there”. If this wording is accepted by union council on Tuesday 22nd the policy ballot will be held on Thursday 10th March.

Mr Ostrowski was nominated by the exec to oversee the YES campaign and Mr Drakeford to head up the NO campaign with each receiving approximately £100 to spend.

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Messages of Support Continued from page one

COMMENT Right to Choose?

Smoking in the Hive is bound to be a contentious issue. Tobacco is just one of the drugs students tend to make use of during their time at University.

But it’s not just students that are burning away the daylight hours, since the Hive became the only catering outlet on campus that allows smokers to puff in peace, it has also become a favoured haunt of those lecturers that enjoy a crafty fag. This has also made for lucrative business in the Union.

Considering the volume of smoke that often greets visitors on entering the building, it is clear that some people will be averse to entering. Also, there are the hardworking staff to consider, most of those who work on reception don’t smoke and they have to put up with it all day.

The health issues surrounding the debate on public smoking are highly contested, with various evidence being cited on both sides. The Government is obviously concerned about the impact of smoking on the health service (though any attempt to make people live longer is laughable considering the current attitude towards pensions). Smokers are right to feel victimised, it is unfair that they be discriminated against, especially for doing something they enjoy.

In light of all the, highly contenious, arguments, a Ballott of all students is the only fair solution. Union House, to all intents and purposes, belongs to us all and so we should all have a say in the conditions that exist there.

To ensure the vote is fully representative, then make sure you do register your opinion on the 17th March.

Spiked Recent incidences of drink spiking on campus are real cause for concern.

That the most recently reported case, on the 4th February, affected two males is a stark reminder that everyone should be aware of this issue.

The use of drink spikes is now being done purely for a perverted sense of fun, with no other sinister motives in mind.

This doesn’t make it any better or excusable and the people doing this, whatever the motive, need to be brought to task. In many ways, it has become more dangerous than an attempt at robbery, as the perpetrator will not hang around once the spike has been adminstered, making them harder to catch.

We all need to start looking out for each other while we’re out enjoying ourselves. The drinks don’t spike themselves and we need to be very wary of people hanging around them.

several high profile figures to support Kent and his campaign. The organisers of the event received messages of support from the Lord Mayor, Councillor Joyce Divers, Dean of Norwich Cathedral Graham Smith, and Norwich South MP and Home Secretary Charles Clarke.

The petitions being offered by the supporters of the ban on weapons to passers by in the city were signed by a wide number of Norwich residents, young and old, men and women, die-hard activists and those who had only just learned of the campaign. They will be presented to Downing Street as part of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty Conference in May which is held on Albert Einstein’s birthday as a away of remembering him as the man who fathered our understanding of the atom and thereby made nuclear weaponry possible.

Chair of the CND Davida Higgin says ‘the forthcoming meeting ... will be a testing time for the Treaty, which is a cornerstone of international security and is now under

threat, particularly from the U.S. Our Government supports the Traety in its entirety, which includes a pledge

to work in good faith for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Bruce’s visit [gave] us a great opportunity

to insist that the Government honour its pledge, at the Conference and afterwards.’

STUDENTS BREAK LANGUAGE BARRIER STUDY SHOWS INCREASE IN EXTRA-CURRICULAR LANGUAGE LEARNING Rob Smith A survey has revealed more students are taking language courses at university, but that the majority of these students are taking non-accredited courses. The survey, carried out by the Association of University Language Centres and featured in the Times Higher Education Supplement, polled 40 institutions on the number of students studying languages, revealing the increase in popularity of learning languages

The survey showed that the number of students studying a foreign language has risen by over 1000 to 53,008 for the 2004-5 academic year. This is compared to just under 52,000 for 2003-4. However, the number of students studying on accredited language courses which count towards their final degree has dropped from 27,572 to 22,123.

Universities only receive funding for those students who enrol on degree-level language courses. There is no financial assistance for those who choose to study a language as an optional extra. This has led to worries

that language departments will be under-funded as fewer students choose to take language degree courses. There is also a concern that universities in the UK may choose to cut back on language provision in response to these figures.

Many students at UEA choose to study a language in addition to their regular modules. Andy, DEV 3 chose to study Arabic as an extra option. “I was considering going to Cairo for my year abroad and so I felt Arabic was the obvious choice for an extra module,” he said, “I also feel that Arabic is a fascinating language which is

spoken by a huge number of people across the world. A language is hugely helpful on a CV and so I wished to study one during my time at UEA.” A third year student representative also stated “A number of the students I represent learn a language in addition to the regular course requirements. They recognise the importance of having a second or even third language in these times of multi-culturalism.

Studying a language in addition to one’s course shows initiative and drive to an employer.”

NESTLE TALKS DEEMED A SUCCESS DEBATE REINFORCES UNION’S BAN OF SWEET GIANT’’S PRODUCTS Isobel Dyson As reported in a previous issue issue of Concrete, a debate concerning Nestle took place last month to deal with issues concerning the confectionary company, Nestle, and the ban of its products in Union-run campus outlets.

The debate was organised by the UEA Politics Society, Polistic, who invited a representative from Nestle to attend the debate.

The event was held as an opportunity for students to speak with a representative from Nestle and discover more about the company’s policies through a direct source. The debate also provided a chance for Nestle to respond to accusations that the company had promoted their baby milk to Third World countries as an alternative to breast milk and also to contest the ban of their products in Union outlets.

The successful discussion was recorded by Nexus and continued an hour after

the planned finishing time as members of the floor fired questions to both sides.

Beth Brockett, a Research Associate in the Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment and a former Baby Milk Action volunteer, was not a representative as previously reported, but made a strong case against nestle.

The representative from Nestle admitted that the company had promoted Nestle baby milk to Third World countries in the past, but maintained that they

now strictly keep to the codes outlined by the World Health Organisation banning aggressive marketing of baby milk formula. They also claimed to protect the health of people in developing countries. Nestle also stated its position as a valuable employer in Third World countries and as a vital aid to the economies of certain countries.

Beth Brockett proposed that Nestle were not as strict in their adherence to the WHO as they claimed because their practices had not changed sufficiently.

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GET FOLKED AT UEA McLIBELLISTS VINDICATED BY EUROPE Miranda Poppet

Folk Correspondent The Inter-Varsity Folk Dance Festival (IVDF), the longest-running folk dance festival in the UK, takes place this coming weekend between the 25th and 27th February. IVDF 2005 is being hosted by UEA, with the help of the UEA FolkSoc, and is supported by Norfolk County Council. The event will consist of eight ceilidhs and dances, one concert and over 40 workshops held over the weekend.

Entertainments are provided by a number of local and national acts. Tickled Pink and Xim Ceilidh dance bands will be performing on the Friday night and a 12-

hour ceilidh marathon is kicked off on the Saturday

by UEA’s own folk band, Elassar.

Workshops are running throughout the event and are highly eclectic, offering a worldwide selection of dances as well as crafts and music.

Amongst the courses on offer, there is the opportunity to learn African Drumming, Maypole Dancing, Capoeira and Bubble Blowing.

More information about the event, including ticket prices, timetables for the main events and a provisional timetable of workshops, can be found on the festival’s website, www.ivfdf2005.org.

FREE BUS SERVICE Jeff Clayton Tansport Correspondent UEA’s Transport Co-ordinator, Dawn Dewar, announced a free bus service for the University last week. The move comes “as part of the UEA’s ongoing Travel Plan Strategy” and from Thursday 17 February 2005 until the end of the academic year, bus travel on First route 25 between Costessey Park & Ride and the UEA will be free.

The 25 Service operates every ten minutes between the Campus and the Park & Ride site between 7am and 7pm from Monday to Saturday. The journey normally takes around fifteen minutes.

The journey is free upon production of your campus card when boarding the bus.

The Park & Ride site is located on the A47 Southern bypass, adjacent to the Norfolk Showground. While car parking charges do actually come into force at Costessey in late March with the commencement of the new P&R service to the city to be operated by Konect there is currently no charge for car parking.

The UEA’s Sustainable Transport Action Group (STAG) has been positive about the improved service.

Rupert Read, representing the group said: “STAG welcomes this exciting new development, and congratulates Dawn Dewar for having brought it about.

We earnestly hope that this scheme will persist and will be fully financially supported indefinitely by the University, and not just for the next few months.”

EU COURT RULES IN FAVOUR OF ACTIVISTS HAVING LEGAL SUPPORT

Protests of this kind are common and the financial might of the McDonalds corporation makes for potentially unfair trials.

Juliet Lewis Legal Editor The European Court of Human Rights has historically ruled that Helen Steel and David Morris, the 2 defendants sued for libel by McDonalds more than 10 years ago in the infamous “McLibel” trial, should have been allowed access to legal representation.

David Morris and Helen Steel were originally members of London Greenpeace (a pressure group not related to the organization Greenpeace), which began a campaign in the mid 80s against McDonalds by handing out anti-McDonald’s leaflets in a London branch.

The leaflets, entitled “What’s wrong with McDonald’s: everything they don’t want you to know”, contained accusations of low wages, animal cruelty and many other malpractices.

By the late 80s, McDonald’s had infiltrated the group and by 1990 served writs upon 5 of its members for defamation.

Whilst the other 3 apologised, Steel and Morris refused and so were taken to court. Before the start of the trial their applications for Legal Aid were refused on the grounds that such Aid was unavailable for defamation cases. This was despite the fact that David Morris was receiving income support and Helen Steel earned just £3500 a year.

Consequently, the two were forced to defend themselves.

In contrast, McDonald’s were represented by a specialist QC costing £2,000 per day and a Solicitor at a cost of £1000 per day.

Another reason given for the refusal of Legal Aid was that the defendants appeared perfectly capable of defending themselves, a bizarre

assumption given that they had been refused the right to trial by jury on the basis that “ordinary” people could not be expected to understand such complex scientific argument. The trial lasted a total of four years, causing the defendants a great deal of expense and stress, something that the court refused to adjourn proceedings to account for.

At the original trial at the High Court, the judge ruled that whilst McDonald’s were “culpably responsible” for animal cruelty and exploiting children with its advertising practices, parts of the leaflet were untrue (such as the claim that food served by McDonald’s caused cancer) and therefore defamatory.

The defendants were ordered to pay £60,000 damages, later reduced to £40,000.

The defendants then brought a separate action at

the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg against the British Government for the refusal of Legal Aid, a case for which, ironically enough, Legal Aid was granted to the defendants.

Judges at Strasbourg ruled that the refusal of Legal Aid had breached the defendants’ rights to a fair trial and freedom of expression under the European Convention on Human Rights.

“It was a nightmare fighting that case,” said David Morris of the original trial. “But it was a unique chance to expose the reality of McDonald’s. Our overall object has always been to encourage people to stand up for themselves and to take control of their resources, not multinational companies or Governments.

This should encourage people to better defend themselves.”

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UEA SOCIETY PROVIDES MISSING LINK FOR LCR SAFETY STUDENT FIRST AIDERS HELP UEA STAY SAFE Sarah Watson LINKS, the student wing of the UK’s leading first aid organisation, St. John’s Ambulance, is a society that offers first aid training for those wishing to learn.

Though few realise it, LINKS plays an important role at the LCR where they help the revellers g e t

through their night safely.

While many people would not know what to do if someone collapsed in front of them, or had an injury that needed tending to, there are students at UEA that poss e s s life-

saving skills and First aid training.

As well as gigs and sports occasions or events, the LINKS crew is on hand for the university and St. John members also use their skills locally, for example on the SOS bus in Norwich city centre on

IRAQI PEOPLE CHOOSE SHIITE ALLIANCE TO RULE Alyssa Morrisey

Final votes were tallied last week for wrapping up the US-led Iraqi national elections. A Shia-dominated group backed by religious leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, known as the Shia list, won the elections with the most votes.

Wishes were granted for the US and Britain on January 30 when millions of Iraqi citizens cast their ballots with fewer disturbances than expected. In all, Iraqi fighters carried out 175 attacks, killing 44 people.

The US state department called the event ‘a positive and significant accomplishment’, and President George W Bush congratulated “the Iraqi people for defying terrorist threats and setting their country on the path of democracy and freedom.’, he added, ‘The United States and our Coalition partners can all take pride in our role in making that great day possible.’ With the 47 percent Shia lead lower than expected, they will likely be forced to build coalitions with other groups.

A total of 12 parties have qualified for seats on the 275 temporary-member national assembly, whose main task is to approve a new constitution. Twentyfive seats must be designated to women.

Kurdish parties accounted for 26 percent of overall votes, while a group led by Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, known as the Iraqi list, received nearly 14 percent of the votes. The Shia list is expected to hold 132 seats in the national assembly. Voter turnout was calculated at just under 60 percent.

This is merely the first step. The assembly will agree on candidates for Prime Minister, paving the way for another election in December 2005. Afterwards the country hopes for a selfsustained, free democracy.

‘We will have an assembly which is elected by the people and a government which is completely legitimate.‘ Says Ahmed Chalabi, a veteran Iraqi politician who seeks the nomination for Prime Minister. Chalabi provided information about weapons of mass destruction before the US-led invasion on Iraq began in 2003.

While Kurds and Shiites shared the victory, Sunni participation dwindled. The incredible two percent turnout of voters in the Anbar province of the ‘Sunni triangle’ indicated that most Sunni voters were encouraged to boycott, or were deterred by threats of violence against polling places from insurgents.

As Tony Blair and the Bush administration congratulate themselves on their most recent victory in the War on Terrorism, doubt

lingers over the legitimacy and effectiveness of the election. Many believe that it has no bearing over Iraqi’s long term future.

‘George Bush will be the major victor in this election, using it to claim legitimacy for his occupation of Iraq.’

Says Phyllis Bennis, author of several books including Before and After: Us Foreign Policy and the September 11 Crisis. ‘This election does not mean that the invasion and occupation of Iraq is legitimate. Democracy cannot be imposed at the point of a gun.’

Blair, who called the election ‘a blow right to the heart of the global terrorism’ has been accused of using political gains in Iraq to confront opponents who persistently criticize his involvement in the occupation.

Also, many fear that the underrepresented Sunni Muslim minority could inspire a civil uprising: ‘Elections against the will of Arab Sunni Muslims will establish the newly born Iraqi state as their enemy,’ Says Dhafir al-Ani, an Iraqi political analyst and former politics professor at Baghdad University.

Similarly, the weeks following the election were marked by increased violence, killing scores of soldiers and Iraqis. Last Friday, at least 27 people were killed and dozens more injured during attacks on Shia Mosques at prayer time throughout Baghdad.

Friday and Saturday nights.

As part of a wider organisation, St. John’s Ambulance provides cover for many events nationwide. A LINKS team will be at the Silverstone Grand Prix this July.

This year, training is the responsibility of Drew Welch, a member of St. John’s for the past nine years. “The average LCR first aider will complete 6 days training, but we also spend extra time covering

the details of alcohol and drug intoxication. This year we have 25 fully qualified first aiders and 7 first aid assistants. Seven of our members are now qualified to use airway management equipment, oxygen therapy and Entonox – otherwise known as laughing gas – for pain relief.”

A number of LINKS members have recently

obtained t h e i r nationa l l y recognised ‘First A i d

at Work’ qualification, opening the gateway to training at a higher level, depending on experience and time commitment.

In return for the training they receive, first aiders volunteer to be ‘on duty’, mainly at the LCR – where 80% of incidents are a direct result of excess alcohol consumption – 50% of the cases seen

by LINKS involve treating minor injuries. For all intoxicated casualties, several possibilities need to be ruled out, like head injuries, a recent seizure or hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) in diabetics. If the casualty is afflicted in such a way, it may be necessary to call 999; 7% of LCR casualties leave in an ambulance. First aider Henry tended to “a lad who was presumed to be drunk, but after analysing what had happened we realised he’d just had a seizure and needed to go to A&E urgently”.

“There is a lot to be gained from being a part of LINKS” says vice chair, Cara Phillips.

“Apart from the first aid training and the opportunity to practice these skills by helping fellow students, there’s a programme of socials and frequent trips to the bar after weekly meetings, making it a fun and sociable society to be involved in.”

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NORWICH IS AUCTION ADDICTED Tom Hutchings With 44 percent of the population registered, Norwich has officially become the eBay capital of the UK. While many decide to use it as an auction room for getting rid of unwanted gifts, old toys or just mere junk, many, including UEA students, are choosing to leave a lifestyle funded by eBay’s opportunities.

Matt, CMP PG1, found that with no job and a hefty workload he was unable to afford the Apple iBook he so desperately ‘needed’ for his course – he turned to eBay. “I sold my Telecaster electric

guitar with some accessories, my mobile phone and my hi-fi” said Matt. “It was the perfect solution.” He now regrets selling his guitar but managed to get his much ‘needed’ computer.

The popularity of eBay amongst students is widely regarded as a result of the unstable financial situations they find themselves in.

Seeking a steady supply of cash Adam, ECO3, told Concrete “you can offer what you have to millions of people, not just some bloke down the pub.” But there are two sides to eBay, selling and buying. “There is just so much choice and always a chance for a bargain” he added.

Students also have a reputation for buying junk but the other student favourite, gig tickets, have also found a home on the auction site as tickets for acts at the LCR are prevalent. These aren’t Thursday disco tickets but tickets for some of the best gigs the East of England sees. Just typing ‘UEA’ into eBay’s search engine proffers a huge list of tickets for sale and, when gigs are sold out, prices can be ridiculous.

Current favourites include tickets for Athlete, Erasure and The Hives with some touching £35 per ticket. One seller claims that they will also give the buyer a phone number to call to

DRINK WATCH

POLICE URGE ALL STUDENTS TO BE VIGILANT Robin Smith On the 4th of February, three male UEA students were the victims of drink spiking while attending the “Club Retro” night at the LCR. During the course of the evening, one of the stu-

dents began to feel decidedly unwell and went outside to throw up. This was the last thing he can remember from the night. It is also reported that a friend of this student suffered similar symptoms.

At the same night, a member of the Concrete team also suffered due to drink spiking. He left his drink unattended for a few

minutes, but on his return found that it tasted different.

Wisely, he did not finish it but soon began to feel dreadful. The effects of this spiking lasted well into the next day.

The police wish to advise students to be vigilant and look after others around them. Under no circumstance should a drink be left

arrange “possible” backstage passes, which is somewhat questionable, but compared to similar ticket offers, it has

raised the price considerably.

The possibilities for student’s evolvement with eBay

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are endless and only creative ideas will see its limits pushed to the max. What will be next? Exam papers?

Students have made Norwich eBay capital of the country unattended, even if it is only for a minute. Whilst drinkspiking is often seen as a danger which predominantly affects women, it is clear from this incident that it can just as easily happen to men.

Drinks are spiked for a variety of reasons; robbery, humiliation or even sexual assault. If anyone feels that they have been the victim of a drink-spiking incident then they should seek immediate medical attention from the first-aid staff on duty at every LCR. The same applies if you feel that your friend has had their drink spiked; stay with them and move

them to somewhere safe.

It is also imperative that the police are informed after every case as they may be able to catch the culprits responsible. Members of the Entertainments staff have been made aware of the issue and will be on hand to offer help if an incident occurs.

The Women’s group on campus has an ongoing campaign to raise the awareness of drink-spiking. If anybody would like to get involved they can talk to the Women’s Officer, Kat Bowker, in Union House.

If anyone witnessed anything suspicious at the LCR

that night, or felt that their drink was also spiked, they can contact PC Bell on 01593 424242. There is also a website devoted to this issue which is run by the Roofie foundation.

The address is www.roofie.com.

There is also a 24 hour helpline. The number is 0800 7832980.

Concrete Wednesday,February 23 , 2005 rd

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concrete.news@uea.ac.uk 9

BUNCH OF HUNT(ER)S LIBS DEMONSTRATE A HUNT LAWS THROUGH BUT CONSIDERED UNCLEAR

STUDENT APPEAL Claire Bull

Pro-h hunt protesters are not happy with the new legislation

Sam Webber Political Editor

Hunting with dogs finally became illegal on Friday 18th February. Like it or loathe it, this ban has been talked about for several years now, and many have found the number of hours of parliamentary time devoted to it fairly ridiculous. It is particularly surprising that it is being treated as such an important issue at this time.

When compared with matters such as the protection of our nation from acts of global terrorism and reform of our public services, it is pretty insignificant.

The Labour party promised to ban hunting with dogs in the 1997 election manifesto and it has been widely argued that this legislation needed to get passed in order to satisfy disgruntled Labour backbenchers who are already unhappy about the Iraq war and the introduction of top-up fees.

It has also been argued that animal rights barely feature in this new law, and that it is one final heave from the Labour left to rid Britain of such an anachronistic spectacle. Many suggest that this could cost Mr Blair thousands of votes at the forthcoming election in key rural seats which could swing to the Conservatives who fully oppose the ban.

Anti-hunt campaigners anticipated the change in the law with joy, whilst hunt supporters campaigned up to the last minute to get the legislation overturned. The latest legal challenge failed last week. There are two further appeals by the Countryside Alliance to be heard in the courts in Britain, before it is anticipated that the case will go to the European Court of Human Rights.

The new legislation appears to be anything but clear cut. While it rules out the traditional form of hunting with a pack of hounds, there are many loopholes which hunt supporters will doubtless take advantage of.

These will also make it an incredibly difficult law to police effectively. Financially stretched police authorities have already indicated that they will not be shifting their focus away from reducing crime on the streets to monitoring potential fox hunters.

The overall impression is that the issue is being treated as of secondary importance, primarily affecting rural Britain and, consequently, only a relatively small section of society.

Hunting rabbits or rats instead of foxes will be allowed under the new law, as will the use of one or two dogs to flush out a fox, so long as it is shot. Drag or trail hunting will still be allowed to take place as well, which involves hounds following an artificial pre-laid scent. Consequently, hare coursing, which is celebrated at the annual Waterloo Cup, has been made illegal. But there is nothing to stop this sport continuing, so long as only rabbits are killed in the future.

The League Against Cruel Sports, which has long campaigned for this change in the law, is already training its members to gather detailed evidence of any illegal hunting. A spokesman said recently, “We will only be out of business when people stop inflicting cruelty on animals in the name of sport”. The plan clearly is that this sort of pressure group will take over the duties involved with monitoring hunts to ensure they remain within the law. On the other side of the argument many thousands of those who hunt, and those

who support country pursuits generally, are devastated. Captain Ian Farquhar, Joint Master of the Beaufort Hunt which met in M a l m e s b u r y , Gloucestershire last week said, “We are not going away.

We will keep these hounds going, we will keep this community going and in the end we will come back and meet again when hunting is legal”.

A defiant message indeed and one which the government, however big a parliamentary majority, ought to be concerned about so close to a general election.

As controversial as this legislation is, and it has divided the 3 main political parties in the House of Commons, it is hoped that it will enable a final line to be drawn under this whole issue of hunting with dogs.

Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael said last week, “From now on if people want to set out to hurt a wild animal with dogs, whether it be a fox, a mink, a hare or a deer, they will be breaking the law. The hunting community has always said they are law abiding members of society and I expect them to keep their word”.

Hopefully there will only be limited disturbances in the coming months as those directly affected adjust their practices to adhere to the new legislation. This may have been a botched attempt to outlaw a tradition that has been in place in Britain for hundreds of years, but perhaps now more serious matters can be fully discussed ahead of the looming general election.

Those bitterly opposed to the ban will undoubtedly be voting Conservative in the forlorn hope that hunting with dogs will be restored. Whilst it is easy to assume that Mr Blair’s third term is ‘in the bag’, there is in reality a lot still to play for.

With an election forthcoming, campaigning has begun to win student votes. There seems to be a trend amongst students towards voting Liberal over Labour.

At the beginning of February Charles Kennedy, leader of the Liberal Democrats, began his campaign to win student votes.

At a speech to students at the LSE Kennedy spoke of the importance of the student vote; keen to remind students they had been failed by labour. Chris Lomax the Liberal Democrat chair of youth and students said “Most students voting in 2005 will be doing so for the first time. We need to tell them that Labour betrayed them in 1997 over tuition fees, and again in 2001 over top-up fees.”

A recent survey showed that the Liberals have 3% more student votes than Labour, although trends over the last 6 months have shown Labour increase their percentage of the vote by 3% and the Liberals lose 1% of their votes. If these trends continue the balance may tip, and Labour may once

again hold the majority of support; 75% of students in the Poll said they expected Labour to win in the General Election.

Both the Liberals and Conservatives are trying to cash in on Labour’s introduction of top up fees

through their alternative policies.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for reintroduction of maintenance grants, abolition of top up fees, and a promise that students will become £3,075 better off under their

polices. The Conservatives are offering to abolish tuition fees as well as ending means testing for student loans and, like the Liberals, bringing back grants for poorer students.

The Conservative shadow education secretary Tim Collins has also promised universities major investment to the sum of £21 billion.

Within the UEA there are no active party-based societies for the Liberals or Labour, while the Conservative and Green Party do have some following. This is unusual for a university, and is perhaps a reflection of student apathy towards ‘party’ politics.

Perhaps students feel let down by Labour; as it appears that the lack of support for party politics within the university reflects a general trend of disengagement with parties amongst students. But it seems nation wide there is no problem with student apathy, as 71.9% of students said they would vote in an upcoming election.

The fight for student votes will be centred on selective issues which students feel extremely volatile over. The coming months are set to show all parties fighting for the student vote.

10 concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

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Concrete Wednesday, February 9 , 2005 th

THE NEW UNION EXEC 2005-06 ACADEMIC OFFICER Dan Pearson

FINANCE OFFICER Ben Williams

WELFARE OFFICER Emma Kelly

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

I am about to to graduate in Politics and I have represented SOC, at school board and Union Council level. Over the past year I have served as chairman of the Union Council and my role there has enabled me to take an overview of a range of views and opinions. In these roles, I have seen how students can have a direct impact upon decisions made within the Union and University.

I will ensure that we still maintain levels of student representation that allow us to be effective as a union. As the University is changing, we need a strong voice to represent the varied views of our diverse student population. I want reps to have the means and support to convey their information back to the student population.

With the increase in tuition fees, I want to support you in getting the most out of your degree.

Finally, I won’t make unattainable pledges, my pledges are all clear. The Student Union is a strong and proud voice on campus. It lobbies hard to gain the facilities, services and goods that students want. Your voice will be heard, my door will always be open and together we can achieve a great deal. Thank you for choosing me to represent you over the next year.

A new student to UEA, Ben graduated from Leicester with a BA in Economics and Law. He is currently studying as a Postgraduate in IP Law. He has been involved in the Unions at Leicester and at UEA and, being responsible for the Union’s £10 million turnover, has succeeded in securing arguably one of the most lucrative posts. His aim over the year is to "enrich the life of all students", which he hopes to do by providing an effective and student friendly-system of services, maintaining ethical buying standards and making business processes more transparent to ensure that full accountability is possible.

He also has the wellbeing of international students in mind as he wants to fully extend the 'buddy' system.

Ben is not afraid to engage the University on several issues either and he is keen to find an effective and realistic solution to the car parking situation. With respect to the attention given to the ‘student experience’, Ben will ensure that the University is fully equipped to deal with any situation the students here may find themselves faced with. In addition to all this, he promises to provide the necessary facilities to support all student endeavours, be they new or existing.

As Welfare Officer, I would aim to get as many people involved in University life as possible and am particularly interested in helping societies to work in collaboration to organise fundraising events and campaigns.

As someone who has experienced living and working abroad, I am very keen to make sure the needs of international students are not neglected. I will work closely with the International Society and also aim to create more opportunities for students to be able to meet informally to practise their English. I have worked extensively with adults and young people with disabilities and aim to work closely with the Liberations and Women's officers to ensure that all students are represented and their concerns met.

I want to make your time at university as enjoyable and stress-free as possible. My three years at UEA have been an amazing experience, but I appreciate how easy it is to feel isolated in such a large campus environment. I will work hard to help you deal with whatever concerns you may have and will work closely with other Union Officers, the Union Council and other services, such as the Advice Centre, in order to get your needs met quickly and efficiently.

The ability of the Union to make a difference to a student’s time at University is massive. From the commercial services we offer to the campaigns we run, they are only a success if you are part of them. As well as being a member of Union Council for the last two years, I have been your Environment Officer this year. I have campaigned on a range of issues before and during University. I will bring my experience, passion and enthusiasm to this role and to our Students Union.

Campaigning for the interests of students must be an integral part of the activities of our Students Union. I will ensure the Union is active, I will campaign for more funding from the University and I will run the campaigns that you want.

'It’s your Union' doesn't mean anything unless you’re involved in it and making the decisions. I will work to introduce a new Ethical Issues officer and increase the profile of Union Council.

This Union can only do its job if you know what’s going on. I will expand the Union website, look at getting the Concrete Editor voted in (like at other Unions) and I will make sure Rabbit is relevant.

INTERNATIONAL OFFICER Zara Siddiqi

LIBERATIONS OFFICER Steve Williams

SOCIETIES OFFICER Eddie Shields

ENVIRONMENT OFFICER Jenny Gellatly

As an international student, I know how challenging and exciting it can be moving to another country to study. This journey can also be intimidating in many ways, as you do not know what to expect.

I want international students to trust the International Officer to represent them during their time here. I will also draw attention to any relevant issues affecting or concerning the international students. I want them to feel that their voices are being heard and that they too can make a difference. I will personally make every effort to be a spokesperson for you and to represent you in the best possible manner.

Therefore, any matters or issues you might have, I will bring forward to the union.

I also want them to experience the dynamic city of Norwich, away from campus life and raise awareness of other organisations offering services to international students. However, most importantly I want the international officer to be someone they can trust, both approachable and reliable and listening to their matters ranging from personal to academic with strict confidentiality. Finally, I want you all to feel at home here at UEA and in the city of Norwich.

Hi, my name's Steve Williams and I'm a 2nd year ENV student, and I'm very pleased to be taking up the position of Liberations Officer for 2005/06. I am eager to raise the profiles of the respective campaigns involving lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans students; black and ethnic minorities students; and students with disabilities. I will make sure the University and the Union are complying with the new Disabilities Discrimination Act which comes into force in September, ensuring students with a whole range of disabilities have adequate access to the services they deserve. I will also co-ordinate Liberations Week in 2006, campaigning for the issues that matter most to these groups. I will work with the new Welfare Officer, Emma Kelly, to continue the Union's Mental Health Campaign, which has gone from strength to strength. Finally, my door is always open to listen to what students have to say: pop in to the Non-Sabbs office, email me at su.liberations@uea.ac.uk or grab me and say hello if you see me walking by! Thank you to everyone who voted for me; I am looking forward to working with and representing the diverse cultures here at UEA.

Eddie SHIELDS - "Defending YOUR Interests" Hi, I'm Eddie. I'm a second year biologist from Lancashire. I have been active on the Union Council for the last year and have enjoyed the opportunity to represent my fellow students.

Since coming to UEA I have noticed that a lot of smaller societies are facing the same challenges. If elected I would facilitate the co-operation between similar societies enabling them to more effectively achieve their goals. Although I have many ideas on ways to improve the role of societies officer I am always open to new ideas and can always be contacted at e.shields@uea.ac.uk.

I hope you will allow me to make the difference.

Andy Higson

As some 13,000 students we have a vital role to play in ensuring our Union and university are as environmentally responsible and accountable as they possibly can be. We, as students, can lead the way in promoting environmental sustainability. We can set an example for other universities, businesses and for society as a whole.

I will ensure that as many people as possible hear about, and have the opportunity to get involved, in the activities of the Union. I will work hard to implement the Union's policies.

Using my previous experience of environmental campaigns and projects I will carry out this vital role as your Environment Officer with passion and enthusiasm.

I will work to extend and improve the University’s recycling facilities and encourage all students to take part in the scheme, as well as looking into a pilot composting scheme for the University. I will promote more organic and Fairtrade products in the Union outlets and continue to support the Nestlé boycott. I will also support alternatives to the multi-million pound car park. We need better transport to the university. We do not need 800 extra cars on Bluebell Road.

HOUSING GUIDE 2005

2 Concrete Housing Guide 2005

Concrete Housing Guide 2005 Contents The transition: The difference between Halls and Houses.....................Page 2

Location, Location, Location: Your essential guide to Norwich localities and what to expect from them.

Avenues, Unthank, Earlham, Dereham and the City..............Pages 4&5 West Earlham, Eaton, Bowthorpe....Page 6 The Horror: Housing advice from UEA students...................Page 7 Letting Agents: Alternatives to the Housing list.......Page 8

Soon the 2005 Housing List will be released, and the Housing Season will officially begin. Thousands will leave the confines of Halls and move into a house of their own. But is it worth it? To kick off this year’s Housing Guide, we compare living in halls to living in a house.

The Joy of Halls Easy To Find: Getting yourself a room on campus is a lot simpler than finding a house off campus.

You’re dealing with the university, not a busy landlord. The lovely people in the Accommodation Office are used to dealing with a million questions and will make everything simple for you. A landlord often has one house that is desired by many people, so courtesy is at a premium, especially during housing season. And paying for residency living is simpler too; the fee is paid in three instalments and it’s the only fee you pay. With houses, there is not only rent, but bills as well, and they’re likely to arrive when you least expect and want it, which leads to the next point…

Cost: Living in halls is by far cheaper than living off campus, regardless of which residency you live in. Even if you find a dirt-cheap house there is still the small matter of bills. Water, electricity and gas are free in halls, but not in a house. And if you want internet access and/or a house phone and/or Sky TV, then the cost quickly becomes very high. Then there are the expenses that aren’t billed to you from a utility company, things like bin liners, washing up liquid and household cleaning materials. And finally there is the commute.

Walking is the only free form of commuting.

Bicycles need lights, locks and, if you’re unlucky, a puncture repair kit (and if you’re really unlucky, sometimes a new bike altogether). Cars, well, cars needs lots of things, but you also have to pay to use the car park. And

Deputy Editor: Simon Sheridan Contributors: Matt Cantor Clare Dodds Emma Johnston Jen Marchant Alyssa Morrisey Lucy Mowatt Kathryn West Illustrations: Clifford Hammett Published by the UUEAS Concrete Society ©2005 Concrete. ISSN 13512773.

Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Publisher or Editor.

No part of this accomodation guide may be reproduced through any means without the express permission of the Editor.

Map of Norwich: Map Designed by David Bygrave. © Norwich Accommodation Agency, and published with kind permission.

Printed by: Archant, St. Andrews Business Park, Norwich, Norfolk.

the bus, needless to say, isn’t free.

Easy To Live In: Living in halls is easy. It really is.

The bin is emptied for you, the shower pod is cleaned for you, as is the kitchen, and you have a minute area of living space to maintain. You’re also often no more than five minutes from the square, and sometimes much closer than that.

For people living off campus, commutes of 45 minutes are not unheard of.

Security: Waveney Terrace notwithstanding, UEA halls of residence are generally very secure. If you remember to lock your room you’ve immediately setup an impenetrable fortress of security, and even if you forget, entry into the building itself requires a key or a campus card or, sometimes, both.

And when it comes to fires, well, anyone who has lived in halls will notice how

desperate the people who designed it were to avoid a fire. Every door is a fire door, once a week, every week the smoke alarms are tested and there is a fire blanket and extinguisher in every kitchen. They even go to the trouble of nominating a fire warden.

Pot Luck: Halls, to quote Forrest Gump, are like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re gonna get. Some of us are unlucky and are stuck with half a dozen anti-social losers who like none of the same things you like, but a lot of us ending up meeting our best friends in halls. If you’re really lucky, everyone in your flat becomes your best mate and you end up becoming one big happy university chum team. And if you’re really, really lucky you find your sweetheart just down the hall.

The Joy of Houses

Editor-in-Chief: Phillip Sainty Editor: Ross Grainger

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FROM HALLS TO HOUSES

Watch your back: Contracts, Landlords and general advice from the Union Advice Centre......................Page 3

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Responsibility: The responsibility that comes with finding and maintaining a house off campus is very high, but if you master it then you learn some important life lessons. For starters, the process of finding a house teaches you a thing or two about agencies, landlords and housing contracts. And once you’re in your house you get a real taste for how things will be in life outside uni. You have to deal with bills, you have to keep your house clean and tidy and sometimes you have to deal with some awkward social situations; you might end up falling out with one of your housemates, or dating them and them breaking up with them. It’s all a big learning process, but when you come through it you’re much the wiser.

Freedom: A residency room can sometimes feel like a cell, but your house is your castle. Once you sign that contract it’s yours and you can mould it to fit your image. When you step into your house for the first time you realise that it’s a big step from halls – and it feels

good. You have stepped up to a different level of student life when you begin life in a house.

Space: As mentioned, a residency room can sometimes feel a wee bit cramped. And if you’ve ever tried to sleep with another person in your single bed, you really feel the pinch. In a house, though, you can get a double

bed! You can have big shelves and a big chest of drawers and a wardrobe you could live in. You also get a living room! You can watch TV on the couch with your feet up, instead of on your bed with your feet on one of those plastic chairs. And if you felt confined by being able to watch only terrestrial TV in halls, you can splash out a bit and get Sky once you move into your own house.

House Party: It’s hard to have one of these without a house.

It’s not impossible to have a party in halls, but nothing beats a house party.

Throwing a house party is part of the learning curve that comes with living in your own house. You have to deal with neighbours who claim the music is too loud, with friends who have shat, vomited and wanked in your toilet at the same time after drinking your bathtub punch, and with the landlord who wants to know why it says ‘Great Shag ‘05’ in shaving foam on one of the bedroom walls. The House Party is a rite of passage for any university student, and everyone has to attempt at least one.

Some rock, some rot, but after each one everybody’s wiser.

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HOUSING ADVICE There are lots of things to consider when looking for a house. And when that dream house becomes yours, there are plenty of other things to take care of: damage deposits, council tax, contracts, security and more.

To help you make sense of it all we called on the Union Advice Centre.

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Advice on…Housing Contracts

Advice on…Deposits

deposit (also called a bond or damage deposit) is a payment made by each member of a house to the landlord before the housing contract is signed. It is retained by the landlord for the duration of your tenancy for possible damages to the house. It’s when your tenancy ends that the deposit can become a problem.

This is because sometimes the landlord will take some or all of your deposit to cover things that you should not have to pay for. You might end up paying for damages to the house that were there before you moved in, or you might spend hours cleaning the house before you move out only for the landlord to hire a professional cleaner at the expense of some of your deposit. A deposit can only be used to pay outstanding bills or rent if this is specified in the tenancy agreement. Here are some things you can do to help avoid disputes over your deposit.

Inventory: Your landlord should provide you with a list of inventory. This is a list of everything in the house, from microwave to small bedside lamp. It’s a good idea to check this list as soon as you move in. If the first time you look at the inventory is the day before you move out, you might be in trouble. “Original Monet? We didn’t have an original Monet.” At which point you remember the framed photo in the bathroom which is now covered with toothpaste spray. Okay, that’s not too likely, but nevertheless, check that inventory the way Father Christmas checks his list - twice.

O n c e you’ve

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tory, you would do well to take pictures of things or areas that might be disputed by you and the landlord. For example, if there is a stain on the living room carpet when you move in, take a picture, ideally a dated picture. This can be your deposit’s saving grace.

As you near the end of your tenancy, ask the landlord to make an inspection of the house. This way he or she can tell you what needs to be done to restore the house to its original state.

By following these simple steps, you should be able to have your deposit returned in full and in good time (usually no more than 28 days).

However, most students don’t follow this advice, and even those who do run into problems. It’s your money, so if you feel it is being unfairly taken from you, do stand up for it. If worse comes to worse and you and the landlord cannot resolve any disputes

he contract you sign with your landlord is, as you can imagine, very important.

Quite simply, you should read every word of it and make sure you understand it, because once you have signed on that dotted line, the contract is a legal docum e n t .

Unfor tunately, though, housing contracts are not great reading. Think Derrida as a lawyer.

Most of it is mundane and filled with housing-related mumbo jumbo, but if you decide to just glance at

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4) Every contract should contain a clause relating to Section 11 of the ‘Landlord and Tenant Act’, which obliges every landlord to carry out repairs on the property and allows the tenant to take action if repairs are not carried out within a reasonable time. The landlord cannot ask you to make repairs yourself.

5) Bring your contract to the centre to get it checked by an advice worker before you sign it.

Advice on...TV Licensing Perhaps the idea of getting DON’T WAT C H caught without ME IF YO U a licence turns you on, in DON’T HAV E A which case LICENCE! please be aware of the consequences: Detector vans and TV Licence officers with hand-held detectors monitor all residential areas, including university residency areas. It is a tad Orwellian, but they know when you are watching television. If an officer decides to knock on your door and ask to see your licence you can refuse them entry, in which case they will assume you’re guilty and the fun will begin. They can apply for a search warrant and return without warning to search your property. They can even use force to get into your house. And don’t think that because it’s not your TV that you won’t be prosecuted.

If you are found guilty, the fine is £1000. A TV licence costs £121.00 and lasts for one year. You can pay for it all at once or use TV licence stamps.

So with those figures in mind, ask yourself, is it really worth the risk?

Come to a panel discussion in

Distribution of Housing Lists

Student Union Advice Centre, Union

Lecture Theatre 1 (video link to

Contract checks available

House

Lecture Theatre 2). Get valuable

throughout the week. Call in,

9am - 5pm Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri

housing advice and your ques-

Email or telephone to make an

11am - 5pm Wednesday

tions answered by our expert

appointment.

Tel: 01603 593463

“So I foreclosed on her mortgage, and took her cats!”

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andlords come in all shapes, sizes and moods, but you probably won’t have one as greedy and heartless as Mr. Burns (right). As long as you pay your rent on time and don’t break anything substantial in the house, your landlord will have no reason to resent you. However you might have good reason to resent your landlord. If things start breaking and the landlord does not fix them in good time, the resentment starts building up. They might also bring people round to view your house often and without much notice. This can become quite trying. In all of this, having a good rapport with your landlord from the beginning of your tenancy eases the pain. While they take your money and own your house, they are just human beings. When you cut them, they bleed (this is a reference to Shakespeare, not a call to arms). Talk to your landlord, get to know them, and whatever you do, don’t forget the rent!

THURSDAY MARCH 10th 6pm - 7:30pm

2) Joint or individual contract? If your name appears on a contract with the name of your housemates, you are considered jointly liable.

This means that you are all equally responsible for the rent, so if one person does not pay or causes damage to the property, everyone has to pay the money owed to the landlord.

t’s unlikely that anyone reading this does not know that in the UK you need a licence to watch television. It’s even more unlikely that anyone reading this is considering, or is already watching TV without owning a licence, because you go to university, which means you have a morsel of intelligence. You’d have to be lacking even a morsel to think about watching TV without a licence. Here are the facts: “Everyone who uses (or installs with the intention to use) a television set or video recorder which is capable of receiving authorised broadcast programmes (that is, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, cable television or Sky TV) needs a television licence. A licence allows the person named on it and any member of their household to use one or more television sets or video recorders.” (From the Union Advice pamphlet on TV Licencing) You do not need a licence if your TV is totally incapable of receiving broadcasts. If your television does not fit that descprition, you need a licence. But you go to university and, morsels of intelligence notwithstanding, you enjoy flouting the rules - you take all manner of drugs in all manner of places, you shag in the library, you fight with bouncers and you sneak into gigs.

Advice on...Landlords

HOUSING EVENT 2005

1) Check that the landlord’s name and address are written on the contract, as well as the address of the property you are renting. Check the amount of rent you are paying and what system will be used to pay it, i.e. standing order.

3) ‘Quiet Enjoyment’ is something that all tenants are entitled to. It is a clause that allows all tenants to live in the property without suffering harassment from the landlord. A landlord must give 24 hours notice before entering the property for any reason. Any landlord who persistently visits your house is in breach of the Quiet Enjoyment term.

checked t h e invenmano a mano, you can take him or her to small claims c o u r t .

Check with the advice centre before you do this.

it over a pint then you might find that your landlord now owns your soul, or that you’ve signed up to one of those organ donor lists (and not the kind that waits until you’re dead). Below are some of the things to check for in your contract.

panel.

Email: advicecentre@uea.ac.uk

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Concrete Housing Guide 2005 5

LOCATION. LOCATION! LOCATION? So, where to live? Within the fine city of Norwich there are more than half-a-dozen areas that have personalities and images all their own. We give the lowdown on all of them.

Map Supplied courtesey of Norwich Accommodation Agency Designed by David Bygrave

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The Avenues

he Avenues. You know the one. Or you will if you’ve ever tried walking from campus to town. It’s the big, aptly named straight avenue that starts just outside the University from Bluebell road. It stretches from here practically to the city centre making it potentially a highly desirable place for student house hunters. Cut roughly in half by Colman Road, a local shopping area complete with a post office, baker’s, butcher’s, grocer’s, newsagent and even a couple of pubs it attracts a mixture of residents.

There are far less students living in this area than on neighbouring Unthank or Earlham but the area maintains a studenty feel, as it is the main thoroughfare for many travelling to and from lectures.

Besides which, bumping into the occasional “ordinary” person, after living on campus, has got to feel somewhat refreshing! This cycle friendly route also has room for those of you with four wheels. Off road parking is provided for many residences and there is also some street parking, for which you can acquire a permit. For those of you who prefer to walk, it takes approximately 15 minutes to get from the midpoint of the Avenues to campus, or about 20 minutes to get into town and it’s a pleasant tree-lined

stroll. If all of this just sound like far too much effort, or if you have some strange phobia of walking next to trees, the 25, 26 and 27 bus services run from Bluebell Road, which adjoins the Avenues, into the city centre. The 27 and a number 23 Anglian bus service (they’re the yellow ones) also run from The Avenues itself.

At this point you should probably be made awae of the fact that the Avenues is not an intricate system of avenues, as the name suggest, but just one large road, like Earlham or Unthank. This might take some of the gloss of living there, for which we apologise.

The houses themselves are varied. A large number of them are semi-detached three bedroom houses, but there are also some larger properties, particularly towards the city end. It is worth noting that the majority of properties in this area are family homes, but if you do decide to opt for a house here you certainly won’t be the only students to have done so.

They say house hunting is all about “location, location, location!” and for that The Avenues couldn’t be better. Close enough to campus for early morning lectures, it’s also near enough to the city for late night adventures, and all just a stone’s throw from the student Mecca that is the Golden Triangle.

Emma Johnston

F

Earlham Road

raming one edge of the famous ‘Golden Triangle’, Earlham is a popular dwelling place for students. Stretching all the way past the campus and into town, Earlham offers an extensive amount of accommodation and amenities. Houses along here are generally larger so if you’re looking to put a roof over more than five heads, this is the place to live. For those smaller numbers, accommodation can also be found on the many streets leading off Earlham Road itself. Students tend to favour the lower end of Earlham, closer to town, but others prefer to live in the somewhat contrasting luxury of the family homes nearer the University.

Earlham is well situated for any student’s convenience, being only short distances from the University, the city centre and the other student areas: Unthank, Dereham and the Avenues. Half way along its long stretch is a small shopping arcade with takeaways, an essential off license and a Somerfield; a really useful supermarket for the masses that can’t be bothered to walk into town or make the long journey to Morrisons. There is also a post office, a launderette and, probably most pleasingly, a range of pubs. These vary from quiet locals

to popular student haunts such as the Garden House, the Mitre (good for football screenings) and the Belle Vue for cheap and tasty food!

Sadly, buses are the bane of Earlham life. Two bus services run along this road, the 26 and 27, but they still can’t get it right! Unfortunately for those fond of late nights out both services finish early in the evening; the 26 runs until 6.30pm, and the 27 stops at 11pm. Like most buses, the service is also quite irregular despite its quoted promise of ‘every ten minutes’, so be prepared to wait. Having said this, the walk to campus only takes about half an hour and town is approximately fifteen minutes away by foot. For those patient enough to wait though, the bus conveniently stops at the market place in the centre of town.

Regardless of the disadvantages of transport, Earlham offers a good balance for students who seek escapism within reach of the busy student culture. It’s quieter which means there’s less likelihood of bumping into your lecturer in the local shop but only a short distance from the multitude of students in the surrounding areas.

“The only ball ache is the buses - they say they go every ten minutes, but they don’t. However, there are good local pubs and good shops.” (From an Ealrham resident) Clare Dodds

Dereham Road

Y

our first impressions of the Dereham Road area will likely be pretty good.

You’re not in the Golden Triangle area, but you are surrounded by shops, and you’re a nice, short walk from the City Centre. If you like your take-aways then you have a KFC, Planet Wok and loads of fish and chip shops.

For your daily tipple, the Wine Warehouse caters for your party needs, and the City Gate Wetherspoons will provide you with a quiet night out. Other pubs in the area are not generally student-friendly, but you may want to try the Fat Cat if you like a good ale. If you get bored with this lot then just walk down the road another five minutes and you’re slap-bang in the centre of the city. Marvelous.

But the closer you are to the city, inevitably you will be further away from the university. You have to walk up to Earlham for the bus (26/27) and while they are getting better, my experiences of them were many missed lectures waiting 45 minutes for them to bother turning up. So, perhaps you should get a bike or a car. Independent.

It’s not my job to sell you a house in the area, though, so now for some awful truths that you should be well aware of. Crime in the area is high,

especially burglary. Our neighbors and local shop keeps were friendly, but all had been victims of crime in the last couple of years, as was I by the end of my year there. It’s not worth moving into the area unless your house and/or belongings are secure and insured. You need double-glazing, and preferably an alarm as well. Paranoid.

Dereham Road is Dereham Road – everyone knows where it is and everyone has heard of it. This helps when ordering pizza or Chinese food; you don’t have to go into minute detail about where your obscure street is, or worse, you don’t have to deal with the pain of having your order rejected because you live in the middle of nowhere (Bowthorpe, for example). Delicious.

When said outloud you might think it, but when you see it written down you’ll know better - there are no deer on Dereham road. Foxes, yes. Birds, obviously. Badgers, let’s hope not. But deer? You’re having a laugh. Pointless.

In short, it’s not a bad place to live, especially if you like being in the thick of Norwich life, although you may be put off leaving your house unattended for very long. I know I was, but then again I have a Faberge egg collection to protect. Sweet.

Mark Kelly

L

Unthank

iving off Unthank is a bit like living in a village. Despite the drama about the proposed Tesco on the corner of Unthank and Trinity Street the local shops are popular, prospering and you can get almost anything you want in less than 100 metre radius of your house, from fresh bread and local grown veg, to stamps and print cartridges, ballgowns and one-off jewellery. Who wouldn’t want to be near so many conveniences and resouces? Well, me last year. Having gone through the area on the way to campus from Mary Chapman Court most days in the first year the idea of all the takeaways and pubs and all those people made me want to be somewhere quiet and not so studenty.

Having spent a year living off Dereham putting up with hours spent at the Mitre bus stop, miles from the fun and bustle of the happening centre of Norwich’s studentville we didn’t think twice about joining our friends and moving to the convenience of the 25 bus, the lovely takeaway people, the two Budgens stores, the easy walks to town and uni, the wonderful Zuckerman’s bakery, the launderette, the great little greengrocer’s near Lloyd’s bank, the hardwear shop that has everything you’ll need when

your house goes wrong, and the fabulous ballgown shop! Brilliant; all of it.

It’s an old area and there are some great houses to be had. Our’s has high ceilings, big rooms and costs a fortune to heat. These are things to consider when you choose a property and the other advantage of the big old drafty houses is the extra communal space you get. While most landlords convert a downstairs room into an extra bedroom it makes a big difference to life in a shared house to have somewhere comfy and big enough you can all congregate.

If you like the sound of the area it’s a good idea to look at houses on roads off Unthank, such as Trinity Street, and there are lots of student rental places to be had. But it’s a nice change from Halls to be living near your friends and also near grown ups who let you borrow things like rolling pins and hammers that you may not have around.

Anyone living there will tell you that Unthank is the place to be if you want proximity to both town and campus and a wide range of facilities. The villagey feel makes it unique, and having spent the second year feeling very out on the periphery of student life it’s great to be somewhere that can be everything you want it to be.

Katharine Clemow

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STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR? Bowthorpe

Living At Home

If you want to live slightly out of the city, in a quieter, less student-populated area, Bowthorpe could be the place for you. Situated half an hour’s bus journey from the city centre, and half an hour’s walk from the University, Bowthorpe has not yet become completely overrun by students, so it maintains the peaceful atmosphere of a little suburb.

There are shops at regular intervals, so there’s never far to walk for a pint of milk in the morning, or a pot of Ben and Jerry’s in the evening. There is a post office just past Clover Hill Road, although it might make more sense to use a post office in the city, or on campus, depending where exactly you live.

Bowthorpe is on the 21/22 bus line, which takes you directly to the city (and if you stay on through the city, to the big Tesco at Sprowston; ideal for your weekly shop). And if you don’t fancy the walk all the way to Uni you can hop on a 21 and get off half way down Wilberforce

It is impossible to estimate the number of times that I, and several of my friends, have been asked why we chose to stay at home while at university, when we had the opportunity to move to the opposite side of the country to our families. It takes quite a lot of explaining because there are so many reasons, but most people realise that the choice was made upon sound judgement.

The most obvious reason for staying in Norwich is that it’s much cheaper to stay at home. After weighing up the possible experiences of living with friends or having some money to spend when I finish my degree, the latter sounded preferable. The free laundry service is also a bonus, providing that I do my fair share of the housework, which means there are no problems on that front. Going into the kitchen and not having to worry that I could catch a deadly disease if I touch anything also allows for a small amount of gloating when visiting friends.

Home doesn’t have that “student house smell” either. It’s inexplicable, but it exists, it’s always the same and very odd.

Being able to keep a part-time job is a benefit too. Earning a little cash is useful, and not touching the student loan is reassuring.

Developing a social network almost entirely separated from university can be comforting as

well, especially when mid-semester stress starts to build; you can completely cut off from academic work. At Christmas and summer vacations Norwich becomes a ghost town for those permanently here, one of the drawbacks of living at home; it’s sometimes nice to work just so that you can leave the house and talk to someone occasionally.

The aggravation of moving house again seemed like madness, and also having a notoriously bad sense of direction means that I’ve only just figured out how to navigate my way around the City without getting lost. Learning how to get around another town would have taken years, at least this way I had a head start over most people at UEA. Most of the reasoning sounds absolutely mercenary, but UEA has other benefits too. The course was important, and conveniently it is one of the best in the country. Of course having family around is also nice, because it might be impossible for anyone else to stand living with me. Admittedly when it gets claustrophobic university becomes a means of escape, but it’s helpful to have someone telling you not to worry about work too much, and having tea made when essay deadlines are nearing. Obviously there are the drawbacks of vacations, and not having had the experience of life away from family, but on the whole it appears that it was more convenient to stay at home.

Lucy Mowat

Chavtastic: Refershingly mild, strangely addictive.

Road, cutting your journey in half. A word of warning however: the 21/22 bus-line can be very unreliable (which line in Norwich isn’t?); I’ve frequently ended up running really late because two or three buses just didn’t show up. Also, the last bus leaves the city at 11.05, but the walk from Uni to home (if you get a late-night 25) can actually be very refreshing, if you face it in a positive (or drunken) state of mind.

There is a cracking takeaway on Earlham Green Lane, part of a small arcade containing a corner shop (not actually on the corner, but you know the kind - newspapers, chocolate, lottery tickets), and a shop that sells flowers.

The only other disadvantage worth mentioning is the people. Bowthorpe is a kind of, how do I put this politely? Chavsville. The 21/22 bus-line is populated mostly by scowling 14-16 year-olds and their children, and the current trend among the young men (presumably the fathers of these children) is to ride on hairdryers with wheels, with their trousers tucked into their Donnay socks. Maybe they have a very good reason for this fashion custom, but the only idea we’ve come up with so far is that it’s for stealing bicycles without warning. That said, Bowthorpe is still a really great place to live, it’s peaceful, convenient and the houses are really nice – reasonably new, spacious family homes – perfect for groups of three or four students.

Jen Marchant Above Right: Two semidetached houses in Eaton. If it looks quiet, that’s because it is.

Right: A six person, semidetached house in Bowthorpe (Disclaimer: the young man in the doorway is not a chav)

West Earlham If you fancy big houses with plenty of space between you and your roommates, and an enormous garden for whatever reason, West Earlham is the place for you. The neighbourhood behind the University village is close, scenic and best of all, a little more spread out than the cramped quarters of the Golden Triangle. You could fit a family, maybe even a pet (if you were allowed them).

Houses found in West Earlham tend to be four to six (or more) bedroom flats for larger groups of students. Kitchens in some houses are broad enough to include a dining room. Similarly, bedrooms tend to be more spacious, some even include a master bedroom with space for a queen sized bed. Although a stay in West Earlham accommodation tends to be more comfortable, it also tends to be cheaper than flats found in other

Eaton Located to the south of the university, Eaton can boast to be the most ‘upper class’ of the regions available to houseless students at UEA. It is a practical suburbia, most of the houses being of the semi-detached variety and most of the residents being retirees who own dogs.

While this may all sound rather boring, you should never underestimate just how much a bit of peace and tranquillity can be conducive to good working. There is also the a d d e d advantage that quiet means less ‘chavs’ – you won’t have any problems in Eaton when walking home drunk at 2 in the morning. It is quiet, All Quiet On friendly and The Eaton unassumFront. ing.

The problems with such a place are obvious, however. For a start, getting drunk in Eaton is a rather long-winded exercise. Although two pubs can be found at the main crossroads, they are more suited to the ‘family’ drinkers, not a group of raucous students. The LCR is only a walk away, but if you enjoy a drink in a ‘local’ type pub then maybe Eaton isn’t for you. Sometimes peace and quiet can’t make up for a good night out on the piss. It is also a fairly lonely part of Norwich, in that not many other students live in the area. Although the transport to town is fairly good in Norwich terms, there is no bus to the university and it is difficult to get to other areas of student concentration – Unthank Road is a 35 minute walk away. The yellow Anglia buses roam all around Eaton and go to the City Centre, but do not run as regularly as those run by First.

Eaton also has a manifest lack of shops. The only supermarket-type shop is Waitrose, which, while providing customers with high-quality produce also insists that they pay the premium rate for it. Again, it is all about what you want from where you live. Just don’t expect to be able to live too cheaply in Eaton as your only options when needing food are Waitrose or a small and rather badly stocked ‘cash and carry’. They also shut earlier than convenience stores in other parts of the city, 8 being the latest. Eaton is also home to a small post office, two salons and can claim to possess the best Chinese restaurant this side of Ipswich.

So Eaton in a word is…nice. It’s fairly boring, but does not come with the same problems as other areas. There is nothing wrong with living in Eaton, whereas living in Bowthorpe means dayto-day conflicts with chavs. However, there is also nothing to really make you want to live there. If you get a house in Eaton, you’ll have a good time and minimal problems, but you won’t have the best time so those of you who like to party, try and live somewhere more excitable.

Simon Sheridan

regions such as the Avenues.

But, do not let that allow you to run out and nick one just yet. Let us consider why it is cheaper than other parts of town.

Though the neighbourhood is conveniently located right next to the university, its borders stretch all the way back to Bowthorpe Road, nearly a mile away. For those who live in the outskirts of the neighbourhood, there are no buses to take you to and from the university. Living in West Earlham assures a rigorous walk of up to thirty minutes every single day. If you lack the motivation to get up and make it to your classes, this will undoubtedly give you another reason to sleep in.

There is also a large hill on Wilberforce Road between you and the University, making it difficult to bike. Though this seems like a minor problem, it will become more of a trial by the middle of the year.

Bus lines 21 and 22 run throughout the

neighbourhood, which take to and from town.

While the bus schedule assures you that a bus will show up in twenty some odd minutes, this is indeed false. Lines 19-22 are infamous for being excessively tardy, or just plain absent.

Trips into town become a difficult endeavour, on average you could spend an hour per day waiting for the bus to come and take you home from Castle Meadow. When these buses do grace you with their presence, they tend to be full of shoppers who have also been waiting an hour to go home. I hope you don’t mind standing.

Lines 21 and 22 run until shortly after eleven o’clock pm, so if you plan to spend several nights out on the town, you will be taking a taxi, or walking home from the University While West Earlham may be centrally located for daily trips to the University, (that is if you are into exercise) it is far away from everything else.

The amount of shops, including the West Earlham shopping centre, can be counted on one

hand. On a more positive note, this makes your average corner shop owner much more friendly.

Here is something that might really put you off: there are no pubs. There is one located behind the West Earlham shopping centre, but there are no students in it, and no chance to socialize with those of like mind, and age.

While your friends live cramped into tiny rooms in other parts of town, they have much easier access to student life. The long distance makes visitors scant and holding a successful house party is near impossible.

On the bright side, if you are not looking to waste your time with the student drinking ridiculousness and are just interested in making the most of your intellectual education, or if you own a car, this could be the place for you. If not, I would encourage you to avoid this part of town.

Alyssa Morrisey

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Concrete Housing Guide 2005 7

On The Origin of Spaces Who better to ask about living in student houses than students? No one, that’s who. In this final chapter of the 2005 Housing Guide we, the students, give the lowdown on how to make a house work, why sliding down the stairs on a mattress is a bad idea and what it’s really like to move out of halls and into a house.

Living with Friends Ok, so you’ve made the decision – you’re going to live together. You get on well, you have similar interests and opinions, you enjoy the same things: of course you’ll get along together.

Pause. Think again. Just because you’re buddies doesn’t necessarily lead to a glamorous, stressfree montage style life together with pizza takeaways and fluffy bunny slippers. Domestic bliss is not something that exists naturally, it has to be worked at, and to make it work you have to start off on the right foot.

Before you make the move and are there, under the same roof, sharing the cereal bowls and shower gel, set the ground rules. It doesn’t have to be a big occasion with blood oaths and signed pledges. Just get together and have a chat. Talk about your lifestyles. Simple things, like what time you tend to get up, when you prefer to shower, how you’re used to living. There will be countless little differences, that’s the joy of everyone being individual. Accept these differences. Plan ahead. Because you won’t believe how the little things that seem irrelevant to begin with quickly become the topic of heated arguments and bitter feuds. Ever watched that episode from Season Four of Buffy? When Buffy and Willow move into dorms and Buffy has the roommate who is quite literally from a hell dimension? I’m not saying your lovely friend from ENV who likes cats and Alanis Morrisette is going to start sucking out your soul while you sleep, but believe me, you will start to get on each other’s nerves.

One of the main things you’ll find yourselves arguing about is housework. “You haven’t done the hoovering – I do it EVERY week!” or “This is NOT my washing up! Why should I wash up all your stuff?” A rota could save you from all this.

I know it sounds completely anally retentive, but if you agree before you shack up (or at least in the first few days) how often you should aim to do the housework, and maybe split responsibilities up a little, it could work wonders.

Social habits, too, can cause quite a bit of frustration. Maybe one member of the group likes to stay out partying late and tends to roll in at 3am blind drunk and loud to boot. Obviously if another person has a lecture early the next morning and is roused by said drunken lout, the situation is not going to be pretty. On the other hand maybe one of you likes to get up early (unlikely but not impossible), but playing loud music and

singing chirpily to Chakra Khan isn’t going to score you any points with your sleepier housemates. So be respectful: warn each other of your plans, and try not to be too loud when you know others are sleeping or studying.

Shared belongings: this could cause some contention if there are mix-ups. There are the basics that it makes sense to share – toilet paper, milk, maybe bread – and these need to be agreed on by everyone, and a system worked out to share the costs. But do not assume that something that someone else has bought is there to be used by everybody. There’s nothing quite so upsetting as going to eat t h o s e cookies yo u ’d saved f o r

after you finished your essay, just to find that someone else has scoffed them down. Be considerate: ask if you can borrow your housemate’s items, even if it takes a text or a phone call.

The number one rule is to plan ahead, make sure everyone is sure of the ground rules and boundaries, so there are no confusions and misunderstandings. And rule number two is to talk about the problems as and when they arise. You may feel you are doing the honourable thing by biting your lip and not menAn example of tioning the disharmony... mess in the kitchen, or the towels strewn across the bathroom floor. But in the end all the niggling little irritations will become huge towering frustrations making the tension in the house unbearable. Mention the little things before they become big things. Sure, it might lead to a slightly uncomfortable conversation, but better that than an explosive row three months down the line. Talk to each other; compromise. University, after all, is about learning, and one of the hardest things to learn is how to live in harmony.

Jen Marchant

American Style Anyone reading this section is probably trying to choose where to live next semester. This is a choice that many American students don’t make—whether that’s a blessing or a curse, I’m not sure. At most universities in the US, there is at least a portion of the student body living on campus for all four years of what we call college—different, I’ve learned, from the UK’s colleges: our “college” is the equivalent of the undergraduate years at university here.

The institutional living arrangement in general is quite different. Usually students live in one of two situations: in an entryway, or on a hall. A hall is self-explanatory, but an entryway is a stairway with a single door to the outside, with just one o r

two rooms on each floor. It’s not very good for socializing, because everyone is so separated.

In a person’s first, or freshman year, he or she lives in a room with someone of the same year or, sometimes, multiple people of the same year. As the years progress, the housing becomes more and more livable. Second-year students will probably have a single room of their own, like in University Village here, except without the luxury of a private bathroom. By the third and fourth year, at many colleges, students are able to live in suites, which are like apartments, but usually without kitchens. They generally consist of a common room, with smaller, single bed-

Tales From The Frontline “In the first two weeks of living in our new house we had three attempted break-ins on our back door. The first time somebody gouged holes in the door with a screwdriver to try to disable the locks.

Luckily the police and forensics that came round were This is not staged.

Someone actually left really nice.

“We have a this on their bedroom floor. number of “vents” in our walls – and by vents I mean random holes with a slated plastic covering. We thought it was bad enough that they let in icy blasts of wind, but

“We’ve broken the front door, the sofa...and a thumb.” then we came down to the kitchen one day and found a slug had slithered in. Soooo gross.

“After long discussions we decided to invest in a microwave, and put our money together to buy one. On Christmas Day (which we spent together at the house) it suddenly set itself on fire and we were left microwave-less. Not only that, but we couldn’t find the warranty anywhere, and we can’t get to a dump to get rid of the thing, so it’s been sitting in its box in the corner of the kitchen ever since.”

“The bus stop on Unthank Road is near our

rooms all leading off of it, as well as a small bathroom.

Housing is chosen at most schools via a lottery system of some kind. Usually, students will pick a few others with whom they want to live, and enter the housing lottery in a group. Then, they will all be assigned to live somewhere together or near each other.

This differs from college to college in the US—though about 90% of the students at my

“It is much less common to live off-campus in the US than it is in the UK.” college live on-campus, many of my friends at other schools move off campus for their final years. Still, it is much less common to live offcampus in the US than it is at UK universities.

Is this a good thing for us Yanks? There are benefits either way. Living off-campus has its obvious good points: you feel more independent, for one thing. You also can live with whomever you want. This may provide for closer friendships. Further, you may have a lot more space, having many rooms in which to dump your stuff, instead of a little single room and a common room, at best. You aren’t sharing a bathroom with strangers, and you get a kitchen to yourself.

On the other hand, living in a dormitory for four years allows you to meet new people every year, and to be in a huge community of people your age, instead of a smaller group. Usually, you are on a meal plan, so you don’t have to cook, though usually the food is crap.

Either living arrangement can be great. As an American student, I always thought of college as a place where I’d live in a dorm for four years.

Here, perhaps the idea is a scary one.

Matt Cantor house so ideally suited to our lazy lifestyle. Even so, we’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve had to run after the bus, or more accurately, the number of times the driver has purposefully left us behind. Obviously it takes more than banging on the glass and shouting abuse for them to notice. We’re convinced they have a tally at the depot for how many students they can make run after the bus. B******S! “We had several spare manky mattresses propped up in our hallway for weeks, so we naturally thought we had to do something with them. At first we used them as trampolines, then the ingenious thought of putting them on the stairs and sliding down them came to us. Wearing bin bags makes you go faster!!

“Our kitchen is a bit grim at the best of times but the day we found poo in our rice just topped it off. After inspecting all the gnaw marks, and more poo, we concluded we had mice. We thought we’d tackle the problem economically with ibuprofen but the mice were too clever for us!

Several mousetrap injuries later, we called in the professionals and the problem was sorted.

“Although we like to have fun, we’ve realised that having a laugh with your housemates can go too far. We’ve broken the front door, shelving, the sofa….. and a thumb. The bills are just not funny.

I’d wished we’d realised this before trying to fit one of our housemates in the fridge.

“Its not always cosy in our house, particularly when the temperature gets down to 7 degrees.

Apart from freezing our bums off, our exotic banana tree perished.”

new colour discovered (see page 4)

FUMING

Your Problems Solved Prof.

Roderick Mulhapton Filkington-Phipps, Rodders to his friends, senior economic adviser to the World Bank and the IMF gives informed counsel to your personal problems.

Dear Rodders Having studied here for almost two years, I have fianlly had my fill of the food that comes out of the University catering outlets. So great is my distaste that, as an enterprising member of the School of Management, me and felloe students have decided to set up a hot dog stall on campus as an alternative.

However, the University admin are enforcing their monopoly citing "health and safety" concerns and threatening to send me and my entrepreneurial friends to somewhere not nearly as nice or prestigious as UEA, threats have included Baghdad University, Siberia National University or Luton University.

Yours Dogged

The latest weapon in the war on snoking

Dear Dogged

A leaked Fellowship Against Ghastly Smokers (FAGS) document has been anonymously posted to The UEA Enquirer. It outlines proposals to rid our society altogether of human chimneys.

Entitled A Thousand Years Smoke Free, it has met with cautious acclaim from many sections of our campus community. It highlights a number successes so far, including the achievement of ghettoising persistent smog-suckers into areas such as the Red Bar and half of The Hive, but believes there is much further to go.

It is still possible, highlight the FAGS, for non-smokers to come into contact with smoke every day. Further bans on campus are proposed and, instead of the Hive and the bar, a square metre of turf next to the lake will be allocated for smoking, to be used

on a time-share arrangement organised through the DOS. One smoker will be allowed to use it at a time and will have to blow smoke upwards, to avoid its spread.

The FAGS have also discovered that it is possible to pass a smoker, quite by accident on the street. This risks regular encounters with bad smells and ill health for the general public. It recommends that all smokers be confined to their houses and only allowed to wander freely when wearing a yellow cigarette-shaped badge, to allow normal, healthy, nice-smelling people to keep a wide berth.

It is also known, to the FAGS, that many smokers persist in smoking in their own homes. “Their homes will be demolished by tanks,” said FAGS spokesperson, Randolph Filter, off the record, after we intercepted

him outside a no-smoking bar in Croyden.

“To decrease society’s levels of smokery, they will then be transported to special enclosures in the Norfolk Broads for re-education.” A controversial figure, Filter has attracted criticism in the past for an overzealous approach to anti-smoking legislation, but has grown in popularity recently.

Further proposals in the document include the banning of crematoriums and the outlawing of smoked bacon rashers, for the invidious suggestion that smoke can be ‘necessary’ or ‘normal’. It is also suggested that particularly base sorts, who persist in smokery, should have their hands removed and lips sewn up. The document is due for publication at the Northampton rally this Spring, which will bring wholesome nonsmokers together from all over the country.

International Students feel integrated at UEA, but also don’t. The confusion is blamed on the difficulties that International Students appear to have adapting to the Great Honourable British Tradition of Binge Drinking. This is despite the European Union’s ambitious attempts to introduce a Regulation prescribing minimum stomach sizes for all its citizens.

However, many are still left out in the cold, exposed to Britain’s dreadful elements.

While investigating professionally one evening, the Enquirer hit upon a group of jolly foreigners exultantly residing in spa-

cious bushes strewn across campus.

Further study and much mutterings evidenced they had retreated in 1982 after being driven out into the meadows by the dangerous levels of “Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll,” prevailing at Waveney Terrace in those days. They appeared peaceful, but politely expressed concerns at the proposed multistorey car park, which will reduce the natural habitat of those in hedges defiantly resisting integration.

One individual, Volker Merforth, joined the Community after his exchange year in 1999 and gains pleasure from wearing Lederhosen. He was always comfortable

drinking, but felt deeply defrauded by British womanhood. He told the Enquirer that a nice British girl was once very friendly towards him. However, she then invited him out while surrounding herself with as many males as possible in order, he assumed, to appear more desirable. “Abysmally poignant,” is how Volker described the situation. He eventually got bored of her antics and broke contact with the family. He has been living in a cave underneath Nelson Court ever since. When confronted, the NUS Welfare Officer, Nancy Huggles, warned students not to “feed him old food, please.”

The behaviour of the University staff is a classic case of barriers to entry. Barriers to entry are conditions, regulations, or sources of customer loyalty (such as the huge advertising budget of market leaders like Coca Cola) that prevent new entrants moving into a market.

The best way to eliminate regulatory entry barriers that deter competition is to use an auction. Economic suggestion that a franchise on UEA campus could be auctioned for future food sales. The receipts from the auction could go into some hardship fund for UEA students.

The bad news is that you will probably 'disappear' in true Latin American style to Baghdad's only remaining HE institute if you continue to muscle in on UEA's lucrative catering monopoly.

INTERNATIONAL BUSH WHACKERS International students caught on camera

20 concrete.turf@uea.ac.uk

Concrete Wednesday, February 23 , 2005

www.concrete-online.com

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CUT SHORT Fair-trade fortnight will kickoff at the beginning of March, with two weeks of themed events all around the campus and the city. For more infornation read the article on page 2. Plans are still being developed, so email the Student Union if you have any ideas or if you want to get involved.

YOUR MOVE

JENNY GELLATLY ELECTED In a tight run election for Environment Officer, Jenny Gellatly sees victory with 758 final votes

N

ow, Junk mail is a bitch.

A pointless, forestkilling, landfill-swelling, time-wasting bitch. But you can cut down on it by signing up to the free Mailing Preference Service, supported by the Royal Mail, at: http://www.mps.org.uk/mpsr Your address and surname and hey presto, you will be removed from up to 95% of direct mailing lists, easy as that. It won't stop you getting mail from companies you've bought things from before, or mail which is not addressed to you, but it should mean a few less trees are being rammed through your letter box each month.

You can also enter the surnames of the mysterious figures that used to live in your house years ago, and mail addressed to them will be cut down too. While you're at it, sign up for the Telephone Preference Service too, at http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/, which makes it illegal for companies to call you for telemarketing purposes.

Other effective ways to get rid of junk mail include: making sure you tick the 'don't send me mail' box when you fill in surveys and forms; posting mail you don't want 'back to sender' (this is free of charge); or chaining a large rabid dog next to your letter box.

If all this fails, you can recycle almost all junk mail, both on and off campus.

Jenny

ed as next year's Environment officer. Jenny was competing against two third year students, Ruth Cole and Stevie Altman, both with a built up reputation at UEA already.

Ruth Cole has in fact already served as Environment officer last year, during which she brought about some important changes and left for her year abroad having completed her manifesto in full. But Jenny was always an equally Gallatly: Environment Officer for strong candidate, and her campaign academic year 2005/6 saw her win trough and be ith 1719 votes cast in justly elected for the next academic year. total, it is Jenny Jenny ran with a policy concentrating Gellatly, a first year on the need to improve the campus recyD e v e l o p m e n t cling scheme and to achieve a yes vote on Studies student, the up and upcoming Nestle Boycott who has been electdecision.

W

Jenny now faces a lot of pressure, but will certainly be very comfortable in her new role. She has had plenty of experience working for environmental organisations, spending over a year at the Centre for Alternative Technology, Europe's leading Eco Centre. She has even worked on recycling campaigns before, helping to introduce schemes in the 11 schools in her local area.

"We have good recycling facilities at the university but they are not being used properly, and they can be extended" "We have good recycling facilities at the university but they are not being used properly, and they can be extended" Jenny told Turf during the election run up. She was also keen to insure that the Nestle Boycott stays in place when it is voted upon next year. "Nestle has to change their behaviour and meet WHO standards before we can drop the boycott or else our moral stance will be defeated" she explained.

Jenny's victory, though well disserved, was gained through the second vote system of the election. The first votes came through with Ruth Cole in the

LOVIN’ IT NO LONGER Mclibel pair finally receive justice from the The British Courts

A

Steel and David Morris, two working class environmental activists, successfully sued the British government for £13, 750 and £10,300, respectively. The European Court found that the British government had violated Steel and Morris' human rights to a fair trial and freedom of expression. This violation occurred during the longest running trial in British history, in which the fast food conglomerate McDonald's successfully sued Steel and Morris for libel.

The trouble started on September 20, 1990 when Steel and Morris were served writs for libel by the McDonald's Corporation after distributing pamphlets entitled "What's Wrong With McDonald's?

Everything they don't want you to know".

Steel and Morris were not even the authors of the pamphlet, which pendula was prepared by

Have you seen the blinding black fissures scatted up the bright white trunk of the Silver Birch of late? If you have then you would have already guessed Febuaray the 23rd’s Tree of the Fortnight. The Betula pendula, known to some as the silver birch (and to a few as the Eurpoean White Birch) is looking fantabulous at the moment. Just for a moment try ignoring the fact that the sap of this tree used to be brewed into an alcoholic beverage, and instead enjoy the sight of its simple yet elegant leaves.When one sees a tree like this one can't help but wonder why our species ever gave up its arboreal existence. What joy it would surely bring to live out one's whole life never having to leave the branches of a Silver Birch. Go and visit one as soon as you have a free moment. See how the bark peels of like paper.

Not too much now, that bark is too precious for peeling.

Height: 50 ft Spread: 20 ft Shape: Slener and rounded Foliage: 1 to 3 inch glossy green leaves with sawed edges.

Flower: Catkins 1 to 3 inches long.

Fruit: Small nutlets inside catkins

Betula

a budget of £35 000 which they fundraised, and represented themselves at all times. This difference in resources for dealing with the 40 000 pages of documents and 130 witnesses was not acknowledged by the British courts with monetary assistance, or even allowing for a few days recess for Ms. Steel, whose doctor diagnosed her with stress and exhaustion from the proceedings. he disparity in resources was one of the reasons the European Court deemed the original trials unfair. The British Government must now investigate its libel laws, to see if there is any internal bias in favour of wealthy claimants.

The great significance of the ruling is the precedent it sets concerning a citizen's ability to criticize large corporations. In a letter to the Daily Telegraph in September of 2004, Steel and Morris state "that multinational corporations should not have the right to sue for libel, in common with the restriction placed on governmental bodies, in order to allow free debate on matters of public interest. This is particularly important given the massive advertising budgets of corporations and their power and influence in society."

The precedent set in Strasbourgh may make large corporations much more hesitant to sue those who criticize them in the future, and may well widen the scope of public debate concerning the adverse effects corporations can have within society.

T

momentous decision was reached in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourgh, which will likely have significant repercussions for both UK libel law and the conditions under which corporations may pursue libel claims in Europe.

Last week, on February 15th, Helen

TREE OF THE FORTNIGHT

lead, 587 to Jenny's 537. But when Stevie went out in the first round and his votes were split the majority went Jenny, ending 757 to 727.

Turf got hold of her just after the results came in, and found out what her next steps would be. "I think I was in shock for a while and then very excited and ever since then hundreds of ideas have been running through my head about what needs to be done and how to do them!". She said she was looking forward to working with the other candidates and as many people from the university as possible.

On the other two candidates running she said "It was a close call. Ruth, Stevie and I seem to all be on a similar environmental wave length and I hope we and other students, groups and staff will be able to work together on ideas for a more environmentally friendly Union and university.

Environmental issues have been continuingly gaining profile recently, both around the globe and also on the UEA campus. So next year Jenny will no doubt be at front line of many important processes at the university. The anti car park proposals, the nestle boycott, the struggling recycling scheme and the fairtrade movement will all need Jenny's support. As the said to Turf, "It's going to be an exciting year."

GreenPeace London, and the subsequent trial was a public relations disaster for McDonald's.

Mr. Justice Bell, presiding over the original 313 day court case, found the leaflets correct in asserting that McDonald's "pretended to a positive nutritional benefit which the food did not match", "exploit[ed] children" and that they were "culpably responsible for animal cruelty".

Further damnations of McDonald's were revealed in the appeals process, but despite all this the British Courts ruled particular claims made in the pamphlets were unverifiable and ordered Steel and Morris to pay £40 000 in damages to McDonald's for libel.

The case was seen by many as an intimidating example of the difficulties and potentially severe repercussions facing citizens who oppose large corporations like McDonald's. McDonald's spent an aggregate £10 m on the court case. In comparison, Steel and Morris operated on

Report by Brendan McEwen

Concrete Wednesday, Feburary 23rd, 2005 The University has stopped issuing receipts for printing jobs after pressure from the Union. With the student body becoming more environmentally aware everyday and with the momentum of many other waste reducing schemes, it has long been observed that much paper could be saved with this change. The end to the issuing of receipts is only a tem porary measure, as it is feared that some people may wish to keep a proof of print ing invoice. But if there is no complaint it will become a permanent measure.

concrete.turf@uea.ac.uk 21

www.concrete-online.com The University has announced that from Thursday 17 February 2005, until the end of the academic year, the 25 Bus route between Costessey Park & Ride and the UEA will be free. This new development has been negotiated by Dawn Dewar, who was brought it by the University to develop the UEA Travel Plan Strategy and who has overseen many improvements in the transport system around the campus. Although the new free route is not often used by students, it should benefit all those commuting faculty.

The plans to build a new wind farm in north Norfolk received another setback last week as further objections were made. Entertrag applied to build six 120m turbines at in area of Guestwick but residents there and from surround ing areas have signed a 700 name petition against the proposal. The scheme has also been rejected by North Norfolk District Council and doubts have been voiced on the suitability of the roads to be used for bringing in the turbine parts.

Broadland Council have the final say.

Members of Norfolk County Council's planning regulatory committee gave their backing to the building of a new A140 bypass to the east of Long Stratton. The decision is not quite yet final, as permission to be given from the Secretary of State. The £21.8m dual carriageway is set to remove 13,000 vehicles a day from the village, but residents near the construction have justified complaints. They say they will have a 70mph "race track" just 100m away and want it to be a single lane built further east.

BJØRN TO BE BADLY WRONG

The proportion of students at UEA who voted in the Union elections last week =

The famous environmental sceptic comes to UEA to give his view on the world

L

ast Wednesday, Bjørn Lomborg, one the most controversial figures in the environmental movement, came to UEA to give two lectures about his work.

The 40 year old Danish statistician is best known for his book, “The Skeptical Environmentalist”, in which he argued that, contrary to what the media and environmental groups are telling us, our global environment is actually improving. On its release in 2001, the bestseller sparked an enormous amount of debate.

Lomborg became almost a swear word in most environmental circles.

The proportion of citizens in the USA who are African American =

Much of the scientific community said that his use of science and statistics was biased and his conclusions fatally flawed.

However, many others endorsed the book, saying it gave a much needed balance to the environmental debate.

Considering the reputation of UEA as a world leader in climate change research, Lomborg’s agreeing to lecture Bjørn Lomborg presenting his findings to the UEA here was a confident and, some would say, brave move. As he told Turf after the most people? This was the idea behind lectures: “Most people think I have little the ‘Copenhagen Consensus’, where horns and I’m an evil guy, but I’m on the Lomborg brought together a group of same side, I want to do good, as I would leading economists to debate how best imagine the vast majority of people out an extra $50 (£26) billion could be spent, there want to do”. to increase global welfare.

Lomborg argued his case to the They were asked to compare and packed lecture halls with confidence and rank projects in ten different areas. The impressive-looking data. He said that air panel decided that fighting HIV/AIDS pollution is decreasing, fossil fuels are should be the world’s number one prioriabundant, forests are not receding and ty, as you get the most benefit for your the number of people in the world starv- buck, an estimated 28 million cases preing is going down. Global warming is real vented by 2010. Climate change was right and important, but it’s not going to be as at the bottom, apparently costing almost severe as some predictions suggest, and as much as you got back in return. it will be cheaper for us to adapt to cli- According to Lomborg: “for the cost of mate change rather than try and minjust one year of Kyoto we could… give imise it through measures such as the clean drinking water and sanitation to Kyoto Protocol, which he believes will every single human on earth”. have virtually no impact.

He believes that, as economic growth iven Lomborg’s previous in the developing world makes the people criticism of the Kyoto there richer, they will follow the developed Protocol, this result was world’s path towards cleaner air and bound to raise some eyewater, stronger environmental regulabrows. Some in the auditions, and more efficient technology. ence questioned whether it is right to just Lomborg believes that only once we use economics to decide where the world realise that doomsday isn’t nigh can we should turn its eyes and bank accounts, “stop having a gun to our head” and and whether it is even possible to commake more rational decisions. pare these projects purely in terms of This part of his argument provoked money. some criticism from the crowd. Some Tim O’Riordan, questioned Lomborg’s use of global sta- a leading ENV tistics, which might obscure what is hap- researcher and lecpening on a regional level, and his selecturer told Turf he tion of climate change models that don’t had a number of include any extreme events such as the reservations about melting of the Greenland ice caps, which Lomborg’s methmany climate experts now believe is likely ods: “If you priorito occur. tise like that you Carlos Peres, a tropical forest ecology lose the whole expert and ENV faculty member, told Turf essence of how we that he was highly critical of Lomborg: deal with global "He does not understand and deliberate- problems, which is ly misrepresents basic ecological con- you bring things cepts, and repeatedly uses selective evi- together and look at dence to make a questionable point…he them in terms of is careless beyond belief with a priceless wholes rather than heritage". parts”. He believes Despite his optimism, Lomborg did that Lomborg is not suggest the world is perfect. As he wrong to put cliput it: “things are getting better, but mate change so low things are not fine”. In that case, and on his list: “If we do given our limited resources, where nothing about clishould we put our money to help the mate change in the

G

Above: The full list of priorities from Lomborg's Copenhagen Consensus

SUMMED UP

The death rate of children in Haiti (the most impoverished nation in the western hemisphere) due to diarrhea =

13% The amount of money that a citizen living in the developing world was valued at for the calculation in Lomborg's Copenhagen Consensus (where a Western citizen was valued at $7 million) =

audience in the lecture theatre next 20 years because we think there are other priorities, we’re stacking up a whole host of problems…all of the issues he’s looking at cannot be separated out from the implications of climate change which are happening now, never mind what’ll happen in 50 years time”.

In an ocean of arguments, counterarguments, and passionate outbursts, it was hard to know what to believe. Some people think that Lomborg, a vegetarian and former Greenpeace activist who professes to never owning a car, is doing the environmental cause more harm than good and should keep quiet. But, as Lomborg argues, a wider and more farreaching debate is what is needed to ensure we make the best decisions we can.

Whether you think Bjørn Lomborg is a visionary or a disgrace to science, one thing is for sure: he got everybody in those lecture halls talking about the world outside their own little bubble of interest.

If nothing else, hopefully we can all agree that that is a good thing.

Report by Lucy Hellier

Price of the new luxury Sedan, with massaging back seat, mini-fridge in the armrest, a surround-sound audio system and a voice-activated phone = The amount of bounty money offered by Islamist guerrillas for the capture of a western soldier =

$100,000

The weight at birth of Rumaisa Rahman, born last year in Chicago, the smallest surviving baby in the world = The amount of o-zone depleting substances that The Environment Agency's has deemed a "reasonable" amount to be recovered from reprocessing fridges (a figure which only half the plants a meeting) = The weight of the new water powered car, available from a variety of online educational supply stores for $195 =

260 grams

22 concrete.fashionlifestyle@uea.ac.uk

LIFESTYLE

THE STRESSES OF MODERN LIFE

H

ow are you feeling at the moment? As we near the end of the spring semester deadlines and exams are looming. Your last student loan payment seems an awfully long time ago, but your next one isn’t due for months. Not only that, but you seem to be the only person in the whole university who didn’t get a valentine’s card last week. Are you feeling a little stressed out?

The myth of student life is that we don’t have a care in the world, that we sleep from one party to the next, but the reality is very different.

Recent research carried out by the Mental Health Foundation has shown that the mental health of students is significantly worse than that of the general population, and that this figure is rising. Students get stressed for many reasons, including being away from home for the first time, uncertainty about the future, money problems, relationship problems or work pressure.

The new system of student finance and the saturation of the job market by graduates aren’t helping matters, and everyone probably admits to feeling stressed occasionally.

The mental manifestations of stress range from being unable to concentrate and having poor memory to getting angry easily and feeling depressed. A common symptom of anxiety is feeling tired all the time, but then not being able to sleep, which in turn is frustrating and can lead to more stress. Physically, stress can wreak all sorts of havoc on your body, causing symptoms from sweating and hyperventilating to diarrhoea and indigestion. All of these symptoms are due to the release of adrenaline by your body in response to stressful situations.

Adrenaline also suppresses the immune system, so people who are chronically stressed are more susceptible to illness than laid-back people. What’s more, adrenaline makes your blood pressure rise, and if it is high the whole time this is known as hypertension. Although you do not necessarily feel ill with hypertension, it is extremely bad for your health, and over a long period of time it can lead to things like kidney damage, heart attacks and strokes.

So what is the use of adrenaline if it makes us feel so ill? Why do we get stressed? Well, think back to our ancestors the early Homo Erectus, not so long ago in evolutionary terms, who were all living out on the savannah. For them stress was a good thing. If you were minding your own business gathering nuts and berries, and suddenly came across a sabre-toothed tiger, then the stress response would kick in.

Your heart would beat faster, you would breathe deeper and your blood pressure would rise, allowing you to get more blood and therefore oxygen to your muscles so you could run away. Your stomach would stop digesting food so as not to waste any valuable blood, you would sweat to cool yourself down when you were running, and your senses would become more alert, making you on edge. As you probably know, this is called the ‘fight or flight’ response, and is all due to your body releasing and reacting to adrenaline. When you run away from, or fight the tiger, you burn off the adrenaline, and when it is all over you can relax again, back to gathering nuts and berries.

Now zip on back to the 21st century. You have an essay due in at 9.00 tomorrow morning. Your bank account is 11p away from its overdraft limit and you can’t even afford to call your mum and cry down the phone. Everyone around you seems so cool and so happy, so you put a brave face on it, and even though you can’t afford the time or the money, when everyone goes to the LCR that night you go with them to take your mind off it all. Except you can’t take your mind off it. You feel sick all night, and you keep snapping at all your mates. When you get back and try to work you can’t concentrate, but when you get into bed you can’t sleep either. Stress was not designed to cope with modern-day life, and modern-day humans are not coping with stress.

This scenario will seem familiar to pretty much everyone reading this article, and it is important to remember that everyone gets stressed from time to time.

But if you are feeling like this the whole time then stress has gone too far. If adrenaline is constantly floating around your body, it makes you feel ill, and therefore stresses you out more, creating a vicious cycle. Without getting rid of this adrenaline your blood pressure never drops, your heart rate never slows down and you can’t stop sweating and feeling sick. Like I said before, long-term stress is bad for your health.

Concrete Wednesday, February 23 , 2005

www.concrete-online.com

The next step is identifying what stresses you out. If you can’t put your finger on it exactly, try carrying a notebook around with you and writing down whenever you feel any of the stress-related symptoms coming on, and what you think the trigger was.

After a while you should start to notice a pattern. Of course this may not be necessary, as it may be all too obvious to you what is stressing you out, but you still need to acknowledge it to yourself, which can be difficult if you are trying to avoid thinking about what scares you. But doing all of this can help you to face the stressful situation head on and break the cycle of avoidance and denial.

Once you have identified the situations that make you stressed, you have two ways of coping. You can

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HEALTH EDITOR, CLARE AITCHISON, ADDRESSES STRESS IN STUDENT LIFE AND EXAMINES WAYS OF COPING WITH IT

One extremely important weapon in the fight against stress is exercise. You may not feel like pumping iron in the gym surrounded by He-men, but try going for a run or dancing. Remember the savannah-dwelling early human who ran away from the tiger? This is what we are supposed to be doing with our stress, so we can burn off the adrenaline.

Exercise is also an extremely good outlet for any feelings of aggression we may feel towards the trigger of our stress, and of course it has countless other health benefits (but that’s another article). A particularly popular form of exercise is sex. As long as your partner is not the cause of the stress in the first place few people are more relaxed that when in that post-coital glow. Of course please refer to my last article in the sex issue regarding protection, as catching an STD could be the cause of a whole lot more stress!

The myth of student life is that we don’t have a care in the world... but the reality is very different

So what can you do about it?

Firstly you need to acknowledge to yourself that you are stressed. Look again at the symptoms of stress in the box on this page. If you feel some of these most of the time then you may well be chronically stressed.

Symptoms of stress: Psychological symptoms:

Physical symptoms:

* Anger * Fear of madness * Fear of impending death * Feelings of being outside yourself * Feelings of being cut off from reality * Feeling worried all the time * Feeling tired * Feeling irritable * Irritability * Poor memory * Bad sleeping patterns * Unable to concentrate

* Abdominal discomfort * Breathing heavily * Diarrhoea * Difficulty in swallowing * Dizziness * Faintness * Frequent urination * Headache * Indigestion * Muscle tension and pains * Racing heart * Sweating * Tightness or pain in chest * Tingling in fingertips

take a problem-focussed approach, or an emotion focussed approach, or a combination of both.

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he problem-focussed approach means identifying what is making you stressed and then dealing with it head-on. For example, if you are getting anxious over an assignment that is due in, then sit down, finish it and hand it in, and then it is not there to stress you out any more. If you are in a relationship which is causing you stress, then end the relationship, thereby removing the stress trigger. This approach sounds quite cold-hearted, and it certainly requires a lot of strength. It may mean saying no to the LCR and staying in to do an essay you hate instead, but it is extremely successful. You can’t be stressed about a problem if the problem is not there any more.

Emotion-focussed people develop ways to deal with the emotions they feel when they become stressed. This means using relaxation strategies like deep steady breathing while counting to ten.

This is particularly effective in the early stages, and can prevent a stressful situation turning into a panic attack. Massage can work wonders in relieving stress, particularly long term stress which has pent-up over years (of course the effectiveness does depend on the masseur...)

Problem-focussed and emotionfocussed approaches each have their place, and the most successful stress-buster will use the right approach in the right situation. The problem-focussed approach is generally the most effective, but there are situations, such as the annoying flatmate, when it is not really practical or possible to get rid of the problem, in which case some deep breathing can at least get you over the worst of it.

The above techniques will help most people who are suffering from normal levels of stress caused by triggers in everyday life. But occasionally, some people suffer such severe long-term stress that it actually causes a nervous breakdown and descent into severe depression.

Depression is due to a chemical imbalance in the brain and depressed people are tired all the time, unable to sleep, constantly on edge, and have constantly negative

thoughts. If you have severe depression you may feel more and more hopeless, and more and more tired until one day you cannot get out of bed.

Depression is an illness just like any other. The symptoms can include a change in appetite, waking up in the middle of the night unable to get back to sleep and in the worst cases, thoughts of suicide. Just as with any illness, depression needs to be treated by a doctor with medication which can help to restore the chemical imbalance in the brain.

Cognitive behavioural therapy is also extremely successful in breaking the cycle of negative thoughts, and you can be referred for this by your GP. One of the major obstacles in treating depression is admitting that you have it in the first place. Mental illness is such a taboo, and to admit that you are feeling depressed when everyone around you seems to be having such a wonderful time may seem virtually impossible. University should be the happiest days of your life, and if underneath it all you feel like crying the whole time then it is easy to feel like a failure. But look back at the statistic at the top of this article. Students have more mental health problems than anyone else in the population. You are not alone. People try to hide their stress and their depression, and your friends who seem the most laid back may just be in the deepest denial. Admitting to them that you are stressed could open the gate for them to admit it too, and could turn a shallow friendship based on parties and fun into something much deeper.

Where to go for help

Saneline: A telephone helpline for anyone affected by mental health problems: 0845 767 8000 Open 12 noon – 2am The Samaritans: 08457 909090 Student Welfare Office: Upstairs in Union House The University Counselling Service.

Concrete Wednesday, February 23

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www.concrete-online.com

, 2005

concrete.fashionlifestyle@uea 23

TRAVEL NEW YEAR IN VIETNAM

TET Ngoc BIch Luong twelve Highnesses in charge of controlling all affairs on earth, They are the Rat, Buffalo, Tiger, Cat, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Each year, one Highness will operate all the activities of humans. Giao thua (at 12.00 p.m. on 30th December – lunar calendar) is the moment when one Highness hands over his management on earth to another. On Giao thua’s night, there is a great sense of expectation. People make offerings to see off one Highness and welcome another. The offerings

upcoming year. Business people in particular therefore have a very strong belief in Xong dat.

During the three first days of Tet, people keep visiting and saying best wishes to each other. The first day of Tet (Mung Mot) is the day to visit grandparents, parents and relatives. The second day (Mung Hai) is for visiting friends and on the third day of Tet, peo-

wrapped in rush or bamboo leaves and boiled), jellied meat, boiled chicken, kohlrabi, sour onion and cauliflower are specific characteristics of Northern people and Banh tet (cylindric glutinous rice cake filled with green bean paste and pork), pork cooked in coconut milk with salt, sweet-and-sour pickled

!!!

I O M M A N G UN M C U CH

Vietnamese New Year in Hanoi

S

ince the 9th of February billons of people in some Asian countries have been celebrating the New Year.

In Vietnam, this is the Year of the Rooster. The New Year, is called Tet in Vietnam. It is the most sacred festival, equivalent to New Year’s, Thanksgiving, or Christmas in Western countries.

Anna Steward

report to the Jade Emperor on the affairs of all households on earth. It takes a week for the Kitchen God to complete his mission in Heaven, and then he will return to welcome the coming new year. Like Santa Claus, the Kitchen God brings joy and happiness to people.

During preparation time, every household buys different kinds of flowers to decorate their houses.

should have five different kinds of fruits, so-called “Mam ngu qua” (five-fruit tray), which symbolizes the five basic elements of oriental philosophy: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth.

Furthermore, votive objects such as paper, money and clothing will be burnt, as it has been widely believed that those things are going to be transferred to their loved ones who are in the world beyond.

When the hands of the clock

‘The New Year, is called Tet in Vietnam. It is the most sacred festival, equivalent to New Year’s, Thanksgiving or Christmas.’

Tet in Vietnam starts on the first day of the first lunar month.

This is the reason why Tet starts on different days each year (normally the end of January and beginning of February).

Tet is a time for family reunions.

People who work, study or live abroad return to Vietnam. The atmosphere of Tet makes them feel nostalgic; they all hope to get back to re-unite and enjoy Tet with their own families or at least try to celebrate the festivities in traditional ways if they cannot come back to their home country.

People have three days off for Tet holiday; however, it might take a month to prepare before Tet, as there are many things to do such as painting and decorating the house, buying new clothes, and making everything new in order to welcome the greatest festive. According to custom, on the 23rd December (lunar calendar), every family needs to give offerings to Ong Tao (the Kitchen God) to return to the Heaven. The offerings should have a carp as it is the Kitchen God’s means of transport to return to Heaven. His mission is to make a

Visitors will be absorbed by the ocean of flowers. There are three main kinds of flowers; Dao (the peach), Mai (apricot) and Quat (kumquat), which symbolises a comfortable life and happiness.

While northern people cannot miss a twig of peach in their homes, people in the central and the south of Vietnam must have apricot or kumquat to welcome Tet. The warm pink of the peach embellishes the dry cold weather in the north whilst the bright yellow branches of apricot mix the sunlight of the central and southern areas. Bunches with dense clusters of kumquats represent prosperousness and all generations of a family. Fruits represent grandparents, flowers represent parents, buds represent children, and leaves represent grandchildren.

O

n Giao thua (New Year’s Eve), offices and schools all close but shops stay open late. Most big cities, especially Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Hue, are decorated with street lights. Giao thua is seen as the most sacred time since it is the passage from the old to the new year. In the Vietnamese belief system there are

approach midnight, blazing fireworks are let off in the biggest cities. Having let the Old Year out and the New Year in, full glasses of wine or beer are raised to wish each other a happy new year.

After that, hundreds of people overflow onto the streets; they go to pagodas, temples or churches to pray for propitious things.

The old custom of Xong dat (First-footing) is still observed.

Tradition says that the first person to enter a house on New Year’s Day will have a strong effect on the host’s business success for the

ple go to visit their teachers, colleagues.

Children receive “Tien li xi” (lucky money in small red envelopes) from older people, with a promise that they will be good always and study harder.

There are plenty of delicious foods to offer visitors. Banh chung (square glutinous rice cake, filled with green bean paste and pork,

scallion heads and spring roll (vegetables, boiled meat and pickled scallion heads rolled in a rice paper) make a good dish in hot weather for Southerners. In the Central hignlands of Vietnam, the menu for Tet also has Banh tet, beef cooked with garlic and galingale, pork bologna, fermented pork roll. After the main course, visitors try different kinds of fresh fruits (watermelon, in particular is symbolic of Tet for all three areas: the North, Central highlands and the South of Vietnam).

24 concrete.fashionlifestyle@uea.ac.uk

Concrete Wednesday, February 23

www.concrete-online.com

RD

, 2005

LIFESTYLE MOONCUPPING FOR BEGINNERS

P

icture this: it’s Friday night in the Union bar.

I’m getting rapidly plastered and, as I begin to reach an inhibition-free stage, I’m quizzing a similarly inebriated female friend on personal matters. My boyfriend turns round from his own conversation. “What are you talking about?” he asks, “It sounds interesting.”

My friend and I fix him with twin stares. “Periods,” we reply, as one.

My boyfriend’s interest whistles out

ness enterprise – once you’ve purchased one for £18, there’s no need to go back and buy yourself a replacement for another decade (unless you have a baby in the meantime and require a wider cup). In that time, you’d spend around £320 on tampons or sanitary towels.

Thus, their manufacturers generate enough profits to splash out on advertising.

And what beautiful adverts they are.

They show women prancing through parks in white linen trousers - the obvious garment to don when losing bright

Tampon adverts show women prancing through parks in white linen trousers - the obvious garment to don at ‘that time of the month.’ of him about as quickly as air from a balloon that’s been stabbed by a machete.

You see, periods simply don’t get talked about all that often. Girls get taken aside en masse in school to have the menstrual cycle explained by a nurse; at some point after this (or, if they’re significantly unlucky, at some point before) they start having their period, and then they’re supposed to surreptitiously get on with it.

Perhaps this ridiculous hush-hush squeamishness is why, up until that Friday night, I had never heard of a menstrual cup. I thought you chose between tampons and towels and, if you’re feeling particularly fancy, between towels with and without wings. Suddenly, I’d been presented with this concept of a reusable silicone cup that you wash out as often as you would change a tampon, with nothing to dispose of other than the menstrual fluid itself. No waste to wrap up in plastic and send to a landfill. No moment of panic when you’re hanging out in an all-male household and you’re not entirely sure how to ask, “So lads, where shall I put my used sanitary towel then?”

The average woman uses more than 11,500 tampons or towels in her lifetime. If every woman used a menstrual cup instead, the environmental consequences would be phenomenally positive. The problem is, these cups are not the brightest busi-

red blood at a rate of knots. They show discreetly packaged tampons which look exactly like sweets – keep an eye on your sanitary protection, girls, or your other half might end up with his mouth full of cotton. Oh, and make sure you wrap, wipe or flush away every trace of your blood, because those adverts suggest menstrual fluid to be a lovely sky blue colour, and you mustn’t disgust anyone with the truth. On the strength of such advertising, somehow we feel compelled to purchase these products over and over.

A In conwoman trast, the on her sales of the period... obviously humble menstrual cup rely mainly on word of mouth.

And as scores of women never talk about their periods, merely dealing with them furtively for a handful of days each month, it’s hardly surprising that many of us have never stumbled across an environmentally and body friendly alternative. However, after seven years of filling my bin and my body with rubbish on a monthly basis, I wanted to try out a menstrual cup.

Gabrielle Barnes discovers the weird and wonderful world of ‘Mooncupping’, a new concept that could radically change ‘that time of the month.’

There were three options to choose from: the Keeper (rubber), the Divacup or the Mooncup (both silicone). I plumped for the Mooncup, and duly decided to buy one from an Internet site.

This caused instant conflict in our household.

I don’t possess a debit card, and debit cards are a fairly vital part of the whole purchasing-goods-online shebang.

My male housemate, however, does have a debit card. “No, no, no,” came his emphatic response to my plea. “I do not want a Mooncup coming up on my statement, thanks very much.” Of course, he caved in without too much effort on my part. Talk at most boys for long enough about blood issuing from your vagina, and they will do pretty much anything just to get you to shut up.

I

n the interim, I did a little more research on exactly why the tampon is a product best avoided.

The first and most obvious concern is Toxic Shock Syndrome.

Whilst one should be cautious where any foreign body is left to rest in the vagina for a period of time, TSS has never been linked to the use of menstrual cups, presumably because of their smooth, nonabsorbent silicone surface. TSS has been connected to tampon usage because of the absorbency of their fibres, which are thought to allow the Staphylococcus bacteria to breed.

If TSS and the sheer volume of monthly waste aren’t enough to dissuade you from tampon use, then consider that tampons often leave detached fibres deposited in your vaginal walls and uterus. Oh, and the chlorine bleaching process, which was once used to turn sanitary products a hygienic white, actually released carcinogenic dioxins as a by-product.

Manufacturers finally stopped this process a decade ago, yet the alternative bleaching methods still theoretically generate dioxin traces. The regular exposure of even low levels of dioxins over a lifetime of tampon use poses a risk that many, if they were made aware of it, would not be willing to take. I certainly felt very uneasy after

perusing various scientific journal articles and online environmental documents, and looked forward to the arrival of my Mooncup.

Delivery was swift, and soon I had my own menstrual cup in its natural cotton ribbon-tied bag with which to frighten the bejeebus out of visitors to our household. It is not an especially attractive item – it is surprisingly large, holding up to one fluid ounce of the three fluid ounces that a typical woman loses over the course of her period; it does not come in pretty colours; it is springy and flexible, and everyone you show it to knows that at some point you are going to put it in your unmentionable.

So along came my period, and with it a good ten minutes of contorting myself into interesting positions on the bathroom floor, trying to find the easiest method of Mooncup insertion. I’ve only used tampons twice in my life, so I am fairly unpractised in the subtle art of this kind of manoeuvre. You fold the cup to insert it, and then rotate it once when it’s in position so that it opens out and creates a seal. I failed in rotating it the first time, so it leaked a little. There is a reason why this company only offer a refund if you’ve honestly tried the cup for three full cycles: it can be tricky to get the hang of. Much like a thirteen-year-old struggles when she first tries to use tampons, actually. It just takes practice.

Once I had worked out how to use my menstrual cup properly, I was impressed. I no longer had to deal with the rustling sounds made by my nappyesque sanitary towels. I couldn’t feel that it was there at all, which surprised me to the point that I found myself taking trips to the toilet to check it hadn’t somehow magically fallen out and tumbled down my trouser leg. Happily, every time I found it safely in place.

Removing the cup was also something of an adventure. I pulled the stem down (a similar function to the string on a tampon) and then had trouble grasping the base of the cup to squeeze it flat and break the seal. I had reached the stage of utter exasperation; was about to pull up my jeans and cart myself off to a nurse to have the damn thing extracted, when I suddenly remembered that you are supposed to ‘bear down’ with your muscles to push the cup low enough for easy removal. Worked like a charm.

T

he next bit has caused a number of girls (and boys) to shudder in revulsion as I have merrily relayed it to them over lunch in Zest. The fluid is no longer soaked up into a bleached-white pad or tampon to leave a rust-coloured stain. Instead, it is collected, very much red, very much wet, and very much blood, in your little silicone cup.

I have to admit, the concept did make me a bit woozy. That talk we got given by the school nurse when we were eleven years old? It caused me to throw up over my Head of Year’s shoes. When I was sixteen, we had to pass around a condom in Guidance class: this, in conjunction with being shown ‘the coil’, caused me to faint. We were given a rather graphic STD talk when I was eighteen that necessitated my taking a little lie down on the common room floor, in front of the entire sixth form. I am what you might term a Grade-A wuss. However, the thought of where all the sanitary towels that I would otherwise be using might end up – their plastic linings lasting far beyond my life span – made me feel distinctly more ill than that tiny scrap of blood did. Anyway, it’s a natural part of you and nothing to be scared of. If I can do it, girls, you really must be able to!

The cup should be removed and rinsed about four times in 24 hours. If you’re using a public toilet, take a bottle of mineral water in with you, or just wipe it with a tissue and clean it thoroughly later. Between periods, it must be boiled for five minutes for sterilisation – make sure you set this saucepan aside, to avoid finding your housemates cooking pasta sauce in it, blissfully unaware.

On a final note, I have come across horrifying tales of women keeping their blood aside to dilute for use as plant food, which one can only hope they don’t apply to their garden vegetables.

More spine-chilling still, some ladies have been known to create paintings from their menstrual fluid…I personally wasn’t too averse to just tipping it down the toilet.

For more info, check out.... www.mooncup.co.uk www.divacup.co.uk www.thekeeper.com www.wen.org.uk (Women’s Environmental Network)

Concrete Wednesday, February 23 , 2005

WWW.CONCRETE-ONLINE.COM Project Manager: Philip Sainty webteam@concrete-online.com Dave Thompson James Banks Production concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Editor: Philip Sainty concrete.editorial@uea.ac.uk Deputy Editor: Katharine Clemow Copy Editors:

(Chief) Helen Pilch Chris Hyde Rachel Jones Sarah Mabley Hoffman Wolf

Chief Photographer:

Jassim Happa

concrete.news@uea.ac.uk Editor: Helen Pike Deputy Editor: Olly Haywood Health Editor: Clare Aitchison International Editor: Nadia Bennich Legal Editor: Juliet Harris Political Editor: Sam Webber Reporters:

Claire Bull Isabel Dyson Alyssa Morrisey Kevin Rowe Robin Smith Sarah J. Smith Sarah Watson

concrete.features@uea.ac.uk Editor: Ross Grainger Deputy Editor: Simon Sheridan Writers:

Abigail Foldes

concrete.turf@uea.ac.uk Editor: James Conway Deputy Editor: Hannah Newton Writer:

Brendan McEwan Lucy Hellier

concrete.fashionlifestyle@uea.ac.uk Editor: Anna Steward Deputy: Donna Boam Traveller: Fashionistas:

HOROSCOPES Aries Mar 21 - Apr 19 You will find yourself inexplicably drawn towards bingo halls, in search of the giddy thrills gambling induces. Save your pennies my child, your dalliance in games of chance will only lead to woe and poverty.

You’re just not lucky petal.

Cancer Jun 22 - Jul 22 Being a sage Cancer, you’ve become just too mature to stand living with all those other grubby students, but no one will help you keep things spick-and-span. Teach them all a lesson by rubbing raw chicken on their cutlery.

Libra Sept 23 - Oct 23 The mid-semester stress fest has certainly taken its toll you on. No healthy diet contains that many cups of coffee. Give your jittery nerves a rest, take them to the spa and spend a fortune on massages then do a runner.

Capricorn Dec 22 Jan 19 You’ve always been a thrill seeker, and this fortnight is no exception.

You’ll find yourself committed to cycling to uni every day with not a thought for the hazardous weather conditions.

You’ll soon realise what a mistake this is.

Lucky Words: bonus ball

Lucky Words: just desserts

Lucky Words: caffeine hiatus

Lucky Words: skid marks

Taurus Apr 20 - May 20 Aren’t you the cat that got the cream?

Things are going swimmingly for you, and they’re not about to change. Just go with the flow and let the serendipity lead you where it will. Stop worrying about your essays and start enjoying yourself poppet!

Leo Jul 23 - Aug 22 You’ve made good on several months worth of promises to yourself and finally dragged your wobbly rear down to the gym. Don’t get put off by the cold weather! Keep up those early morning jogs and you’ll feel all sexy come summer luvvy.

Scorpio Oct 24 Nov 21 You can’t spend your days indoors watching Trisha and eating porridge.

You need a change of pace sweetie. Waste all your time in the Hive smoking cigarettes and skipping lectures like the rest of the student body.

Aquarius Jan 20 Feb 18 You may be content to wake up each morning in a sea of empty cartons, dirty laundry and fag ash but spare a thought for those you inflict yourself upon. A quick hoover now and then won’t make you any less bohemian.

Lucky Words: keepie uppie

Lucky Words: smoker’s paradise

Lucky Words: clean living

Lucky Words: extra sprinkles Gemini May 21 Jun 21 A new arrival in your social sphere will cause all kinds of controversy.

The only lesson to be learned from this is that you’re just not meant to have friends.

Virgo Aug 23 - Sept 22 This fortnight you’ll get the chance to show all those who doubted you just how wrong they were. Bide your time and make the most of this, revenge is sweet!

Lucky Words: lone deranger

Lucky Words: wha-ha ha ha ha ha

Sagittarius Nov 22 - Dec 21 Jump on every band wagon you can this fortnight honey.

There’s only so much individuality in the world and you’re hogging it all so fall in line buster!

Rob Castell Gabrielle Barnes Vanessa Bowen

concrete.sports@uea.ac.uk Editor: Marc Dudley Reporters:

Vicky Roberts Dan Treloar David McKinlay Kevin Rowe Post Production Distribution Manager: Joe Dunthorne

Concrete

Letters...

Lucky Words: Carpe canem

Please send letters attention of the Editor, Philip Sainty, to: Concrete, Union House, UEA, Norwich, NR4 7TB, or email: conerete.editorial@uea.ac.uk

Dear Concrete,

Dear Concrete,

Following the Student Union elections, I’d like to thank everyone who helped with my campaign back home, particularly everyone who voted for me, Rowena Boddington for reading my hustings speech and most especially Jenna Panter and Laura Copsey for their tremendous efforts with distributing posters, visiting residences and producing a rather fabulous banner - cheers guys!

What a pity that the last meeting of Union Council passed a motion forcing every club and society in the Union to have ‘an active member’ on Union Council next year, if they wish to receive funding. An active member was defined as a member who comes to 1 in 3 meetings.

Running from abroad has not been easy - surprisingly stressful and without the fun - but it was a good experiment for Union politics. For the record, I didn’t submit anything to Concrete’s article because I didn’t know about it (not getting a candidate info pack because I was backpacking at the time), not through lack of effort!

That said, I don’t wish to take anything away from Jenny’s deserved win. I was very impressed with both Steve and Jenny’s manifestos and wish Jenny all the best in the role - I hope she enjoys being Environment Officer as much as I did.

Many thanks, Ruth Cole

Currently 43 clubs and societies do not have an active member of Union Council. If this academic year 1 in 3 of an extra 43 members had turned up, not one meeting of Union Council would have been quorate. There would have been no possibility of keeping the Executive accountable, no representation from any school or club and society reps and no budget passed. It would be impossible to repeal any such decision as well, as no meeting will have a quorum to be able to decide things.

Furthermore, there is nothing to stop people from leaving as soon as the meeting has started (again endangering quorum). I assume that those clubs and societies without Union Council reps do not have anyone who wants to be a Union Council rep. How does it serve the students of UEA to have people at Union Council who do not wish to be there and who may want debates to finish early?

It is also the case that motion passed was in direct violation of the Constitution of this Union.

I do not see how democracy is best served by forcing people to attend meetings. So let’s enjoy the last Union Council meeting this year as it will probably be the last, further weakening our Students Union.

PO BOX 410 NORWICH NORFOLK

Andy Higson, Environment Officer

NR4 7TB

Concrete is published by UUEAS Concrete Society ©2005 Concrete.

ISSN 1351-2773 Letters should be addressed for the attention of the Editor, Philip Sainty.

Letters must include contact details, but we will consider anonymous publication. We reserve the right to edit

for

length

and

clarity

as

neccessary. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Publisher or Editor. Use of the name The Event is by arrangement with the copyright holders, Planet Zog Ltd. No part of this newspaper through

any

may

be

means

reproduced without

the

express permission of the Editor.

Printed by Archant.

Pisces Feb 19 - Mar 20 Moping around and feeling unloved won’t make beautiful people fall at your feet.

Love the one you’re with, stop chasing after the impossible and get some acheivable action!

Lucky Words: mobs rule!

Matt Cantor Clare Dodds Emma Johnston Jen Marchant Alyssa Morrisey Lucy Mowatt Kathryn West

Crossword:

concrete.editorial@uea.ac.uk 25

www.concrete-online.com

rd

Concrete Wednesday, February 23 , 2005

WWW.CONCRETE-ONLINE.COM Project Manager: Philip Sainty webteam@concrete-online.com Dave Thompson James Banks Production concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Editor: Philip Sainty concrete.editorial@uea.ac.uk Deputy Editor: Katharine Clemow Copy Editors:

(Chief) Helen Pilch Chris Hyde Rachel Jones Sarah Mabley Hoffman Wolf

Chief Photographer:

Jassim Happa

concrete.news@uea.ac.uk Editor: Helen Pike Deputy Editor: Olly Haywood Health Editor: Clare Aitchison International Editor: Nadia Bennich Legal Editor: Juliet Harris Political Editor: Sam Webber Reporters:

Claire Bull Isabel Dyson Alyssa Morrisey Kevin Rowe Robin Smith Sarah J. Smith Sarah Watson

concrete.features@uea.ac.uk Editor: Ross Grainger Deputy Editor: Simon Sheridan Writers:

Abigail Foldes

concrete.turf@uea.ac.uk Editor: James Conway Deputy Editor: Hannah Newton Writer:

Brendan McEwan Lucy Hellier

concrete.fashionlifestyle@uea.ac.uk Editor: Anna Steward Deputy: Donna Boam Traveller: Fashionistas:

HOROSCOPES Aries Mar 21 - Apr 19 You will find yourself inexplicably drawn towards bingo halls, in search of the giddy thrills gambling induces. Save your pennies my child, your dalliance in games of chance will only lead to woe and poverty.

You’re just not lucky petal.

Cancer Jun 22 - Jul 22 Being a sage Cancer, you’ve become just too mature to stand living with all those other grubby students, but no one will help you keep things spick-and-span. Teach them all a lesson by rubbing raw chicken on their cutlery.

Libra Sept 23 - Oct 23 The mid-semester stress fest has certainly taken its toll you on. No healthy diet contains that many cups of coffee. Give your jittery nerves a rest, take them to the spa and spend a fortune on massages then do a runner.

Capricorn Dec 22 Jan 19 You’ve always been a thrill seeker, and this fortnight is no exception.

You’ll find yourself committed to cycling to uni every day with not a thought for the hazardous weather conditions.

You’ll soon realise what a mistake this is.

Lucky Words: bonus ball

Lucky Words: just desserts

Lucky Words: caffeine hiatus

Lucky Words: skid marks

Taurus Apr 20 - May 20 Aren’t you the cat that got the cream?

Things are going swimmingly for you, and they’re not about to change. Just go with the flow and let the serendipity lead you where it will. Stop worrying about your essays and start enjoying yourself poppet!

Leo Jul 23 - Aug 22 You’ve made good on several months worth of promises to yourself and finally dragged your wobbly rear down to the gym. Don’t get put off by the cold weather! Keep up those early morning jogs and you’ll feel all sexy come summer luvvy.

Scorpio Oct 24 Nov 21 You can’t spend your days indoors watching Trisha and eating porridge.

You need a change of pace sweetie. Waste all your time in the Hive smoking cigarettes and skipping lectures like the rest of the student body.

Aquarius Jan 20 Feb 18 You may be content to wake up each morning in a sea of empty cartons, dirty laundry and fag ash but spare a thought for those you inflict yourself upon. A quick hoover now and then won’t make you any less bohemian.

Lucky Words: keepie uppie

Lucky Words: smoker’s paradise

Lucky Words: clean living

Lucky Words: extra sprinkles Gemini May 21 Jun 21 A new arrival in your social sphere will cause all kinds of controversy.

The only lesson to be learned from this is that you’re just not meant to have friends.

Virgo Aug 23 - Sept 22 This fortnight you’ll get the chance to show all those who doubted you just how wrong they were. Bide your time and make the most of this, revenge is sweet!

Lucky Words: lone deranger

Lucky Words: wha-ha ha ha ha ha

Sagittarius Nov 22 - Dec 21 Jump on every band wagon you can this fortnight honey.

There’s only so much individuality in the world and you’re hogging it all so fall in line buster!

Rob Castell Gabrielle Barnes Vanessa Bowen

concrete.sports@uea.ac.uk Editor: Marc Dudley Reporters:

Vicky Roberts Dan Treloar David McKinlay Kevin Rowe Post Production Distribution Manager: Joe Dunthorne

Concrete

Letters...

Lucky Words: Carpe canem

Please send letters attention of the Editor, Philip Sainty, to: Concrete, Union House, UEA, Norwich, NR4 7TB, or email: conerete.editorial@uea.ac.uk

Dear Concrete,

Dear Concrete,

Following the Student Union elections, I’d like to thank everyone who helped with my campaign back home, particularly everyone who voted for me, Rowena Boddington for reading my hustings speech and most especially Jenna Panter and Laura Copsey for their tremendous efforts with distributing posters, visiting residences and producing a rather fabulous banner - cheers guys!

What a pity that the last meeting of Union Council passed a motion forcing every club and society in the Union to have ‘an active member’ on Union Council next year, if they wish to receive funding. An active member was defined as a member who comes to 1 in 3 meetings.

Running from abroad has not been easy - surprisingly stressful and without the fun - but it was a good experiment for Union politics. For the record, I didn’t submit anything to Concrete’s article because I didn’t know about it (not getting a candidate info pack because I was backpacking at the time), not through lack of effort!

That said, I don’t wish to take anything away from Jenny’s deserved win. I was very impressed with both Steve and Jenny’s manifestos and wish Jenny all the best in the role - I hope she enjoys being Environment Officer as much as I did.

Many thanks, Ruth Cole

Currently 43 clubs and societies do not have an active member of Union Council. If this academic year 1 in 3 of an extra 43 members had turned up, not one meeting of Union Council would have been quorate. There would have been no possibility of keeping the Executive accountable, no representation from any school or club and society reps and no budget passed. It would be impossible to repeal any such decision as well, as no meeting will have a quorum to be able to decide things.

Furthermore, there is nothing to stop people from leaving as soon as the meeting has started (again endangering quorum). I assume that those clubs and societies without Union Council reps do not have anyone who wants to be a Union Council rep. How does it serve the students of UEA to have people at Union Council who do not wish to be there and who may want debates to finish early?

It is also the case that motion passed was in direct violation of the Constitution of this Union.

I do not see how democracy is best served by forcing people to attend meetings. So let’s enjoy the last Union Council meeting this year as it will probably be the last, further weakening our Students Union.

PO BOX 410 NORWICH NORFOLK

Andy Higson, Environment Officer

NR4 7TB

Concrete is published by UUEAS Concrete Society ©2005 Concrete.

ISSN 1351-2773 Letters should be addressed for the attention of the Editor, Philip Sainty.

Letters must include contact details, but we will consider anonymous publication. We reserve the right to edit

for

length

and

clarity

as

neccessary. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Publisher or Editor. Use of the name The Event is by arrangement with the copyright holders, Planet Zog Ltd. No part of this newspaper through

any

may

be

means

reproduced without

the

express permission of the Editor.

Printed by Archant.

Pisces Feb 19 - Mar 20 Moping around and feeling unloved won’t make beautiful people fall at your feet.

Love the one you’re with, stop chasing after the impossible and get some acheivable action!

Lucky Words: mobs rule!

Matt Cantor Clare Dodds Emma Johnston Jen Marchant Alyssa Morrisey Lucy Mowatt Kathryn West

Crossword:

concrete.editorial@uea.ac.uk 25

www.concrete-online.com

rd

26 concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk

Concrete Wednesday, February 23 , 2005

www.concrete-online.com

UNDEFEATED CHAMPIONS rd

UEA Female footballers are untouchable as team runs away with title

Can anybody stop the invincible UEA girls in their quest for BUSA glory this season?

Vicky Roberts The Women's Football Club have had a storming BUSA season, and prior to their final fixture were unbeaten and at the top of their Midlands Division Two table.

The final match was an away trip to Nottingham to face the team at the foot of the table, Nottingham 2.

The match got off to a quick start, both teams looking to attack and get the first goal.

However, it was UEA in confident mood that opened the scoring after only 2 minutes on the clock. After that the

goals began to flow, with Nottingham's defenders unable to cope with the lightning pace and ball control of UEA's two forwards, Sally Hammerton and Lara Edwards. The Nottingham goalkeeper tried to keep her team in it with some good saves but by half-time the score was 12-0 and dead as a contest with the majority of the goals coming from the two UEA forwards outsprinting the Nottingham defence, latching onto through-balls from midfield.

Nottingham put up a brave fight during the second half, scoring twice. The first came from good count-

er-attack play whilst the second came from the penalty spot after the home team were awarded a debateable penalty.

Hammerton and Edwards had numerous chances in the second half, and were unlucky not to score more as shots continually went just wide of the far post.

Jess Boucher also made it on to the score sheet with a curling shot from the edge of the penalty area, and Vicky Roberts scored on the follow-up after the goalkeeper parried a shot from Hammerton.

Player of the match Kristell Hirn had a fine game in midfield, as did Jess

Women’s Football: BUSA Midlands Division Two B: Nottingham 2 (2), UEA (17) Boucher, making some crushing sliding tackles and breaking down the Nottingham attack.

The UEA defence controlled their half, Lisa Earl having yet another superb game in central defence, and Karen Holloway again playing well in the right back position she has retained all season.

The match ended 17-2 to UEA, confirming their position as undefeated champions of the Midlands 2B Division.

UEA now have the BUSA play-offs to look

forward to, and a place in the BUSA Shield. The team must fancy their chances in the knockout competition and they take on Northumbria in the last 16 as they aim to bring home some much needed silverware to UEA. There is also the Sunday League title to continue to play for. UEA are currently lying in 4th place

and with games in hand over the teams above them, although the leaders Norwich City Canaries appear to have the title wrapped up.

On 20 February, the team began their campaign in the Sunday League Cup, and will be hoping to retain the trophy they won last season.

FOOTBALL WOMEN MIDLANDS DIVISION TWO (B)

P W D L GD PTS UEA 10 8 2 0 60 26 ---------------------------------------------------Warwick 9 6 3 0 14 21 Derby 9 4 0 5 -8 12 Leicester 10 3 2 5 -18 8* Ox. Brookes 10 2 1 7 -21 7 ---------------------------------------------------Nottingham 2 10 1 2 7 -43 5

* Leicester deducted 3 points - UEA qualify for promtion playoffs and BUSA Shield.

BADMINTON PERFORMANCE OF THE DECADE Impressive win for UEA in season make or break game as team book places in the last 16 of the BUSA Shield knockout stage Men’s Badminton: BUSA Midlands Division Two A: UEA (6), Nottingham Trent 2 (2)

Dan Treloar The UEA Men's Badminton team are though to the BUSA Shield after a hardfought victory over Nottingham Trent on Wednesday 2nd February.

It was an excellent win for UEA after losing the away fixture 5-3, with anything less than a win meaning finishing in the bottom half of the table.

The top two places were already beyond reach, with Loughborough predictably sweeping to victory in the division, closely followed by the University of Nottingham, leaving the 3rd place fight as the real battle.

UEA started well with Alex Wyatt quickly winning his first singles, losing only a handful of points on the way, but Greg ClintonTarested lost a hotly contested and draining match

against the Trent no. 1.

The doubles saw the UEA 2nd pair of captain, president and spiritual leader of the badminton club, Iain Bayes, and partner Dan Treloar disappointingly lose a close game against the Trent 2nds, whilst the brilliant first year pairing of Joe Webb and Chris Armstrong claimed a good victory over the 1sts. At 2-2, the match was still in the balance, but the reverse singles brought a crushing victory for Greg Clinton-Tarested to make up for his close defeat in the first game.

Alex Wyatt secured at least a draw for UEA in winning his second singles of the day, leaving the score 4-2 with the reverse doubles to follow.

The first year pair were hot favourites to beat the Trent 2nd doubles pairing, but after a convincing first set victory, contrived to lose

the second set.

Meanwhile, Iain Bayes and Dan Treloar faced an uphill struggle to defeat the 1sts, having lost 15-1, 15-1 to the same pair in Nottingham.

A battling performance saw them salvage some pride in taking ten points from the Trent pair, but unless one of the teams could come back to win, the season would end in disappointment.

The spirit that has grown in the team this year showed as Iain and Dan pulled off a massive shock in the second set to level the game, whilst Joe and Chris reasserted themselves to claim the victory for the team that put the tie beyond doubt. With the deciding set looking bleak for the 2nds at the

change of ends, Iain and Dan dug deep to come back and pull off their best and most surprising win of the season in an epic final game, 15-12, resulting in some rather exuberant celebrations. The final score of 6-2 looked convincing, but the match was as closely fought as any this season.

The last round of matches on the 9th February saw UEA travel to Loughborough, optimistic that, at the very least, a good day would be had by all.

After a drop in form, Alex Wyatt was dropped and replaced by 2nd team captain Tony Hughes. A 'close' match ended with the East Anglian students beaten 8-0.

UEA have since had confirmation of their qualification for the national knock-

SILVERWARE A REAL POSSIBILTY FOR UEA

The strong home record of the Men’s Fencing Club could bring home the BUSA Shield to East Anglia Sarah Smith

Paul Southam hits home in his epee weapon match vs. L’borough

An impressive win against Loughborough last Wednesday sees the Men's fencing team through to the play-off rounds in the BUSA shield.

The team made up of Ben Rackham, Paul Southam, Steven Domek, and Adam Ferguson won all three weapons to beat Loughborough 135 - 91.

This victory maintains the team's unbeaten home record since 2003 as well as

placing the team into second position in the league this year, an improvement from third place last year.

UEA travel to Hull in the last 16 of the BUSA Shield.

FENCING MEN MIDLANDS DIVISION ONE (A)

P W D L GD PTS Birmingham 8 8 0 0 520 24 -----------------------------------------------------UEA 8 6 0 2 127 18 Oxford 2 8 6 0 2 16 18 Leicester 8 4 0 4 85 12 Loughborough 8 4 0 4 11 12 Cambridge 8 3 0 5 -120 9 Warwick 8 3 0 5 -160 9 Nottingham 2 8 2 0 6 -219 6 S’shire (Stoke) 8 0 0 8 -260 0 * UEA qualify for BUSA Shield

out stages of the BUSA Shield, after Derby could only manage a draw against already doomed Lincoln, to throw away their chances.

UEA have been drawn at home against UWE Bristol, and this makes the team the most successful men's badminton team at UEA in a decade, a fantastic achievement with hopes of more to

come in the final stages of the season.

BADMINTON MEN MIDLANDS DIVISION TWO (A)

P W D L GD PTS L’borough 2 10 10 0 0 64 30 ---------------------------------------------------Nottingham 2 10 8 0 2 38 24 UEA 10 4 0 6 -6 12 Notts Trent 2 10 4 0 6 -16 12 Derby 10 3 1 6 -16 10 ---------------------------------------------------Lincoln 10 0 1 9 -64 1

* UEA qualify for BUSA Shield as best 1st team in group.

NAIL BITING FINISH

One point between the top two schools in Ziggurat Games Marc Dudley

Sports-Editor It couldn't be closer after MED/AHP used their second joker in an event they won.

Victory in the Women's Squash, means one point is all that separates the top two schools, and with only five events to go, this years competition is going to go down to the wire to determine which faculty is UEA's best sporting school.

Ziggurat Standings (after 16 of 21 events) 1 MED/AHP 2 BIO 3 ENV 4 DEV 5 AHP/CMP 6 CAP 7 EDU 8 LAW 9 MTH/NAM 10 PSS/SWK 11 HIS 12 LLT 13 ECO/PHI/PSI 14 AMS/FTV/LIT 15 MGT 16 WAM/MUSIC

(JJ) = Two Jokers played (J) = One Joker Played

1328 1327 1217 1193 1139 989 981 972 934 828 634 582 402 335 310 242

(JJ) (JJ) (J) (JJ) (JJ) (J) (JJ) (J) (JJ) (J) (J) (J)

Concrete Wednesday, February 23 , 2005 rd

www.concrete-online.com

concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk 27

HARD WORK PAYS OFF FOR UEA UEA Athletes show fine form in several cross-country and indoor BUSA events across the country

David Mckinlay It has been an excellent two weeks for UEA with some athletes competing in four events over the last fourteen days.

On Saturday, February 5th, UEA sent a squad to the BUSA Cross Country Championchips at Bodington Fields, Leeds.

Some of the best distance athletes in the country took part including Olympic semi finalist Ricky Soos. In the Men's 4k short course race, which saw a very tightly acquitted field, Steve Downey finished in 44th position, followed by Calum Nicol in 47th place. After eight months out injured, Ali Mcgeoch-Williams took a hard earned 72nd position, while Andrew Staphnill concluded the teams performance in 82nd. In the 10.6k long course race John Dowding finished first for UEA running into 159th place out of several hundreds of competitors, with Matt Chidley in 180th.

Richard Hammond and Paul Smart were not far behind in 190th and 201st places respectively. Although several of our top athletes are on international placements this year, Sarah Ainslie and Elsie Downham proved that they were on top form in the Ladies long course event of 6km finishing in the well deserved 120th and 182nd places.

A week later, UEA sent two men’s and two women’s teams down to the 57th annual Hyde Park Relays, Europe's biggest student road relay championships.

A six leg course for the men and a four leg event for the

women, the 5.2km and 3.5km, proved particularly testing in wet and blustery conditions. Out of 96 teams and over 600 competitors in the men's event, the 'A' team finished 13th, the best any team from UEA has ever done and was followed up with the best 'B' team performance ever in 35th position. Not to let the blokes take all the credit, the ladies also did unbelievably well.

The 'A' team just missed out on last years 10th place, finishing strongly in 13th. The Ladies 'B' team however slaughtered last years 'B' team position of 29th to finish with an impressive 21st position.

Not to say that the distance runners have been doing all the running recently, our sprinters have been in action too at the East of England Indoor Championships at Kings Lynn and several open meetings at the Birmingham National Indoor Arena.

Andrew Mccullagh once again proved that he is not only the fastest person, but the furthest jumper in the East by regaining both his 60m and Long Jump titles on Sunday 13th February.

He achieved a personal best time of 7.1 seconds and jumped well within himself with a distance of 6.27 metres to ease into victory in both events. This was on the back of an excellent race in Birmingham where he reached the 'A' final in a race that turned out many of the fastest times of the year.

Nick Horton also proved that he is running brilliantly and a good prospect for the Indoor Track BUSA Championships next week-

end by pulling out a 22.9second 200m to come 2nd in his final at Birmingham.

This was especially good considering his lane draw and the camber which is supposed to take half a second off indoor times.

At Wattisham Airfield, the venue for the 8th Cross Country in the East Anglian Cross Country League, UEA performed tremendously again. In the ladies 5km event Sarah Ainslie showed her potential by winning her first league meeting, whilst Elsie Downham also pulled out an extra special performance to secure an excellent seventh position. Not far behind were Katie Craven and Lynne Harrington who finished 13th and 14th respectively. Calum Nicol drove the men's 'A' team on and finished in an excellent 5th, despite taking a wrong turn and losing a considerable distance on the leaders.

Glen Richardson's fine form continued with an excellent 12th position with John Dowding and Matt Chidley following closely in 16th and 17th respectively. The 'B' team were hot on their heels with Richard Hammond in 24th, Ali Mcgeoch-Williams in 25th and Paul Smart, a little sore from his fourth encounter in two weeks, in 30th.

Tom Donnelly, Thomas Lang and Tom Hunt all finished very strongly in 31st, 34th and 36th positions respectively.

Borgel Greenaway finished in 48th position with Louis HoldingParsons and the legendary Jimmy Green rounding off an all round excellent day for UEA Athletics in 60th and 65th positions.

game, UEA taking on UEA. If the 'A' team took the points, it was likely they were to go onto win the tournament, while UEA B desperately needed a win to continue their winning form. The game was a thriller, and an excellently worked goal involving Andy Hide and Stephen Robinson ended UEA A's hope of a flawless tournament. The 'B' team were high in confidence and beat York B by 3 goals to 1 in admirable fashion with the experience of Tom Donnelly, Nick Williamson and Andy Wilson shining through. The final games would prove vital as both UEA teams were still in with a shot for the title and although UEA A fought well and went a goal up in their final game against York B, a defensive error in the dying seconds led to the points being shared.

Unfortunately for UEA, the B-side also suffered the same setback with a last minute equaliser cancelling out their 3-2 lead.

The tournament finished with UEA A coming second

place, losing out by a single goal. The excellent goal difference was down to outstanding defensive work and a superb display by goalkeeper Dominic Kloos - the German shot stopper! UEA B also narrowly missed out, coming third only on goal difference also.

Their strength lay with the attackers who notched 10 goals, although a commanding performance by Jeff Knott, supported by Chris Brice, could not prevent them conceding 7 goals. Overall, UEA was very pleased with the performance and York now recognises UEA are a quality futsal side and the matches will prove good practice for the upcoming tournaments in Essex, Sheffield and Belgium.

QUALITY DISPLAY IN ASHES Kevin Rowe

The UEA Futsal club travelled to York to play the annual 'Ashes' competition, in hope of showing their opponents how much they have progressed in the last year.

This year, UEA took 2 teams while York fielded 4 teams, 2 of which were made up by former committee members of their club. The tournament took a league format and each team played one another on a single occasion. The two UEA sides were a good mix of experience and new blood, and the tournament kicked off with UEA Futsal A facing York Presidents A and UEA B facing York A. The sides achieved mixed results with UEA Futsal A gaining a 3-0 win while the B team collapsed to a 2-0 defeat.

Fortunes improved for UEA in the next round of games with the first team recording two 1-0 victories and UEA B winning 3-1.

Next up was the crunch

UEA Lineups UEA A: Matt Peacock, Kevin Rowe, Rob Whitby, Dominic Kloos, Alex Smith, Ivan Moriarty, Joakim Lund.

UEA B: Tomas Donnelly, Jeff Knott, Nick Williamson, Andy Wilson, Andy Hide, Stephen Robinson and Chris Brice.

UEA’s 4k team from left: Calum Nicol, Stephen Downey, Ali McGeoch-Williams and Andrew Staphnill

INSIDE UEA Athletics club showing fine form

SPORT

INSIDE The UEA Female footballers looking unstoppable

STUDENTS DREAMING OF BUSA SILVERWARE

UEA Sports clubs hard work is rewarded as they reach knockout stages of the BUSA competition Marc Dudley Sports-Editor

With the league stages over, UEA now look forward to the knockout stages of the BUSA competition.

Nine of the university's sports clubs have managed to qualify for the knockout stages, and the students of East Anglia must be hoping one team can finally bring home a trophy to UEA. The undefeated women's and men's 2nd XI football teams must be in with a chance with both teams scoring goals for fun in their BUSA league campaigns.

The men's team travel to Leicester, whilst the women

face their toughest test yet when they take on Northumbira from the first division at Colney Lane.

UEA's netball and women's hockey teams travel southwards to take on UCL and Brighton respectively. UCL have won eight of their ten matches in the group stage, whilst Brighton are undefeated in the division below UEA, so both teams will have to be at their best on Wednesday.

Hopefully, one of our sports clubs can bring home some silverware this year and Concrete will be following each team in what will hopefully be a successful season for UEA.

BUSA Knockout Fixtures Wed 23rd Feb BUSA Shield, Last 16 Men’s Baksetball:

(subject to change)

Men’s Badminton: Men’s Fencing: Women’s Football: Women’s Hockey: Women’s Netball: Men’s Rugby: Women’s Rugby:

Leeds vs UEA (16th Feb) (Result not in when going to print) UEA vs UWE Bristol Hull vs UEA UEA vs Northumbria Brighton vs UEA UCL vs UEA Liverpool JM vs UEA Salford vs UEA

BUSA Vase, Last 64 Men’s Football:

Leicester 3 vs UEA 2

For all BUSA Final Tables & Knockout Results visit www.busa.org.uk

GOT A SPORTS STORY FROM YOUR CLUB? E-MAIL US AT CONCRETE.SPORT@UEA.AC.UK Concrete Prize (Cryptic) Crossword #64 ACROSS

1 and 2down.Tautou has neat egg around angry love men (1,4,4,10) 5. Upset cat in play (3) 8. Observers start to cry (3) 9. Balm for crouching cat (5) 11. Importance of being? (6) 14. Permitted viewing equipment (Abbr.) (2) 15. Turn at celt ruminating (6) 17. Impels gold in ruse (5) 19. Time to eat or drink (3) 20. Canal with zero use (4) 22. Surrounded maid in street (6) 23.Student closely studying medecine (5) 25. Single in eon (3) 26. __chronism (3) 27. Cancel the French with nun (5) 28. Half retail to soak in water (3) 29. Fish edits Elle (3) 32. Peel and Steed are (8) 35. See 36across 36, 34, 35, 24down. Zhang Zhiou has fast dangerous home (5,2,6,7)

Set by Abi

DOWN

1. Cunning artist with short flute returns (6) 2. See 1across 3. A dozen atlantics, say (6,6) 4. Male and kind is wealthy (9) 5. Rocking seats are valuable (5) 6. Shelters the livestock or baby (3) 7. Lung affeccted, not by smoking (Abbr.) (2) 10. The night before Adam’s wife (3) 12. Left is wrong or not (Abbr.) (2) 13. Spanish the (2) 16. As flat as many a pecan, ask around (8) 18. Led sad horse back to seat (6) 21. Meditate philosophically (3) 22. Some of next antic is an addition (5) 24. See 35across 25. Paddle and roar hatless (3) 30. Every one of each group (Abbr.)

(2) 31. Greek letter in Chinese philosophy (3) 33. One is upset by new (3) 34. See 36across

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