THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA
Issue 179 September 28th 2005 www.concrete-online.com Free
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5%! STILL A BUILDING SITE .EW RESIDENCES BRING DISRUPTION AS CONSTRUCTION WORK CONTINUES ON CAMPUS "Y )3!"%, $93/. .%73 %$)4/2 Students returned to UEA this week for a new accademic year to be greeted by a series of building works and constructions. Changes to the ever-expand- ing university will improve the standard of living for staff and stu- dents with the demolition of the dubbed 'prison' that was Waveney Terrace, and an immaculate re- named Medical Centre. Evolution of the forty-fi ve year old establishment, a base for over 13,000 students and over 2,000 staff, has developed incredibly since its fi rst intake of eighty-sev- en students in 1960. Developments at UEA put the university in the top rating
for accomodation in the UK and have also contributed to its top fi ve ranking in a recent student satisfaction survey of courses and facilities. New accomodation blocks, an extension to the Library, the Health Centre and Nursery and improvements to the Sainsbury Centre have taken place this year. Last year renovations were under- taken on The Blend, Zest and Un- ion House, all of which certainly follow UEA's motto to 'Do Differ- ent'. The expanding UEA site has been purposefully adapted with safety and the environment in mind. The site is in 270 acres of land and has seen new safer, fl oodlit footpaths laid with the lake remaining the highlight of its grounds.
For several years UEA has been host to numerous building projects and despite the comple- tion of the new Medical Centre and Library extension, the contin- ued disruption to the site has an- gered many students. A large majority of UEA under- graduates today have never wit- nessed UEA without some form of construction taking place. In spite of the noise disruption endured as a result of building work, huge numbers of students will never get to enjoy the results. One third year LLT student who lived in Waveney Terrace said: "We had to live next to the Colman House building site, then revision for exams last year was almost impossible with the Library exten- sion, and this year we still have to watch more residences go up.
Apart from the Library our year group will never get to use any of the new stuff." Although the new buildings are necessary, some students are concerned about the amount of money being spend on refurbish- ments. Many believe that they will not benefi t from the sacrifces being made to support the new building work. The Medical Centre and Nurs- ery are complete and include GP services, a Dental Practice and a Pharmacy. The Library extension is also fi nished. However, construc- tion continues on the Sainsbury Centre and the new centre for the School of Nursing, which will not be complete until early next year. The demolition of Waveney Terrace has paved the way for four new en-suite residence build-
ings. However, the 886 scheduled rooms are not estimated to be complete until August 2007, re- sulting in yet more students living against a backdrop of disruption. The historial Ziggurat Ter- races are also due for an essential refurbishment. Freshers and other residents will be relocated after only a month at university as work begins in late October. The up- grade of toilets, showers and bed- rooms will take another year and Norfolk Terrace will subsequently follow suit. UEA is becoming one of the most modern UK university sites, and as recent surveys reveal it pro- duces some of the most satisfi ed students. However, when all the building projects are fi nally com- plete students will have tolerated almost a decade of disruption.
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#RICKET ONE OF THE MANY SPORTS CLUBS TO BE AFFECTED BY THE NEW FEES "Y 3!2!( %$7!2$%3 %$)4/2 The  Union  is  to  introduce  a  fee  of  £25  for  membership  of  the  Union  of  UEA  Students  Sports  Associa- tion.  The  decision  to  charge  stu- dents  a  at  fee,  on  top  of  the  join- ing  fees  set  by  individual  sports  clubs,  has  been  made  in  response  to  the  increased  cost  of  running  sport  at  UEA.  Amongst  the  reasons  given  for  the  new  charge  is  a  move  by  the  British  Universities  Sports  As- sociation  (BUSA)  to  replace  mass Â ďŹ xtures,  usually  held  on  Wednes- day  afternoons,  with  smaller  merit  leagues.  This  has  meant  that  teams  can  no  longer  travel  to  away  matches  by  coach,  but  have  to  hire  separate  minibuses,  which  has  led  to  much  higher  transport  costs  being  incurred  by  the  Union. According  to  Union  ofďŹ cials,  this  problem  has  been  exacer-Â
bated  by  a  relative  decrease  in  the  amount  of  money  available  from  the  grant  they  are  provided  by  the  University.  Of  the  block  grant  allocated  to  the  Union  in  2003-Â4,  81.4%  was  spent  on  participa- tion  in  sport,  including  coaching,  transport,  equipment  and  room  hire  –  by  far  the  highest  overall  cost  for  any  of  its  activities.  The  budget  has  been  tightened  by  increases  in  stafďŹ ng  costs,  and  the  reluctance  of  sports  clubs  themselves  to  support  Union-Ârun  events  such  as  Wednesday  Sports  Nights.  As  a  result,  the  amount  of  revenue  generated  for  the  clubs  through  its  commercial  services  has  decreased.  Earlier  this  year  the  Sports  Sub-ÂCommittee  re- sponded  by  recommending  that  clubs  must  be  encouraged  to  sup- port  Wednesday  nights  instead  of  organising  their  socials  at  pubs  in  the  city.  The  funding  of  sports  clubs  has  been  a  continuing  source  of Â
contention  on  campus.  Last  year  the  Union  refuted  rumours  that  the  reduction  in  Sports  Associa- tion  funds  was  linked  to  budgetary  changes  being  made  to  accom- modate  the  refurbishment  of  the  Hive.  While  the  new  fee  has  been  met  with  disappointment  by  some  clubs,  the  Union  insists  that  it  is  necessary  to  maintain  the  high  standard  of  sport  currently  provid- ed  at  the  university.  Even  assum- ing  a  10%  drop  in  membership,  early  budget Â ďŹ gures  indicate  that  the  Membership  Fee  could  raise  up  to  £62,500  towards  the  run- ning  of  sports  clubs.  Last  year,  the  Union  spent  £215,000  on  sporting  activities.  The  fee  was  chosen  by  last  year’s  Management  Committee  as  an  alternative  to  cutting  the  services  offered  for  students  or  removing  UEA  from  the  BUSA  leagues  altogether.  For  the  £25  fee  –  equivalent  to  80p  per  week  of  the  academic  term  –  students  will Â
receive  insurance  and  the  freedom  to  join  as  many  sports  clubs  as  they  wish.  The  Committee,  which  approved  the  changes  in  June  this  year,  noted  that  the  move  would  not  be  popular  with  members,  but  believed  that  the  membership  fee  ‘represented  the  least  painful  way  of  ensuring  that  the  annual  deďŹ cit  did  not  increase’. Finance  OfďŹ cer  Ben  Williams  said:  ‘The  Union  of  UEA  Students  truly  believes  this  to  be  the  only  option  that  is  fair  to  all  of  our  members.  Membership  fees  to  Sports  Associations  are  a  com- mon  occurrence,  and  the  price  of  £25  is  comparatively  below  the  av- erage,  given  the  size  of  our  union  and  the  number  of  members  that  beneďŹ t  from  the  Sports  Associa- tion.’ 7(9 7% 3(/5,$ 3500/24 /52 30/243 #,5"3 3PORT PAGE
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3PORTS !SSOCIATION FEE THIS PAGE 7AVENEY DEMOLISHED THIS PAGE 5%! TO CHARGE TOP TUITION FEE 5%! HIGHLY RATED IN SURVEY .#&# %XECUTIVE TO STUDY AT 5%! :EST CLOSED TO STUDENTS "REAST CANCER BREAKTHROUGH &IRST "USES CALL STRIKE 7ARNING OVER CHIP AND PIN FRAUD ,ECTURER RUNS FOR CHARITY #ONTROVERSY OVER NEW FOOTPATH .IGHLINE AWARENESS WEEK .EW REPORT ON EXTREMIST GROUPS .ORWICH -0 TERROR PROPOSAL
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5%! BIDS FAREWELL TO RESIDENCES "Y #,!2% "5,, .%73 #/22%30/.$%.4 Waveney  Terrace  has  been  par- tially  knocked  down  over  the  summer.  Blocks  A-ÂJ  have  been  demolished  and  the  remainder  of  the  historic  site  is  due  for  de- struction  at  some  point  next  year. Waveney  opened  in  1972  and  for  the  last  33  years  it  has  been  home  to  thousands  of  UEA  stu- dents.  Although  it  made  a  bleak  picture,  those  who  have  lived  there  insist  that  it  had  a  special  charm. There  was  a  deďŹ nite  spirit  to  Waveney  with  its  constant Â ďŹ re  alarms,  smashed  windows  and  kitchens  that  some  thought  should  have  been  reported  to  environ- mental  health.  However,  against  all  odds,  Waveney  ‘Swedish  Prison’  Terrace  was  the  place  for  parties  and  although  those  who  lived  there  stood  little  chance  of  sleep  or  re-Â
spectable  hygiene  standards,  they  will  insist  without  fail  that  a  year  in  Waveney  really  was  amazing. This  summer  memorabilia  from  Waveney  went  on  sale  in  an  internet  auction.  The  original  desk  chairs  and  other  furniture  as  well  as  door  signs  went  on  sale  and  the  money  was  donated  to  The  Big  C,  a  local  charity  that  supports  cancer  victims  and  their  families  and  donates  to  research  projects.  In  total  £607.85  was  raised  from  the  auction,  which  was  organ- ised  by  the  alumni  association.  With  many  ex-ÂWaveney  Terrace  resident  desperate  to  own  a  lit- tle  part  of  this  legendary  building  the  auction  was  a  great  success.  An  original  vintage  Bertoia  chair  sold  for  £185,  while  a  sign  for  blocks  A  to  C  sold  for  £100.  Such  prices  for  memorabilia  might  seem  like  madness,  but  for  a  small  piece  of  what  was  an  institution  of  stu- dent  life,  it  was  worth  every  penny.
! CONSTRUCTION WORKER SURVEYS 7AVENEY 4ERRACE
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$PODSFUF Wednesday September 28 2005
4OP UP FEES LOOMING AT 5%! 5NIVERSITY DECIDES TO CHARGE THE FULL TOP UP TUITION FEE "Y *!#15) "52'/9.% .%73 #/22%30/.$%.4 When top-up fees come into effect in Autumn 2006, UEA intends to charge the full £3,000 per year. The fees will only apply to students who begin their under- graduate courses in 2006 - those who started earlier will continue to pay the old level of fees, and post- graduate fees will be unaffected. NHS-funded courses such as Physiotherapy will not be subject to the top-up fees. In addition, for those enrolling on science courses with a foundation year, the foun- dation year will only cost £1,200, but the remaining years will be charged at the full rate. Those studying abroad will still benefit from half-price fees for that year – so will be charged £1,500 – and ERASMUS students will continue to have all their fees waived for that year, and also will be given funding for that year. UEA has decided to charge the full amount possible to en- able it to improve its facilities and infrastructure, enhance the qual- ity of its teaching and research, and also to enable it to provide more bursaries and scholarships for students. Many scholarships will be available, such as Pathway
$ESPITE STUDENT PROTESTS 5%! WILL CHARGE THE HIGHEST TOP UP FEES Scholarships, Open Scholarships, Faculty Prizes, and Vice-Chancel- lor Prizes, and various sports and music scholarships. Pathway Scholarships are aimed at lower-income fami- lies, and provide £500 per year for those with grades of ABB or above. Vice-Chancellor Prizes are available for those with grades of
AAA or above, who could receive – if taking a four-year course – £16,000 during their time at UEA. There will be eight Vice-Chancellor Prizes and 12 Faculty Prizes avail- able, and recipients will be expect- ed to maintain grades of 60% or above. Even with the bursaries that UEA intends to provide, fees of
£3,000 per year plus housing and living costs, will add up to a con- siderable sum. One benefit of the new sys- tem, however, is that payment of fees is deferred until the degree course is completed and the stu- dent is earning above £15,000: in essence, the student takes out an extra loan from the Student Loan
Company. The SLC pays the university, and the student pays back the SLC once they are earning above the set level. As with the old scheme, this loan will only gain interest at the same rate of inflation, so that you pay back exactly what you bor- rowed, and the repayments will be taken as a percentage from the
amount you earn that is above £15,000. The government also intends to provide Maintenance Grants. These are non-repayable grants that are intended to help lower- income students cover their liv- ing costs. Those students whose parents earn less than £17,500 per year will receive the full £2,700 per year in grants with a sliding scale for families of higher incomes. Students with incomes of more than £37,425 per year will be ineligible for these grants. All students, however, will be able to apply, in addition to the ‘fees’ loan, for a ‘maintenance loan’. A student not receiving any mainte- nance grant, living outside London and not with their parents, will be able to borrow £4,405 per year. 75% of this will be available to all, while the remaining 25% will be means-tested. All loans re- ceived from the SLC by a student will be combined for repayment after their degree is completed. The result of the higher fees for future students will be a much greater debt upon completing their courses, athough hopefully they will also translate into a bet- ter quality of education and great- er opportunities of higher educa- tion for all.
5%! TOP FOR SATISFACTION .O ENTRY TO :EST 3TUDENTS RATE UNIVERSITY IN 5+ 4OP ACCORDING TO NATIONAL POLL "Y )3!"%, $93/. .%73 %$)4/2 UEA has been rated one of the UK’s top universities for student satisfaction according to the first ever National Student Survey. In the Times Higher Education Supplement only two mainstream universities ranked higher than UEA for overall satisfaction and three were considered to have bet- ter learning resources for students. Vice Chancellor David East- wood said: “This survey is a ringing endorsement for the
all round quality of our staff, teaching and student support.” The results of the new survey confirm that levels of satisfaction with the courses taught at UEA are amongst the highest in the country. On a scale with a maximum of five, the average score for overall satisfaction at UEA was 4.2. Seven- teen out of nineteen subject areas received scores of four or above. The National Student Survey results are just one measure of UEA’s quality and performance. Taken alongside the most recent Quality Audit, in which the univer- sity received the highest possible ranking, and the last Research
#ANTEEN CLOSES ITS DOORS ON STUDENTS
Assessment Exercise, which con- firmed that almost 90% of UEA research is of international or national excellence, there is am- ple evidence that the university is of the highest quality in teach- ing, research and administration. The first National Student Survey was undertaken in Janu- ary 2005 by undergraduate final year students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The National Student Sur- vey results are intended to help inform the choices of future stu- dents and were published on Sep- tember 22nd on the national Teach- ing Quality Information website.
"ACK TO SCHOOL FOR .#&#
.ORWICH #ITY &# #HIEF %XECUTIVE JOINS FRESHERS AT 5%! FOR NEW TERM "Y )3!"%, $93/. .%73 %$)4/2
The Chief Executive of Norwich City Football Club is stepping back into education after signing up to a two-year course at UEA. Neil Doncaster has enrolled on a Masters in Business Ad- ministration degree to hone his business skills as a major component in the local club. The MBA degree has been running at UEA for thirteen years and has produced over 1000
successful graduates. Neil Don- caster will be joining nineteen other students on the £9,000 course at UEA on September 26. UEA will only accept First Degree graduates or people with exceptional experience in busi- ness onto the MBA course. After four years at NCFC Mr Doncaster is reported to have explained:” I have a great deal of practi- cal management experience, but this course will help to im- prove my theoretical knowledge. There is always more to be learnt and a well-respected insti- tution such as UEA is the perfect place to broaden my understanding
of modern management issues.” The director of the course at UEA, Professor Roy McLarty was reported to have said: “I’m sure he’ll bring a great deal to the course but also take away a new perspec- tive on modern management of a multi-million-pound business.” Despite the demands of a two-year degree, Mr Doncaster is to keep all commitments with his Canaries schedule. While the recent relegation of NCFC has dampened the spirits of its fans, the determination of its Chief Executive to further his manage- ment skills could initiate a new beginning for the whole club.
5NIVERSITY CATERING OUTLET :EST "Y #,!2% "5,, .%73 #/22%30/.$%.4 Over the summer period students and staff of UEA were informed that they were not allowed to use Zest whilst the university was in use as a conference centre. A sign in Zest explained that staff and students were not permitted for the comfort and convenience of both conference-attenders and staff/students. The decision was felt to be of great inconvenience to many staff and students because Zest
is one of the only outlets on cam- pus where a hot meal can be pur- chased. The rule was made by uni- versity management rather than the caterers at Zest to encourage businesses to use the UEA as a conference centre. Jenny Ballard, the Director of Residences and Services, ex- plained to Concrete that historical- ly there were issues surrounding the length of time it took confer- ence delegates to get served while there were staff and students us- ing the facility. She also stressed that “the university does not have to divert money away from the
core activities of teaching, learning and research. The catering outlets are required to be self financing.” The management explained that through hosting conferences, the outlets are able to make the mon- ey needed to provide food for staff and students at subsidised prices during term time. Although Zest was closed to university associated customers, The Blend served a wider range of hot food. However many students still feel the decision was unfair. ,ETTERS PAGE
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$PODSFUF  Wednesday  September  28  2005
"REAST CANCER BREAKTHROUGH
5
/NE WEEK STAND STILL ON THE BUSES
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"Y 2/3)% #(!.#% 3#)%.#% %$)4/2 Scientists  from  the  University  of  East  Anglia  have  made  a  discovery  that  could  prove  crucial  in  the  bat- tle  against  breast  cancer. Cancer  specialists  Dr  Sarah  Porter  and  Professor  Dylan  Ed- wards,  from  the  School  of  Bio- logical  Sciences,  have  identiďŹ ed  genes  that  behave  differently  in  breast  cancer  patients  compared  to  those  with  normal  breast  tis- sue.  Their Â ďŹ ndings  could  be  key  to  the  development  of  ‘smart’  drugs  tailored  to  treat  the  tumours  of  in- dividual  patients. The  genes  come  from  a  group  called  ADAMTS,  which  are  in- volved  in  tissue  breakdown  and  are  linked  to  the  spread  of  tu- mours  through  the  body.  Earlier Â
this  year  Dr  Porter  and  Professor  Edwards   found  that  11  of  the  19  ADAMTS  genes  change  as  breast  cancer  develops. Now  the  scientists  have  shown  that,  by  measuring  the  activity  of  two  speciďŹ c  ADAMTS  genes  in  an  individual  with  breast  cancer,  they  can  predict  how  ag- gressive  their  tumour  will  be  and  how  likely  it  is  to  spread. One  of  the  genes  is  related  to  poor  overall  survival  rates,  while  the  other  is  a  predictor  of  relapse  free  recovery.  By  looking  at  both  genes,  cancer  patients  were  clas- siďŹ ed  into  one  of  four  risk  catego- ries.   Those  at  highest  risk  were  three  times  more  likely  to  suffer  a  recurrence  of  breast  cancer  and Â ďŹ ve  times  more  likely  to  die,  com- pared  to  sufferers  in  the  lowest  risk  category. Professor  Edwards  said  “we  are  beginning  to  understand  how Â
genes  contribute  to  breast  cancer  development  and  I  am  conďŹ dent  this  work  will  ultimately  prove  valuable  for  both  the  diagnosis  and  treatment  of  the  diseaseâ€?.   He  hopes  the  research  will  help  doc- tors  move  away  from  a  “one  size Â ďŹ ts  allâ€?  style  of  treatment  towards  a  more  individualistic  approach. The  innovative  three  year  study  used  tissue  samples  taken  from  patients  at  the  Norfolk  and  Norwich  hospital  and  also  from  a  medical  centre  in  The  Nether- lands.  It  was  funded  by  the  Breast  Cancer  Campaign Pamela  Goldberg,  Breast  Can- cer  Campaign  Chief  Executive  said  that  the  spread  of  tumours  was  “the  single  most  important  factorâ€?  in  causing  death  from  breast  can- cer  and  that  this  research  would  “play  a  major  role  in  improving  the  future  of  breast  cancer  treat- mentâ€?.
"Y #,!2% "5,, .%73 #/22%30/.$%.4
Last  week  saw  strikes  by  First  Bus  drivers  between  Thursday  15th  and  Thursday  22nd  September  as  drivers  across  Norfolk  and  Suffolk  attempted  to  negotiate  a  dispute  over  pay  and  pensions. The  strike,  by  members  of  the  Transport  and  General  Workers  Union,  was  focused  around  a  new  pension  scheme  that  had  been  proposed  by  First  Eastern  buses,  as  well  as  issues  surrounding  pay.  68,000  passengers  across  Suffolk  and  Norfolk  had  to Â ďŹ nd  alternative  methods  of  transport  as  the  effects  of  the  strike  hit  for  a  week  long  period. Although  a  minibus  serv- ice  was  put  in  place  between  the Â
hospital  and  the  city  many  people  were  left  stranded.  School  children  were  the  worst  affected  with  some  walking  over  six  miles  to  get  to  school.  Many  shops  in  the  city  centre  reported  that  they  were  noticeably  quieter  than  they  would  expect  de- spite  the  continued  park  and  ride  services  that  are  run  by  Norfolk  County  Council.  People  in  Norwich  are  encour- aged  to  rely  on  buses,  perhaps  more  than  in  other  cities,  because  the  city  council  has  implemented  high  parking  fees  and  developed  complex  one-Âway  driving  systems. First  Buses  came  under Â ďŹ re  during  the  strike  action  for  con- tinuing  to  sell  weekly  passes  in  the  lead  up  to  the  pending  strike.  One  worker  who  bought  a  £7  week  pass  the  day  before  the  strike   was  unable  to  use  the  buses  and  was Â
.ICK @N 0INCH 5%! #RIMINOLOGIST WARNS OF RELIANCE ON NEW CHIP AND PIN TECHNOLOGIES "Y )3!"%, $93/. .%73 %$)4/2
.EW CHIP AND PIN TECHNOLOGY MIGHT PROMPT A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY
6&" T *OEFQFOEFOU 4UVEFOU /FXTQBQFS OFFET XSJUFST QIPUPHSBQIFST FEJUPST QSPPG SFBEFST BOE XFCTJUF EFTJHOFST +PJO VT BU 4PD.BSU PO 8FEOFTEBZ UI 4FQU PS WJTJU PVS PGmDF JO 6OJPO )PVTF
UEA  Criminologist  Dr  Emily  Finch  has  revealed  the  new  UK  chip  and  pin  credit  cards  and  government  proposed  ID  cards  are  not  likely  to  deter  thieves  and  fraudsters.  Dr  Finch’s  research  has  led  her  to  believe  that  the  new  secure  systems  may  in  fact  augment  fraudulent  activities. Dr  Emily  Finch  is  a  Reader  in  Law  at  UEA  and  specialises  in  new  areas  of  criminal  law,  researching  drug-Âassisted  rape,  stalking,  har- assment  and  identity  theft.  She  has  presented  her  research  across  the  globe  to  magistrates,  the  New  Zealand  Ministry  of  Justice,  Cali- fornia  Threat  Assessment  Centre  and  a  range  of  professional  busi- ness  organizations. Â
Dr  Finch  believes  that  people  have  a  mistaken  sense  of  security  because  of  the  rise  in  constantly  improving  technologies.  Accord- ing  to  her  studies,  criminals  are  undaunted  by  the  prospect  of  identity  cards.  She  explained  to  the  BBC  that  fraudsters  under- stand  human  nature:  “They  know  about  people,  they  know  how  we  operate,  and  they  know  how  rela- tionships  of  trust  in  which  infor- mation  is  disclosed  develop.â€?  In  a  UEA  statement,  Dr  Finch  states:  “Studying  the  way  that  indi- viduals  disclose  sensitive  informa- tion  would  be  far  more  valuable  in  preventing  identity  fraud  than  the  evolution  of  technologically  advanced  but  ultimately  fallible  measures  to  prevent  the  misuse  of  personal  information  after  it  has  been  obtained.â€? The Â ďŹ ndings  of  her  study  have Â
$RIVERS ARE BACK TO WORK denied  a  refund.  First  bosses  ad- mit  that  they  continued  to  sell   passes  during  the  period   looming  up  to  the  strike.  As  of  Thursday  22nd  the  driv- ers  were  all  back  to  work  and  talks  will  commence  in  the  next  few  days  between  the  Transport  and  General  Workers  Union  and  First  Bus  management.  First  Bus  hopes  to  arrange  a  deal  without  drivers  having  to  re- sort  to  further  strike  action.    lead  Emily  Finch  to  doubt  the  suc- cess  of  the  government’s  new  ID  cards,  even  with  biometric  data  in- cluding  eye  scans.  Finch  believes  caution  will  be  dropped  consider- ably  because  of  the  reliance  peo- ple  have  put  on  new  technologies  and  that  criminals  will  simply  take  advantage  of  this. Sandra  Quinn,  a  spokes- person  for  the  Consortium  of  Financial  and  Retailing  Groups,  explained:  “Criminals   will   look  at  new  ways  of  carrying  out  fraud  and  the  banking  and  retail  indus- tries  are  working  together  to  look  at  new  ways  to  tackle  plastic  card  fraud.� #HIP AND 0IN +EEPING YOUR DETAILS SAFE s .EVER TELL ANYONE YOUR 0). s 3HRED DOCUMENTS CONTAIN ING YOUR PERSONAL DETAILS RATHER THAN THROWING THEM IN THE BIN s !LWAYS BE CAUTIOUS OF PEOPLE WATCHING YOU ENTER YOUR 0).
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$PODSFUF  Wednesday  September  28  2005 0HOTO COURTESY OF )AN %DWARDS
-ARATHON DOUBLE 5%! LECTURER TO RUN .EW 9ORK AND #HICAGO MARATHONS FOR CHARITY Dr  Ian  Edwards,  a  lecturer  in  crim- inal  law  in  the  Law  School,  started  the  year  with  his  own  personal  challenge:  to  complete  the  world’s  three  biggest  marathons  -  Lon- don,  Chicago,  and  New  York  -  in  one  year,  raising  money  for  charity  on  the  way. On  October  9th,  Mr  Edwards  will  take  part  in  his  second  mara- thon,  in  Chicago,  before  running  New  York  on  November  6th. For  London,  he  raised  nearly  £800  for  the  Samaritans,  the  char- ity  providing  conďŹ dential  emo- tional  support  for  people  who  are  experiencing  feelings  of  distress  or  despair,  including  those  which  may  lead  to  suicide. His  chosen  charity  for  the Â ďŹ - nal  two  marathons  is  Get  Kids  Go- ing  (www.getkidsgoing.com).  The  organisation  aims  to  give  disabled  children  and  young  people  the  op- portunity  to  participate  in  sport  by  providing  them  with  specially  built  sports  wheelchairs  so  they  can  do  marathons,  triathlons,  tennis,  athletics,  mountain  skiing,  rugby Â
and  basketball.  He  describes  it  as  “a  fantastic  charity,  which  gives  disabled  children  opportunities  to  play  sports  that  most  of  us  take  for  grantedâ€?. This  time  Mr  Edwards  is  look- ing  for  sponsors  to  help  him  raise  £1200.  With  the  Olympics  due  to  be  held  in  London  in  2012,  he  believes  that  the  children  receiv- ing  specialist  equipment  from  Get  Kids  Going  today  could  be- come  Paralympic  champions  in  the  future.  “Now  is  the  time  that  young  athletes,  potential  Olympic  competitors,  need  support  with  training  and  equipment,â€?  he  says.  “It  isn’t  cheap:  the  cost  of  one  in- dividually  designed  sports-Âwheel- chair  can  be  several  thousand  pounds.â€? Ian  started  running  when  he  was  studying  law  at  university,  as  a  way  of  de-Âstressing  during  exams.  He  was  soon  competing  in  half- marathons,  but  always  wanted  to  run  the  full  marathon  distance.  He  says:  “Running  a  marathon  is  the  ‘suburban  Everest’,  a  chal- lenge  that  anyone  can  attempt.  And  the  feeling  of  achievement  you  get  crossing  the Â ďŹ nish-Âline  is  like  nothing  else  you  experience Â
in  life.â€? The  London  marathon  was  particularly  memorable  for  Mr  Edwards:  “Running  London  was  amazing;Íž  the  crowds  lining  the  streets  were  incredible.  I  hit  ‘the  wall’  at  about  mile  19,  but  the  crowds  were  cheering  everyone  on,  shouting  encouragement  the  whole  way,  and  before  I  knew  it  I  was Â ďŹ nishing  on  The  Mall.  To  be  honest  though,  I  was  just  relieved  to Â ďŹ nish  ahead  of  the  Cheeky  Girls.  If  I  hadn’t,  I  wouldn’t  have  been  able  to  live  that  one  down.â€? Of  the  New  York  marathon,  he  says  it  will  be  “a  fantastic  ex- perienceâ€?.  “The  marathon  goes  through  each  of  New  York’s Â ďŹ ve  boroughs  before Â ďŹ nishing  in  Central  Park,  and  there  will  be  2  million  people  lining  the  streets.  I  can’t  wait  to  experience  the  at- mosphere.â€?   9OU CAN SPONSOR -R %DWARDS ONLINE AT WWW JUSTGIVING COM IANRUNSNEWYORK OR AL TERNATIVELY CONTACT HIM AT I EDWARDS UEA AC UK !NY AMOUNT WILL BE GRATE FULLY RECEIVED HOWEVER SMALL
$R )AN %DWARDS lNISHING THE ,ONDON MARATHON
#ONTROVERSY OVER FOOTPATH 'RAVESTONES LINE THE WAY TO NEW SHOPPING CENTRE 0HOTO !NNA 3TEWARD
"Y 3!2!( %$7!2$%3 %$)4/2
0EDESTRIANS TAKE THE FOOTPATH IN .ORWICH CITY CENTRE "Y !..! 34%7!2$ )3!"%, $93/. The  new  ChapelďŹ eld  Shopping  centre Â ďŹ nally  opened  last  week  after  over  a  year  of  construction  work.  Norwich  shoppers  ooded  to  the  brand  new  complex  on  Wednesday  to  explore  the  new  shops. Despite  the  excited  mood  of Â
the  day,  some  locals  were  shocked  to  discover  that  a  footpath  lead- ing  from  Theatre  Street  to  the  ChapelďŹ eld  shops  has  been  lined  with  dug  up  gravestones  from  the  450-Âyear  old  St  Stephen’s  Church.  Concecrated  earth  was  dug  up  to  relocate  headstones,  some  with  epitaphs  to  the  deceased  dating  back  only Â ďŹ ve  years  ago.  Reverand  Hereward  Cooke  insisted  that  no  bodies  had  been  disturbed  and  that  the  changes Â
revamped  the  derelict  graveyard,  bringing  beneďŹ ts  to  the  church. The  disruption  of  the  memo- rials  to  the  buried  and  cremated  that  now  line  the  path  has  disgust- ed  some  shoppers  in  Norwich. Sarah  Watts,  who  has  lived  in  Norwich  for  40  years,  said:  “This  reveals  a  complete  lack  of  respect  for  the  dead  and  seems  absolutely  unnecessary  to  me.â€?  A  petition  is  circulating  in  protest  against  the  footpath.
/&84
$PODSFUF Wednesday September 28 2005
! .IGHT WITH .IGHTLINE 3TUDENT LISTENING SERVICE TO RECRUIT NEW VOLUNTEERS AT ITS !WARENESS 7EEK "Y *!#15) "52'/9.% This coming week, from Monday 3rd October till Friday 7th, Night- line is holding an Awareness Week to promote its services. A stall will be held in The Hive between 12- 2pm each day, explaining the wide range of help that Nightline offers. Volunteers who missed SocMart can sign up at the stall or email nightline@uea.ac.uk. Also on Thursday and Friday of that week, between noon and 8pm, Night- line will be open outside its usual hours so that students can visit and look at the facilities. The kinds of service that Nightline offers are very diverse. Emma Kelly, Welfare Officer, said: “Many people think that Nightline is only for people to call or visit during a crisis, but they also offer information such as the number for a pizza or a taxi company, or help if you lose your keys while out clubbing. You can even visit if you just want somewhere quiet to study for a while, or somewhere to chill out.” Nightline does also, of course, provide help in more serious situa- tions. They provide a listening ear for every kind of problem – from exam stress to drug worries, and also provide free contraception,
tampons, sanitary towels, and even toilet roll should your flat run out on a Sunday night. In addition, there is a room available over- night for any student who cannot or does not want to return home, and there is also a room available specifically for women. Students can call the Night- line number, 01603 503504 if they want, or otherwise can drop in. The service is open every night during term-time and makes every effort to have a male and female volunteer on duty. Nightline is situated in Norfolk Terrace, on the ground floor between Blocks C and D, and is open between 8pm and 8am. New volunteers are always welcome, which current members of the service are keen to empha- sise: “There is no ‘typical’ Night- line volunteer – they come from all kinds of backgrounds.” Qualities that are desirable, however, are the ability to listen, an open mind, and also a commitment to a weekend of training, plus a minimum of four shifts per semester. If you do not feel able to make such a com- mitment, Nightline also needs people to help it with publicity, as the need to keep its other mem- bers to remain anonymous means that they are less able to deal with promoting the organisation.
Ex-Literature, Culture and Pol- itics student Colin Barns said that volunteering at the organisation was daunting at first, especially all the training, but he found that after a couple of shifts he soon got in the swing of it. Barns said: “It was a great way to get into the whole uni thing. It was a really good way to make friends quick- ly.” He said: “When you’ve been sitting up all night with someone, when you’ve felt you’ve been able to help someone, that’s the most rewarding thing.” Barns is now a Housing As- sessment Officer. He says that his experience at Nightline has helped him with his current job because he deals with people who are in difficult circumstances and are of- ten upset, and so needs to be able to treat them sensitively. About joining Nightline, Barns said: “I’d definitely recommend it. It can be quite nerve-wracking, but if you are stuck with someone in a room for 12 hours, you really get to know them.” A current Nightline volun- teer said: “Not only do you help people on regular basis, you also make lots of caring friends.” Nightline encourages anybody interested in joining the team, or wanting to know more about the service, to come and visit the stall during Awareness Week.
.IGHTLINE OFFERS AN OVERNIGHT ROOM FOR STUDENTS UNABLE TO RETURN HOME
7
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$PODSFUF Wednesday September 28 2005
%XTREMIST GROUPS TARGET STUDENTS %DUCATION 3ECRETARY WARNS CAMPUSES TO BE VIGILANT AGAINST EXTREMISTS "Y )3!"%, $93/. .%73 %$)4/2 British universities are being ad- vised to be aware of extremist groups that are targeting students. Following the recent atrocities in London and increased tensions around the UK, research has sug- gested that organisations with extremist ideologies are targeting students. The Education Secretary Ruth Kelly told university vice-chan- cellors to keep a close eye on student activists in the battle to prevent the spread of extremism and terror. Ms Kelly said that Vice- Chancellors had a duty to inform the police if they believed that students or staff were breaking the law or committing “possible criminal acts”. Groups, including the BNP, Islamic extremists and Animal Rights activists, are increasingly targeting universities. Accord- ing to recent research, all these organistaions have a history of campaigning at campus universi- ties in the hope of capitalising on
political apathy and raising a new generation of supporters. A dossier prepared by White- hall officials warned Tony Blair that a network of “extremist recruiters” circulate on campuses and are directed at students and people with “technical and professional” qualifications. The report states: “Students and young professionals from better-off backgrounds have also become involved in extremist poli- tics and even terrorism. They pro- vide better recruits, as they may have the capability for wider and more complex proselytising.” Ruth Kelly spoke earlier this month at the annual conference to representatives of Universi- ties UK, the body that represents vice-chancellors and principals, explaining that freedom of speech and thought did not extend to tol- erance of unacceptable behaviour. Kelly went on to explain: “Following the London bomb at- tacks in July, we are all having to re-examine certain policies. One is how to respond to those using the freedoms of our society to promote terrorism and violence.
Freedom of speech or expression is one of the most fundamental rights that individuals enjoy and higher education is a bastion of those values.” A report by Professor Anthony Glees and Chris Pope of Brunel University named twenty-four uni- versities where;; “extremist and/or terror groups have been detected”. Major universities were named in the report including Birmingham, Brunel, Durham, Leeds, Luton, Leicester, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Reading, Swansea and Wolverhampton. Another report by a govern- ment think tank, the Social Affairs Unit, gave a warning that British universities “may have become, and may still be safe havens for terrorist ideas and recruits.” Kelly said: “Universities need to be “unafraid to set their own boundaries” about what is ac- ceptable using the law as support. Universities and colleges have a duty to support and look after the moderate majority as they study, to ensure that those students are not harassed, intimidated or pres- sured.”
4HE 3QUARE 5%! IS NOT AMONGST THE UNIVERSITIES NAMED IN THE REPORT
#HARLES #LARKE h DAYS IS SIMPLY NOT ENOUGHv .ORWICH -0 SUGGESTS MORE TIME FOR DETAINING SUSPECTED TERRORISTS IN HOPES FOR A SAFER "RITAIN "Y -!4(%7 ./2-!. 0/,)4)#!, %$)4/2
#LARKE S PROPOSALS MEAN SUSPECTS COULD BE HELD LONGER WITHOUT TRIAL
Once again the Member of Par- liament for Norwich South has made the news. Charles Clarke the Home Secretary looks set to unveil plans to lengthen the time a suspect can be detained without charge by the police from 14 days up to 3 months. The staggering increase in time highlights the Home Secre- tary’s concerns about making the UK safer from terror attacks. Al- though the July attacks on London will not be forgotten,one must ask if it is appropriate to make such drastic changes to laws that have withstood the test of time and the test of the IRA. During the 1970s and 1980s the British Government did not feel the need to change these laws in such a drastic step. What should be made clear is that the measures are necessary and not just a knee jerk reaction. The legal profession has re- acted coolly to the suggested changes and although there are Human Rights arguments that can be made, it is more likely that public opinion will be the key fac- tor as to whether these measures come into force. Judges in the UK do not have the power to strike down an Act of Parliament because Parliament is sovereign. The judiciary can is-
sue a statement of incompatibility with the Human Rights Act but it will not force the government to change the legislation. If the move is seen as politically unviable then legislation could be changed. Lengthening the time a sus- pect can be held without trial will allow the police and security services to continue their investi- gations without the threat of the individual leaving the country. The same thing could be achieved by an electronic tag, but as recent events have shown there is evi- dence to show that tags do not work. One obvious benefit of hold- ing people doe longer is that the police will always know where the individual in question is: there will be no need to go and find them. Civil rights organisations have labelled the measures as “a new British internment”, but the Home Secretary has been quoted as saying that “14 days is simply not enough time so let us extend it”. The director of Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti, has stated that it is necessary to look at the laws in or- der to see if something does need to be done. The situation is very difficult for the Home Secretary as he needs to address what has happened in our capital but also needs to avoid going too far. Inaction will be seen as a failure if something else were
to happen, but the question re- mains if people are really going to be happy with this potential loss of rights and freedoms. Americans seem to accept a small reduction in personal freedoms if the country as a whole remains safe. Questions will arise if such an ammendment to British policy will have the same conse- quences here. Britain is far more multicultural than the US and hopefully will remain so. A question which lingers is whether the Home Secretary will have the power to implement these measures, despite poten- tially tough opposition. The short answer is yes. The powers of the Home Office are wide and varied and even if the measures could not be introduced through the Government department, leg- islation could be drawn up very quickly and with the majority the Labour party hold in the House of Commons it would pass easily. The only stumbling block would be the House of Lords, which has proven to be a thorn in the side of the Labour govern- ments since 1997. However, there are two pieces of legislation from 1911 and 1949 called the Parlia- ment Acts which allow the House of Commons to enact legislation without the Lords’ consent. These measures, used sparingly until 1997, have been used at least twice by Labour in the last eight years.
10 '&"563&4
$PODSFUF Wednesday September 28 2005
#HICKS 7ITH $ICH )N THE WAKE OF !NGELA -ERKEL S SLIM VICTORY IN THE 'ERMAN %LECTION -ATT 3HOESMITH CONSIDERS THE CHANGING ROLE OF WOMEN IN POLITICS
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less ‘em, the ladies of politics found a new champion last week. Frau Merkel sort-of, erm, well, just about became leader of one of the most powerful nations in the world, albeit by a majority slimmer than the equally trail- blazing Posh Spice. However, the willingness of the press to compare Merkel to Mar- garet Thatcher could be called a little unfair. After all, how would you like it? True enough, Germany’s new leader is unlikely to be invited to pose scantily clad in FHM, but there is a much larger history of admirable lady politicians to whom Frau Merkel should be lik- ened than there might appear. First and foremost, the top dog, so to speak, is Cleopatra. Obviously, from the many eye-catching paintings, sculptures and other various artistic rep- resentations of the Egyptian Queen, she was much easier on the eye than Lady Thatcher. Often wearing a revealing two-piece, the feisty Macedonian took control of the empire aged just eighteen (if you know what I mean) and went on to be renowned as one of the most powerful, “no-more-Mrs-nice-lady,” rulers of all time. And, according to some sources, even let a snake crawl up her arse. Game on. That aside, Frau Merkel may feel understandably aggrieved that she is refused the title, “Germany’s Cleopatra.” Whilst obviously her name doesn’t lend itself to the formation of a Pop group quite so eas- ily as, “Cleopatra comin’ at ya,” (remember them?), surely a few well-planned photo-calls with the new German leader adopting the, “walk like an Egyptian,”
pose, whilst wearing heavy eye-shadow could have planted the necessary subliminal message in the minds of the worlds media? Sadly, it was not to be. However, there are more recent female icons to which Frau Merkel may have been compared. What about that saucy would-be- voter Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst? The woman about whom Lord Flasheart in Blackadder once remarked, “I wouldn’t mind making her suffer a jet movement.” And who could blame him. Committed to gaining the vote for British women, Mrs P.’s lifelong ambi- tion was finally achieved on the very day she died in 1928, when the British Government granted the vote to Women. Bless ‘em. Indeed, the very fact that Mrs Pankhurst was from Manchester is reason enough for Frau Merkel to aspire to be mentioned in the same breath as her. Emmeline’s gang of wanton win- dow smashers quite rightly take their place alongside fellow MadChester rebels such as Liam Gallagher, Ian Brown and Mrs Merton. Indeed during 1912, Mrs Pankhurst went to prison twelve times, aged 54, truly a rock and roll attitude that paved the way for The Hacienda. However, whilst Emmeline Pankhurst is truly a legend of Women’s politics, it is understandable why Frau Merkel’s spin doctors decided not to empha- sise whatever similarities, if any, that exist between the two. A history of imprisonment and a taste for criminal damage is hardly the image that an aspiring world leader wants to create. Perhaps Frau Merkel should simply stick to having a couple of posters on her bedroom wall like the rest of us. Aaaahh.... Speaking of which, the most modern Political
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'ERMAN POLITICIAN !NGELA -ERKEL @'ERMANY S -ARGARET 4HATCHER Diva of them all? Geri Halliwell, step forward. Seri- ously! Early in 1998, when the dust had barely set- tled on her trade mark platform shoes, Ms Halliwell was appointed international goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund. Zig-a-zig ahh indeed! At first, fair enough, it seemed ridicu- lous. But stop and think. The seemingly air-headed, make-up caked, jiggling group of screechers were the role models for a generation of wide eyed youngsters. Then, suddenly, the most photo- graphed and superficial of them all dons a slick business suit and preaches impor- tance of safe sex and women’s equality. In terms of role models, you could do worse. Indeed, Geri proclaimed herself as, “an evangelist of women’s empow- erment.” Whoever told her to say that was using their brain, as the union of glamour and political responsibility el- evated Ginger Spice to a level of respect she could only have dreamed of as she squeezed in (and out) of, ‘that dress.’ So what about poor old Angela Merkel? Perhaps her Christian Democrat Party could have used Geri in a Party Political Broadcast, in an attempt to encourage comparison. After all, in 2001, Ginger Spice made a cameo appearance in one of Labour’s first broadcasts of the campaign of that year, with excellent results. Alternatively, a well-tailored German flag might have made the dif- ference between being compared to Mrs Thatcher, or to England’s other Ginger Political Icon. Fortunately, Mr Blair chose the former tactic in 2001, however, since, in some lights Frau Merkel can appear Straw- berry Blond the latter approach may arguably have been more effective in her case. Inevitably, Frau Merkel will be forced to settle for the title of, “Germany’s Margaret Thatcher.” Reluctantly, probably. However, whilst the public stigma might be unbear- able, Germany’s newly appointed leader should take solace in a fine tradition of Lady Politicians, from Cleopatra to Gin- ger Spice. She should do, but probably won’t. However, the growing represen- tation of women in world politics is
of obvious benefit to any Government that aims to achieve equal rights, and the appointment of Angela Merkel as Germany’s new leader is another major step towards increasing the recognition of the role of women in politics. However, it remains to be seen whether Frau Merkel will go on to be a hero, like Mrs Pankhurst, or another Mrs Thatcher. Bless ‘er.
"RITAIN S -ARGARET 4HATCHER
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(OME 3WEET (OME 3TAYING AT HOME CAN BE SEEN AS A HINDRANCE TO UNIVERSITY LIFE 6ICTORIA ,EGGETT LOOKS INTO THE APPARENT DISADVANTAGES OF THIS GROWING TREND TO SEE IF IT REALLY IS SUCH A BAD OPTION
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or  many  students,  the  ‘university  experience’  is  a  package  that  in- cludes  starting  a  new  university,  studying  for  a  degree  and  moving  away  from  your  home  city  or  town.  Because  of  this  when  a  student  is  asked  “which  residence  are  you  living  in?â€?  and  they  re- ply  “actually,  I’m  living  at  home  with  my  parentsâ€?,  the  reaction  they  get  is  often  a  sympathetic  glance  and  “oh,  that  must  be  difďŹ cultâ€?.  But  is  it?  In  the  current  climate,  where  a  student  is  expected  to  build  up  a  debt  of  a  round  £24,000  over  the  course  of  their  degree,  there  is  a  growing  number  of  people  shunning  the  world  of  university  accommodation  in  favour  of  the  parental  home.  There  are  a  number  of  reasons  for  choosing  to  stay  at  home  rather  than  moving  away  when  starting  university.  For  some,  there  are Â ďŹ nancial  limita- tions.  The  cost  of  university  residenc- es  and  food  will  exceed  £3000  a  year.  When  adding  on  the  cost  of  books,  a  so- cial  life  and  other  living  expenses;Íž  mov- ing  away  to  a  university  may  be  out  of  reach  for  some.  For  others  the  prospect  of  tens  of  thousands  of  pounds  of  debt  is  understandably  enough  to  put  them  off.  Sometimes  the  thought  of  starting  university,  moving  house  and  moving  town  or  city  all  at  once  is  too  daunting  an  experience  to  face.  Or  perhaps  the  -ANY STUDENTS SPEND THEIR lRST YEAR IN 4HE 6ILLAGE course  on  offer  at  a  local  university  is  could  potentially  leave  you  with  a  busier  social  life  the  ideal  course  for  a  particular  student.  If  he  or  she  than  those  who  have  left  home.  You  get  to  keep  your  lives  within  a  twelve  mile  radius  of  the  UEA  they  are  friends  from  work,  school  or  college  and  add  a  load  not  guaranteed  university  accommodation.  Getting  more  from  university.   on  the  ideal  course  may  mean  living  at  home  is  the  Then  there’s  the  issue  of  independence.  One  of  only  option.   the  main  attractions  of  moving  away  for  university  is  Whatever  the  reasons  for  it,  statistics  from  the  to  escape  the  clutches  of  your  over-Âbearing  parents;Íž  Department  of  Education  and  Skills  suggest  that  being  200  miles  away  is  a  solid  excuse  for  not  being  over  a  period  of  ten  years  (1992  to  2002)  the  number  able  to  hear  your  mum  shout  ‘for  goodness’  sake,  tidy  of  people  remaining  at  home  rose  by  over  10%  to  your  room!’  Yes,  living  at  home  restricts  your  inde- around  a Â ďŹ fth  of  all  university  students.  If  so  many  pendence;Íž  you  won’t  necessarily  learn  to  cook  or  iron  people  are  now  choosing  not  to  move  away  for  uni- or  clean  for  yourself,  but  to  be  honest,  who  knows  versity,  staying  at  home  with  mum  and  dad  can’t  be  a  student  living  away  from  home  that  can  do  that?  the  end  of  the  world.  There  will  be  arguments  with  your  parents  about  So,  what  are  the  apparent  disadvantages  of  stay- bringing  people  back  to  your  house,  staying  out  late  ing  at  home?  The  main  criticism  is  that  students  will  and  missing  the  odd  lecture,  but  try  to  look  on  the  not  get  the  true  ‘university  experience’  associated  bright  side:  less  independence  means  less  responsi- with  living  in  university  accommodation.  They  miss  bility  -  as  long  as  you  pay  your  board  on  time,  you  out  on  the  immediate  bonds  created  between  house- can  leave  the  grown-Âup  stuff  to  the  grown-Âups.  Some- mates;Íž  the  friendships  that  develop  while  you  burn  times  a  few  ground  rules  are  good,  particularly  the  the  pasta  or  when  you  meet  each  other  at  four  o’clock  one  about  not  throwing  up  in  the  kitchen  after  a  night  in  the  morning  as  you  are  forced  out  of  your  room  out  that  many  students  in  university  accommodation  by  yet  another Â ďŹ re  alarm.  I  confess  my  experience  of  fail  to  abide  by.  And  remember,  the  independence  Freshers’  Week  was  one  big  disappointment,  by  the  thrust  on  you  once  you  move  away  to  university  isn’t  time  off-Âcampus  students Â ďŹ rst  set  foot  on  University  necessarily  right  for  everyone.  Staying  at  home  allows  Drive,  most  of  the  Freshers’  events  have  sold-Âout  and  you  to  gain  independence  in  stages.  Start  university,  the  aforementioned  lack  of  bonding  means  you  prob- leave  home,  leave  Norwich;Íž  it  doesn’t  all  have  to  be  ably  haven’t  got  anyone  to  go  with  anyway.  Don’t  give  done  in  a  matter  of  days. up  though,  once  lectures  begin  all  the  students  are  There  are  more  minor  disadvantages  to  living  at  back  on  an  even  playing Â ďŹ eld.  Soc-ÂMart  and  Sports- home.  It  means  you  won’t  be  able  to  wake  up Â ďŹ ve  Mart  (Wednesday  of  week  one)  give  you  the  opportu- minutes  before  a  lecture  starts  and  still  make  it  with  nity  to  sign  up  for  countless  societies  and  meet  new  30  seconds  to  spare,  which  if  you  value  your  lie-Âins  people  who  share  your  interests.  Society  socials  are  will  seem  like  the  worst  thing  imaginable.  But  one  of  legendary,  guaranteed  to Â ďŹ nd  you  new  friends  and  your  many  newly  found  on-Âcampus  friends  is  bound  keep  your  diary  full  for  as  long  as  you  want. to  offer  you  his  or  her  oor  once  in  a  while  after  a  The  key  is  being  prepared  to  put  some  effort  particularly  raucous  night  out.  You  also  miss  out  on  in.  Living  at  home  means  you  are  not  going  to  be  that  ‘new  city  to  explore’  feeling.  Although  if  you’re  presented  with  ready-Âmade  friends  in  the  form  of  anything  like  me,  the  new  students  will  be  able  to  housemates  as  soon  as  you  walk  onto  the  university  introduce  you  to  entire  areas  of  Norwich  you  never  grounds.  Some  shameless  throwing  yourself  at  peo- knew  existed.  The  opportunity  to  explore  the  LCR  and  ple  (in  the  nicest  possible  sense)  may  be  required  to  Union  Bar  may  be  enough  to  sufďŹ ce  the  need  to  seek  get  things  going.  Sitting  in  the  corner  of  your  lecture  out  new  places.  And  if  all  else  fails  you  can  always  watching  everyone  else  swap  stories  about  their  new  visit  your  friends  who  have  moved  away  from  Nor- lives  isn’t  going  to  help  you  get  the  true  ‘university  wich  and  explore  their  new  town  or  city.  experience’.  So,  what  about  the  advantages  of  living  at  home?  For  many  people,  having  a  live-Âat-Âhome  friend  is  First  and  foremost  is  the Â ďŹ nancial  beneďŹ t.   It  is  esti- actually  a  must-Âhave  accessory;Íž  they  are  the  all-Âknow- mated  that  a  student  can  save  up  to  £6000  a  year  on  ing  native  able  to  show  the  Norwich  novices  the  best  food,  rent  and  bills  by  staying  in  their  parental  home.  pubs,  clubs  and  places  to  eat.   In  fact,  living  at  home  That  £6000  can  go  towards  socialising,  visiting Â
friends  and  holidays,  or  it  can  help  put  a  very  smug  smile  on  your  face  as  you  graduate  with  a  fraction  of  the  debt  of  your  fellow  students.  In  addition  to  that,  not  moving  away  from  Nor- wich  means  not  having  to  give  up  your  Saturday  job.  Looking  for  a  new  job  is  also  easier  for  students  re- maining  at  home.  You  are  in  Norwich  long  before  term  starts,  giving  you  the  opportunity  to  apply  for  the  hundreds  of  jobs  at  ChapelďŹ eld  before  the  mad  rush  at  the  beginning  of  term.  For  some  employees,  an  on-Âcampus  address  is  a  turn-Âoff  because  it  easily  identiďŹ es  the  qual- ities  that  many  people  inaccurately  presume  students  have  –  being  lazy,  unreliable,  tardy  and  perpetu- ally  drunk  or  hung-Âover.  Living  at  home  allows  you  to  conceal  all  of  this  with  the  help  of  your  parent’s  address!  In  addition  to  the Â ďŹ nancial  ad- vantages  there  is  the  good  food,  clean  house  and  stability  that  come  with  staying  at  home.  No  ar- guments  about  who  has  eaten  the  cheese  belonging  to  the  student  in  room  9,   a  bed  that  wouldn’t  look  equally  at  home  in  a  prison  cell.  A  living  room,  the  list  is  end- less.  University  residences  are  also  known  for  being  noisy.  The  thought  of  party  goers  waking  you  up  at  4  o’clock  in  the  morning  may  sound  like  a  good  laugh  for  the Â ďŹ rst  week  or  so,  but  when  you’re  pulling  an  all-Ânighter  to  get  that  essay  on  modernist  literature  in  on  time,  the  relative  peace  of  your  parents’  house  will  seem  heaven  sent. Â
T
he  most  important  thing  for  students  who  are  living  at  home  to  re- member  is  this:  you  are  not  alone.  If  you  don’t  believe  me,  try  going  to  the  Off  Campus  Commuters  Social  Event  in  the  Hive  on  Wednesday,  October  5th.  Emma  Kelly,  the  SU  Welfare  OfďŹ cer  explains  that  “the  reason Â
for  holding  this  is  event  is  that Â ďŹ rst  year  students  living  off  campus  can  often  feel  very  isolated  in  the Â ďŹ rst  few  weeks.  Many  students  living  in  residences  will  have  formed  friendships  with  and  be  primarily  socialising  with  people  from  their  halls.  As  such  I  believe  it  is  very  important  we  hold  an  event  of  this  nature  to  allow  stu- dents  living  off  campus  to  meet  other  people  in  the  same  situation,  have  fun  and  exchange  contact  detailsâ€?.  In  previ- ous  years  this  event  has  been  an  infor- mal  meeting  arranged  by  students,  how- ever  this  year  the  Union  has  got  behind  the  group  to  help  off-Âcampus  students  feel  as  welcome  as  those  in  university  ac- commodation.  This  is  surely  a  sign  of  the  growing  popularity  of  staying  at  home.  The  university  provides  lots  more  support  for  students  struggling  to Â ďŹ t  in,  whether  on  or  off  campus.  This  Fri- day  there  will  be  ‘Don’t  Think  University  Fits’  drop-Âin  sessions  running  between  11  a.m.  and  12.30  p.m.  for  anyone  feeling  unhappy  or  disorientated  with  university  life.  Plus,  throughout  the  year  Nightline  and  the  Advice  Centre  (on  the  top  oor  of  Union  House)  are  there  for  anyone  expe- riencing  problems.  Alternatively,  Emma  Kelly  says,  “students  are  always  very  welcome  to  come  and  talk  to  the  Union  OfďŹ cers  in  Union  House.  We  are  here  to  help  and  will  always  endeavour  to  do  our  best  to  support  any  student  who  comes  to  us  with  an  issue  or  alternatively  will  always  be  happy  just  to  have  a  chat!â€? Whatever  your  reason  for  staying  at  home  for  university,  whether  it  be  lack  of  funds  or  an  overwhelming  fear  of  change,  rejoice  in  the  fact  that  you  have  that  choice.  The  University  of  East  Anglia  is  a  top  twenty  university  (top  75  in  Europe)  with  many  renowned  courses  and  one  of  the  top  events  venues  in  the  country  in  the  LCR.  Many  students  with  only  a  second-Ârate  Poly  on  their  doorstep  would  love  to  be  able  to  say  ‘I’m  staying  in  Norwich  for  university;Íž  I’m  going  to  the  UEA’. Â
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he  opening  of  the  ChapelďŹ eld  shopping  centre  brings  Norwich  a  contemporary  amalgamation  of  shops,  cafes  and  res- taurants  –  many  of  which  are  unique  to  the  region. The  enticing  new  shopping  centre,  spanning  3  oors,  boasts  more  than  80  stores  and  17  restaurants.  With  a  monumental-Âsized  House  of  Fraser  and  eight  shoe  shops  alone,  ChapelďŹ eld  promises  to  bring  Norwich  a  retail  fa- cility  that  will  take  it  on  to  a  par  with  the  other  regional  cities  in  the  UK,  such  as  Birmingham,  Manchester  and  Newcastle. ChapelďŹ eld  plays  host  to  many  well-Âknown  high- street  stores,  notably  Zara,  Mango,  French  Connection,  Warehouse,  Republic  and  (another)  H&M.  In  short,  it  provides  shoppers  with  17  women’s  fashion  stores,  10  men’s  fashion  stores, Â ďŹ ve  jewellery  shops  and  six  health  and  beauty  shops.  With  such  a  wide  range  of  stores,  the  new  shopping  centre  will  offer  choice  to  a  varied  selec- tion  of  personal  tastes  and  budgets. Alongside  the  better  known  stores,  ChapelďŹ eld  provides  Norwich  with  some  slightly  more  re-Â ďŹ ned  choices.   Hotel  Chocolat,  for  instance, Â
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can  almost  be  described  as  a  ‘chocolate  bou- tique’,  offering  a  variety  of  gifts  and  treats  and  providing  a  welcome  alternative  to  the  overly  familiar  ‘chocolate  heaven’  that  is  Thorntons.  Their  mix  of  real  dried  fruit  and  chocolate  means  that  you  can  almost  convince  yourself  that  you’re  eating  healthily  –  of  course  it  doesn’t  matter  that  your  portion  of  strawberries  are  actually  entombed  in  a  slab  of  Swiss  white  chocolate.   Surely  it  still  counts  as  one  of  your  5-Âa-Âday? ChapelďŹ eld  includes  many  of  the  fast-Âfood  res- taurants  you  would  imagine  to Â ďŹ nd  in  a  shopping  centre:  a  distinctly  more-Âretro-Âthan-Âusual  McDon- alds,  and  the  necessary  run-Âof  the  mill  KFC  and  Pizza  Hut.  There  are  also  numerous  cafĂŠs  including  Costa  Coffee,  CafĂŠ  Nero,  BB’s,  Druck- ers  and  House  of  Fraser’s  CafĂŠ  Zest.   And  for  those  with  a  more  healthy  appetite  Chapelf- ield  provides  us  with  Spud-Âu- like,  which,  put  simply,  is  a  jacket  potato  res- taurant.  On  the  other  hand,  there  will  be  a  Japa- nese-Â
style  noodle  bar  named  Wagamama  opening  in  Decem- ber  that  promises  to  provide  internationally-Ârenowned  food  for  reasonable  prices.  The  shopping  centre  will  stay  open  late  into  the  evening  providing  external  balconies  and  piazza  seating,  which  the  owners  hope  will  integrate  with  the  Forum,  Theatre  Royal  and  the  Assembly  house. It  is  perhaps  no  coincidence  that  the  opening  of  this  new  shopping  centre  neatly  coincides  with  the  start  of  the  new  term.  One  cannot  help  imagining  that  the  stores  are  waiting  for  every  shopping-Âobsessed  fresher  (or  indeed  anyone  who  hasn’t  yet  learned  that  you  actually  do  still  need  to  eat  at  the  end  of  term)  to  whip  out  their  loan  cheque  and  hand  it  to  them  for  a  new  House  of  Fraser  designer  plate. Whilst  it  unmistakably  conforms  to  the  generic  ideal  of  the  21st  century  shopping  experience,  ChapelďŹ eld  will  undoubtedly  attract  even  more  people  from  across  East  Anglia  to  the  heart  of  Norwich.  It  will  inevitably  become  one  of  the  more  popular  shopping  destinations  in  the  city;Íž  we  just  have  to  make  sure  we  don’t  forget  our  old  friend,  the  Cas- tle  Mall.  And  in  time  shoppers  will  hopefully  real- ise  that  gigantic  homogenous  stores  can  never  replace  those  dainty  independent  shops  wedged  in  the  pretty  winding  alleys  that  Norwich  is  so  re- nowned  for.   Let’s  just  hope  it  doesn’t  take  too  long  for  the  novelty  to  wear  off.
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3HOPS ON 3T 'ILES 3TREET .ORWICH No-Âone  can  deny  that  Norwich  City  Centre  is  a  busy  place.  The  shopping  precincts  are  crowded  during  most  of  the  week,  let  alone  the  prime  shopping  day  of  Saturday,  when  it  can  become  unbearable.  However,  there  is  an  argu- ment  that  stipulates  that  people  would  not  come  to  shop  if  those  shops  did  not  exist.  While  ChapelďŹ eld  will  add  more  shops  to  Norwich,  meaning  St.  Stephens  Street  should  become  less  chaotic,  it  will  also  draw  people  from  the  wider  Norfolk  area,  who  will  come  into  Norwich  as  opposed  to  using  the  shops  in  their  local  towns.  This  will  clearly  add  to  the  congestion  problem.  Nor- wich  is  sometimes  a  nightmare  for  drivers,  especially  in  the  city  centre.  With  the  inux  of  more  consumers,  this  problem  will  only  get  worse.  Although  a  1000  space  car  park  has  been  built  under  the  Centre,  this  will  surely  not  accommodate  all  those  who  wish  to  shop  there,  and  hav- ing  its  entrance  on  the  Norwich  ring  road  will  only  clog  up  the  road  itself,  a  key  artery  of  the  City’s  trafďŹ c  network.  While  the  developers  have  taken  care  to  be  friendly  to  the  environment  in  constructing  the  Centre,  the  potential  costs  in  further  congestion,  as  well  as  the  energy  needs  of  ChapelďŹ eld,  are  something  that  should  concern  us  all. This  was  a  point  hit  upon  by  Adrian  Ramsay,  Green  Party  Councillor  and  UEA  graduate,  who  could  be  found  among  the  protestors  on  the  day  of  the  opening  last  Wednesday.  Their  slogan  is  ‘ChapelďŹ eld  is  a  nail  in  the  cofďŹ n  of  a Â ďŹ ne  city’.  Ramsay  was  concerned  by  the  ex- tra  trafďŹ c  entering  the  City,  but  also  brought  to  light  the  philosophy  of  his  party  by  drawing  attention  to  the  extra  freight,  and  therefore  carbon  emissions,  that  come  with  any  such  shopping  mall.  The  shops  within  ChapelďŹ eld  are  national,  if  not  global  ventures.  They  do  not  always  stock  produce  from  the  local  community,  or  even  from  Great  Britain.  Most  comes  from  the  Far  East,  where  it  is  produced  cheaply  and  is  then  shipped  to  Norwich,  us- ing  valuable  resources  that  would  not  be  used  otherwise.  While  this  means  better  prices  for  the  consumer,  it  also  means  more  proďŹ t  for  the  shops.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  timing  of  the  cen- tre’s  opening  will  be  beneďŹ cial,  especially  with  all  the  new  students  with  loan  cheques  to  spend.  Much  of  the  docu- mentation  made  clear  that  the  centre  was  built  for  the  people  of  Norwich  as  they  really  need  another  place  to  shop,  something  the  Mayor  mentioned  when  he  ofďŹ cially  opened  the  Mall.  It  should  be  remembered  at  all  times  that  this  is  not  the  whole,  or  even  half  the  story.  Shops  such  as  The  Original  Levi’s  Store  and  House  of  Fraser,  opening  their Â ďŹ rst  outlets  in  the  City,  see  an  opportunity  -  and  that  is  to  make  money.  Part  of  the  reasoning  for  the Â
building  of  the  centre  is  that  “Norwich  has  a  catchment  area  of  around  one  million  people  with  an  anticipated  available  spend  of  £1.37  billion  by  2006â€?.  Students  obvi- ously  form  a  substantial  part  of  this,  and  are  therefore  integral  to  the  success  of  the  centre.  Developments  such  as  this  are  not  given  the  go-Âahead  unless  the  investors  can  see  a  way  of  making  their  money  back.  While  Chapelf- ield’s  owners  believe  they  are  doing  Norwich  a  favour,  as  apparently  the  residents  are  not  fashionable  enough  and  need  these  stores  to  improve  themselves,  it  is  really  they  who  are  in  need  of  us.  Just  remember  that  when  you  hand  over  your  credit  card  to  pay  for  some  jeans  in  one  of  these  shops,  a  percentage  of  that  money  will  be  going  towards  more  promotional  material,  such  as  the  man- nequins  in  the  centre  of  the  page. This  is  not  to  say  that  ChapelďŹ eld  is  a  harmful,  or  even  unnecessary  development.  While  Ramsay  claims  the  centre  will  damage  the  local  economy  by  undermin- ing  small  businesses,  it  has  lead  to  the  creation  of  800  jobs  in  the  construction  and  a  further  2000  in  retail  and  hospitality.  Many  students  will  be  among  these  workers,  and  it  is  a  valuable  opportunity  to  earn  some  much  need- ed  cash  where  there  might  not  have  been  one  before.  The  centre  will  also  add  a  degree  of  sophistication  to  Nor- wich,  bringing  restaurants  such  as  the  famed  Japanese  Wagamama  to  the  City.  It  is  certainly  a  sign  of  Norwich  ‘moving  up  in  the  world’,  further  reinforcing  it  as  the  cul- tural  and  consumer  centre  for  East  Anglia.  Obviously  many  people  are  going  to  be  using  the  new  Centre.  It  adds  a  certain  modernity  to  Norwich,  but  the  question  has  to  be  asked,  ‘Is  this  is  good  thing?’  Nor- wich  is  a  unique  city,  and  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  country.  Do  we  really  want  glass  panelled  steeples  to  join  the  his- toric  monuments  of  stone  that  make  the  Norwich  skyline  what  it  is?  Do  we  really  want  our  city  centre  to  resemble  so  many  others  across  the  country  -  the  same  shops,  the  same  restaurants,  the  same  philosophy?  As  students,  we  should  be  proud  that  we  study  in  a  city  that  is  noted  for  its  radicalism  -  the  Legalise  Cannabis  Alliance  was  actu- ally  founded  in  Norwich.  The  ChapelďŹ eld  Centre,  while  providing  many  beneďŹ ts,  will  add  to  the  mundanity  of  the  City  Centre.  It  does  not  have  the  same  personal  feel  as  walking  down  the  alleyways  that  weave  their  way  through  Norwich,  stopping  by  at  a  boutique  to  buy  a  dress  which  cannot  be  found  anywhere  else.  Instead,  people  will  be  shopping  in  the  same  stores,  buying  the  same  clothes.  It  must  be  hoped  that  enough  of  Norwich’s  small  busi- nesses  survive,  as  people  visit  the  City  for  its  charm  and  culture  -  not  a  £275  million  shopping  centre.
14 -*'&USBWFM
$PODSFUF  Wednesday  September  28  2005 0HOTO )NKERI ,OKKI
!N %XPEDITION TO %ASTERN %UROPE !LBANIA IS A COUNTRY OF AMAZING HOSPITALITY EVEN IF YOU lND YOURSELF SHARING LIVING SPACE WITH LIVESTOCK WRITES 4HOMAS -ORGAN
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n  June,  amid  all  the  recent  controversy  over  Islam’s  place  in  Europe,  I  visited  Albania,  one  of  the  continent’s  few  Muslim  majority  countries.  True,  their  national  drink  is  bran- dy  and  Tirana  beer  is  sold  in  every  kiosk,  but  that  is  mere  detail.  As  it  happens,  the  spread  of  Islam  into  Albania  came  with  the  invasion  of  the  Ottomans,  who  extracted  taxes  from  non-ÂMuslims.  Albanians  sensibly  con- verted  in  large  numbers,  although  the  country  also  has  a  sizeable  Christian  minority  and,  in  any  case,  religion  is  not  of  great  importance.  Nearly Â ďŹ fty  years  of  Stalinism  saw  to  that.  After  a  conversation  with  a  man  in  Kosovo  about  Christianity  and  Islam  I  asked  him  which  he  was,  to  which  he  replied:  “What  do  you  mean?  I  am  Albanian!â€?   Albania’s  multicoloured  history  is  noticeable  all  over  this  mountainous  country.  Firstly,  the  castles.  I  visited  Gjirokaster  castle  in  the  south  (somewhat  bizarrely  crowned  with  an  American  spy  plane  shot  down  during  the  cold  war)  and  Shkoder  in  the  north.  A  whole  chain  of  them  spanning  the  length  of  the  country  was  built  by  thier  national  hero  Skenderbeu  as  a  defence  and  communications  system.  A  bea- con  lit  at  the  top  of  one  could  be  seen  from  the  next,  which  would  light  a  beacon  for  the  next  one  down  (a  la  Lord  of  the  Rings).  This  helped  the  Albanians  to  keep  out  the  huge  Ottoman  army  for  26  years,  until  Skenderbeu’s  death  in  1468.  The  Communists  also  left  their  mark.  As  dictator  Enver  Hoxha  split  from  the  USSR,  accusing  them  of  deviating  from  Stalinism,  he Â
became  fearful  of  an  invasion.  It  has  been  calculated  that  the  steel  and  concrete  used  to  build  the  900,000  or  so  concrete  bunkers  dotted  all  over  the  country,  ostensibly  to  house  soldiers  ready  to  repel  a  Soviet  invasion,  could  have  built  a  decent  house  and  one  to  spare  for  every  family  in  Albania.  The  post-Âcom- munist  governments  have  used  what  little  money  they  have  had  on  more  important  things  than  remov- ing  the  bunkers,  so  the  vast  majority  have  remained.  Some  are  used  for  storing  hay,  some  as  pigsties  and  large  ones  are  sometimes  even  used  as  boathouses. Â
7HEN YOU ARE IN AN !LBANIAN S HOME IT IS MORE YOURS THAN HIS Most,  however,  are  simply  left  where  they  are;Íž  usually  in Â ďŹ elds,  leaving  farmers  to  work  around  them.   One  of  the  aspects  of  the  weird  and  wonderful  in  Albania  is  that  after  leaving  the  country,  you  automat- ically  look  for  some  of  its  features.  I  looked  for  bun- kers  several  days  after  leaving,  and  it  has  to  be  said  that  I  missed  them.  Another  feature  of  Albania  that  nobody  can  fail  to  miss  is  the  amazing  hospitality.  A  passage  from  the  Kanun,  the  Albanians’  code  regu- lating  behaviour,  blood  feuds  and  other  such  parts  of  everyday  life,  states  that  “the  home  is  the  domain Â
! BOY HITCHES A RIDE IN +OSOVO of  God  and  the  guest.â€?  Simply  put,  when  you  are  in  an  Albanian’s  home,  it  is  more  yours  than  his.  A  say- ing  goes  that  you  can  forgive  the  man  who  kills  your  father,  but  never  the  man  who  kills  your  guest.  The  Kanun  is  the  central  theme  in  Ismail  Kadare’s  book  Broken  April,  a  good  read  for  anyone  looking  for  an  insight  into  Albanian  mountain  culture.   While  looking  for  transport  in  Kukes,  we  came  across  a  Bujar  who  tried  to  sell  us  a  ride  to  Shkoder  with  his  uncle.  The  50€₏  asking  price  was  too  much  for  us  and  so  we  were  invited  to  his  home  instead.  The  home  was  in  a  village  outside  Kukes,  and  the  kitchen,  living  room,  bathroom  and  three  bedrooms  upstairs  were  shared  by  him,  his  parents,  and  his  four  sisters.  A  room  was  prepared  for  us  before  we  ate  a  home  grown-Âand-Âmade  dinner  to  the  sound  of  moo- ing.  That,  of  course,  was  the  cow,  which  lived  on  the  bottom  oor.
T
he  south  of  Albania,  the  “lowlandsâ€?,  are  mountainous,  and  the  north  is  even  more  so.  You  can  ride  a  ferry  from  Komani  along  the  lake  which  bears  its  name,  to  Fierza  in  the  remote  northeast, Â
'JIOKASTER 3OUTHERN !LBANIA
from  where  I  took  a  minibus  to  Gjakove  in  Kosovo,  a  beautiful  little  town  which  is  rebuilding  at  a  frighten- ing  pace  following  the  war.  The  way  that  this  place  is  rebuilding  is  representative  of  a  wider  proudness  among  Albanians  for  their  country;Íž  a  proudness  which  leads  to  people  cleaning  everything,  and  a  proudness  which  makes  it  unthinkable  for  Albanians  to  hassle  guests  in  their  country.  On  the  contrary,  we  were  often  stopped  on  the  street  simply  to  be  given  a  welcome,  or  to  be  given  some  tip  about  a  city  we  had  just  arrived  in.  And  ladies,  this  goes  for  you  too  –  my  blonde,  miniskirt-Âwearing  girlfriend  has  never  been  to  a  more  easy-Âgoing  place  for  female  travellers.  Albania  is  easy  to  get  to  –  boats  from  Bari  in  Italy  to  Durres  can  set  you  back  as  little  as  £25  and  a  ferry-Âhovercraft  combination  via  Corfu  will  land  you  in  Sarande  in  the  south  for  slightly  more.  All  that  re- mains  is  to  pay  the  10€₏  entry  fee  and  you  can  discover  one  of  the  most  unknown  and  friendliest  countries  in  Europe.
0HOTO )NKERI ,OKKI
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5NIVERSITY AND HOW TO SURVIVE IT 'OT &RESHERS &LU ALREADY (EALTH %DITOR #LAIRE !ITCHISON OFFERS SOME ADVICE FOR STAYING HEALTHY DURING YOUR l RST TERM AT 5%!
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elcome  to  UEA!  You  got  the  offer,  got  the  grades  and  here  you  are,  your Â ďŹ Â rst  year  as  a  university  student!  In  a  week  or  so  you  may  be  expected  to  actually  start  doing  some  work,  but  that  is  the  distant  future  right  now.  This  is  the  freshers’  week  you  have  heard  so  much  about,  and  since  you  are  (probably)  only  a  fresher  once  in  your  life,  you’d  better  make  the  most  of  it. Unfortunately,  one  well  known  side-Âeffect  of  fresh- ers’  week  is  freshers’    u  -  the  inevitable  outcome  of  a  combination  of  a  run-Âdown  immune  system  and  mix- ing  with  a  whole  new  set  of  people  and  their  germs.  Freshers’    u  can  seriously  impede  your  ability  to  have  fun  in  the Â ďŹ Â rst  weeks  at  university,  but  it  doesn’t  have  to  be  inevitable,  so  follow  this  simple  advice  and  you  may  be  able  to  avoid  some  of  the  worst  of  it.
ďŹ Â rst  few  days  of  term,  when  conversation  is  a  little  awkward,  you  will  probably  feel  more  comfortable  holding  a  drink,  so  try  not  to  always  make  it  an  alco- holic  one.  There  are  water  fountains  with  plastic  cups  dotted  around  the  LCR  and  The  Hive,  and  you  can  always  have  free  water  if  you  ask  at  the  bar.  Think  how  much  money  you  will  save  as  well!
Alcohol Try  not  to  drink  too  much.  I  know,  you  didn’t  come  to  university  to  be  lectured  on  alcohol,  you  had  enough  of  that  at  home.  But  it’s  easy  to  get  carried  away  in  your Â ďŹ Â rst  week.  It’s  cheaper  here  than  it’s  ever  been  and  when  you  are  stranded  200  miles  from  home  without  anyone  you  know  it  can  be  useful  to  get  rid  of  some  of  your  inhibitions.  But  over-Âindulge  and  you  jeopardise  your  chances  of  making  a  good Â ďŹ Â rst  impression  -  do  you  really  want  to  be  that  person  in  the  corner,  dron- ing  on  and  on  about  your  disastrous  relationships,  spattering  passers-Âby  with  your  vodka-Âinfused  drool?  Even  if  you  manage  to  carry  it  off  and  are  the  life  and  soul  of  the  party,  what  use  is  it  to  you  if  you  can’t  remember  the  names,  faces  or  room  numbers  of  any  of  your  new  found  friends  the  next  day? The  other  problem  is,  alcohol  will  make  you  ill.  It  dehydrates  you,  making  your  brain  shrink  and  giving  you  a  headache.  It  lowers  your  blood  sugar  making  you  feel  sick  and  shaky  and  all  the  toxins  left  behind  damage  your  body.  Alcohol  also  suppresses  your  im- mune  system,  leaving  you  open  to  all  sorts  of  nasty  bugs.  Most  of  us  can  cope  with  a  heavy  session  every  now  and  then,  but  if  you  get  hammered  every  single  day,  your  body  will  never  have  time  to  recover  and  you  will  get  very  sick.
Food Eat  some.  In  the  heady Â ďŹ Â rst  few  days,  when  body- clocks  get  thrown  out  of  the  window  and  no  parents  are  there  to  cook  for  you,  it’s  easy  to  forget  to  eat.  A  packet  of  crisps  grabbed  between  socials  may  be  the  most  you  consume  some  days,  but  it’s  impor- tant  to  keep  well-Ânourished.  You  need  to  keep  your  blood  sugar  levels  up.  You  also  need  something  in  your  stomach  to  stop  you  from  absorbing  alcohol  too  quickly  and  making  a  prat  of  yourself,  while  eve-Â
!LTHOUGH WE HOPE THAT 5%! WILL LEAVE YOU WITH MANY LASTING MEMORIES WE D RATHER THEY DIDN T INCLUDE CHLAMYDIA OR HERPES ryone  else  is  sober  enough  to  remember.  And  it’s  not  enough  just  to  live  on  Pot  Noodles  and  Mars  bars.  Your  body  needs  essential  nutrients  to  build  up  a  strong  immune  system,  especially  vitamin  C  and  zinc,  and  these  are  pretty  non-Âexistent  in  junk  food.  If  your  parents  come  and  visit,  make  them  take  you  to  the  supermarket  and  stock  up  on  things  like  orange  juice,  fruit,  veg,  breakfast  cereals,  eggs  and  milk.  These  are  all  good  immune-Âboosters  and  should  keep  you  go- ing  for  a  while.  If  you  do  run  out,  the  UFO  (Union  Food  Outlet)  does  sell  fresh  fruit  and  veg,  so  try  and  squeeze  some  of  that  into  your  busy  social  schedule  to  give  you  the  energy  to  party. Â
Water Try  to  keep  hydrated.  It  is  especially  important  to  drink  water  while  you  are  drinking  alcohol.  This  will  reduce  your  chances  of  a  severe  hangover  in  two  ways:  Firstly,  it  will  keep  you  hydrated,  replacing  the  water  you  are  losing  from  going  to  the  toilet.  Secondly,  it  will  probably  slow  you  down,  as  there  is  only  so  much  liquid  you  can  swallow  at  a  time.  In  the Â
Sleep  Get  some.  And  not  just  in  daylight  hours.  You  need  sleep  to  repair  any  damage  done  to  your  body  during  the  day,  and  I  expect  your  body  is  going  to  take  quite  a  hit  this  week.  It  is  tempting  to  party  all  night  and  sleep  all  day,  but  if  you  do  that  you  will  not  be  getting  any  sunlight  on  your  skin,  and  this  means  you  can’t  make  any  vitamin  D  which  is  also  important  for Â
a  healthy  body.  As  the  nights  draw  in  and  the  days  grow  shorter,  there  is  less  and  less  time  in  which  to  actually  see  sunshine,  so  try  to  make  sure  you  are  get- ting  outside  for  at  least  half  an  hour  a  day.
Sex Freshers  have  a  reputa- tion  for  being  an  easy  lay  and  in  many  ways  this  is  understandable.  You  are  miles  away  from  your  friends,  you  are  lonely,  desperate  for  company  and  more  often  than  not,  drunk.  The  problem  is,  freshers’  week  sex  rarely  leads  to  a  relationship.  It  usually  DOES  lead  to  a  reputation  that  is  hard  to  get  rid  of  and  intense  feelings  of  embarrassment  every  time  you  bump  into  the  person  who  has  seen  you  na- ked.  Since  campus  is  not  the  biggest  place  in  the  world,  this  can  be  al- most  daily.  Still,  if  a  reputation  is  all  you  are  left  with  you  should  probably  consid-Â
er  yourself  lucky.  If  you  are  drunk  enough  to  have  sex  with  someone  you  wouldn’t  normally  even  glance  at,  chances  are  you  may  not  think  about  protecting  your- self  either.  Although  we  hope  that  UEA  will  leave  you  with  many  lasting  memories,  we’d  rather  they  didn’t  include  chlamydia  or  herpes.  Although  abstinence  is  always  the  best  policy,  contraception  is  the  next  best,  and  the  Union  Advice  Centre  (upstairs  from  the  Hive)  provides  free  con- doms;Íž  they  are  there  for  the  taking  so  you  don’t  even  have  to  get  embarrassed  asking.  The  union  reps  also  hand  them  out  at  regu- lar  intervals  during  freshers’  week  and  even  if  you  have  absolutely  no  intention  of  having  sex,  there’s  no  harm  at  all  in  carrying  them.  If  you  have  a  condom  on  hand  you  are  much  more  likely  to  remember  to  use  it.  So  follow  this  advice  and  you  should  avoid  some  of  the  worst  aspects  of  freshers’    u  and  come  through  the Â ďŹ Â rst  few  weeks  with  your  repu- tation  (and  your  genitals)  intact.  Remember,  the  University  Health  Centre  is  there  if  you  need  it  -  now  complete  with  pharmacy.  The  Union  Welfare  OfďŹ Â cer,  Emma  Kelly,  always  has  her  door  open  for  you  if  you  are  having  any  serious  problems.  The  idea  here  is  for  you  to  have  the  time  of  your  life  as  well  as  hopefully  learning  a  thing  or  two  to  prepare  you  for  the  real  world.  The Â ďŹ Â rst  few  weeks  can  be  pretty  scary,  but  before  you  know  it  you’ll  be  at  gradu- ation,  wondering  where  the  time  went.  Try  to  make  the  most  of  it. ,OOK OUT FOR A NEW COLUMN ON YOUR HEALTH QUESTIONS COMING SOON TO WWW CONCRETE ONLINE COM
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$PODSFUF  Wednesday  September  28  2005
7HEN IS AN APPLE NOT AN APPLE 4RADERS IN ,YON THE CULINARY CAPITAL OF &RANCE TELL +ATHRYN 7EST WHY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUPERMARKET AND TRADITIONAL MARKET FOOD IS NOT SIMPLY ONE OF TASTE
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ollowing  a  French  shopper  to  the  check-Âouts,  I  had  a  look  at  what  was  in  their  trolley:  frozen  pizzas,  mi- cro-Âwave  meals,  pre-Âpacked  ham,  pre-Âwashed  lettuce.  It  was  not  that  far  from  the  contents  of  the  average  British  trolley,  and  my  food  didn’t  look  much  better.  What  happened  to  the  wonderful  French  cuisine?  My Â ďŹ Â rst  thought  was  to  get  the  hell  out  of  there.  What  was  I  doing  on  a  visit  to  Lyon  wasting  time  shopping  in  a  stuffy  super- market,  on  a  Saturday?  Giving  up,  I  abandoned  my  sweaty  satsumas,  packaged Â ďŹ Â sh  and  baguette,  and  travelled  to  the  Halle  de  Lyon,  the  city’s  main  indoor  market.  There,  I  realised  why  Lyon  was  the  country’s  culinary  capital  and  saw  that  the  French  do  take  eat- ing  good  food  seriously  –  I  found  I  had  been  missing  out.  What  a  warmer  welcome  as  I  walked  past  the  stalls  of  fresh  food  amongst  the  friendly  French.  In  France,  I  noticed,  markets  are  organized  differently. Â
0HILIPPE WAS PREPARING THE OYSTER STAND WHERE HIS WARES WERE SOLD BY THE DOZEN SHUCKED AND READY TO SLURP THAT DAY Food  vendors  are  grouped,  making  it  easier  for  shop- pers  to  sample  their  foods  and  examine  quality.  There  were  three  main  sections:  fruit  and  vegetables, Â ďŹ Â sh,  and  meat. I  approached  the  fruit  and  vegetables  stall  amazed  by  the  sight.  There  were  grapes  hanging  above  me,  peaches  sitting  cosily  in  rows  before  me  and  carrots  bunched,  fresh  from  the  ground.  Unlike  those  over-Âripe  satsumas  at  the  supermarket,  I  was  now  faced  with  a  delicately  arranged  pineapple  pyra- mid,  as  well  as  the  clean  gloss  of  aubergine  and  the  bright  trafďŹ Â c  light  coloured  peppers!  At  this  point  I  was  feeling  guilty  that  I  even  set  foot  in  a  supermarket  when  there  was  this  food  paradise  on  offer.  But Â ďŹ Â rst  I  had  to  taste  it‌
H
enri  was  the Â ďŹ Â rst  marketeer.  Each  and  every  fruit  and  vegetable  he  sold  seemed  to  carry  its  own  unique  story  of  how  it’d  arrived  freshly  to  the  mar- ket.  I  asked  him  about  the  difference  between  buying  food  from  the  supermarket  and  the  market.  Henri  said  that  “marketeers  are  very  compe- tent  in  advising  their  customers  well.  They  are  pas- sionate  about  the  food  and  their  jobs,  unlike  super- market  workers  that  only  care  about  being  paidâ€?.  I  thought  “exactly,  what  a  difference!â€?  I  had  now  seen  my  mistake  of  the  morning,  going  to  the  stressful  supermarket  and  experiencing  their  grumpy  staff.  I  would  have  been  eating  to  live,  as  they  say!  But  what  did  other  customers  think?  Ironic  as  it  may  be,  one  lady  I  questioned  replied  that  she  was  only  at  the  mar- ket  because  she  couldn’t  make  it  to  the  supermarket  the  night  before.  Usually  she  likes  to  keep  her  week- ends  free  of  food  shopping,  despite  where  it’s  done.  A  mum  of  three  explained  that  she  prefers  fresh  food  from  the  market  for  her  family,  but  reluctantly  has  to  visit  the  supermarket  during  the  week  if  she  runs  out.  An  elderly  man  added  that  his  daughter  had  dragged  him  along  to  the  market,  and  supermarkets  suit  him  and  his  wife  better:  it’s  easier  for  him  to  shop  with  a  trolley  and  convenient  to  load  the  food  straight  into  the  car.  Supermarkets  can  satisfy  some  people  then,  who  choose  quality  of  life  over  quality  of  food,  but  that’s  not  common  with  the  French.  Nobody  actually  replied  that  supermarket  food  was  cheaper  or  tastier.  Henri  continued  to  tell  me  how  the  techniques  and  good  food-Âhandling  are  often  passed  down  through  families,  as  his  stall,  Favre  et  Fills  Sarl  suggested.  But  why  is  this  important,  I  asked:  “It’s  a  case  of  selling  the  best  food  and  giving  a  good  service.  It  brings  cus-Â
tomer  faith.â€?  He  added,  “an  apple  is  an  apple,  right?  But  the  market  gives  a  different  service,  where  the  origin  of  the  food  is  not  forgottenâ€?.  How  thoughtful,  and  the  food  -  delicious!  Other  marketeers  were  even  giving  out  free  recipes,  just  for  the  asking.  This  was  the  time  to Â ďŹ Â nd  another  stall  owner,  ask  more  ques- tions,  and  get  more  facts.
P
hilippe  was  the  second  marketeer  to  en- lighten  me  further.  He  was  preparing  his  oyster  stand,  where  his  wares  are  sold  by  the  dozen,  shucked  and  ready  to  slurp  that  day.  His  stall  also  offers  mussels  and  other  kinds  of  seafood,  where  they  were  being  careful- ly  handled.  Philippe  believes  the  handling  of  the  food  is  most  signiďŹ Â cant.  “There’s  not  that  much  difference  between  the  foods.  The  difference  lies  with  the  people  who  prepare  it.â€?  Now  that  makes  sense.  That  gave  a  reason  why  there  was  a  difference  in  taste,  bringing  the  food  quality.  I  remembered  the  three  melons  I  had  bought  earlier,  seeing  that  Henri  too,  cared  so  much  for  customer  satisfaction,  like  all  the  marketeers.  He  had  even  made  stickers  saying  which  day  to  eat  them,  at  their  ripest.  Philippe  added:  “It’s  the  marketeers  that  care  for  their  foods,  making  sure  their  custom- ers  enjoy  it  at  its  best  and  as  a  result  create  a  bril- liant  reputation.  One  that  is  so  popular  that  the Â ďŹ Â nest  restaurants  in  Lyon  buy  their  food  from  this  market.â€?  Apparently,  a  celebrated  chef  and  other  local  cooks  had  bought Â ďŹ Â sh  from  him  that  morning. Â
W
hen  it  comes  to  meat,  the  French  marketeers  think  they  have  it  too.  Isabelle,  behind  her  stall  of  a  range  of  carefully  chosen  meats,  thought  it  was  quality  and  not  quantity  that  counts.  This  third  marketeer  had  concluded  that  food  from  the  market  is  better  at  all  levels,  from  handling  to  selling  to  tasting  the  difference.  Isabelle  simply  said:  “Look  around  you.â€?  The  French  love  food.  And  at  the  market  I  could  see  why.  Halle  de  Lyon  market  is  the  food  centre  of  the  city.  I  was  surrounded  by  the  untold  amounts  of  fresh  food  the  marketeers  sell  daily  to  the  hungry  locals,  and  the  thousands  of  tour- ists  that  just  come  to  enjoy  good  food.  It  seemed  I  was  now  one,  happily  enjoying  the  time  wandering,  choosing  food  and  talking  to  the  stall  owners.  The  French  certainly  do  “live  to  eatâ€?.  Some  Irish  even  add  to  this  that  the  English  “eat  to  dieâ€?‌  Well  not  if  you  happen  to  be  in  Lyon. &OR RECIPES VISIT WWW FRENCHFOOD ABOUT COM OR WWW FFCOOK COM 7ITH THANKS TO +IT 9OUNG FOR ASSISTANCE WTIH TRANSLATIONS Â
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midst  claims  that  exams  are  get- ting  easier  each  year,  George  Bush  has  successfully  qualiďŹ ed  for  a  place  at  UEA,  The  Enquirer  can  re- veal.  The  national  media  seem  in- sistent  that  A-Âlevels  have  become  a  walk  in  park,  but  a  spokesperson  here  at  the  uni- versity  was  quick  to  defend  our  enrolment  system.  â&#x20AC;&#x153;The  requirements  set  by  all  our  courses  remain  as  stringent  as  everâ&#x20AC;?,  weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve  been  told.  â&#x20AC;&#x153;We  still  believe  in  the  A-Âlevel  system,  and  only  students  of  the  up  most  intelligence  can  gain  the  grades  necessary  to  join  our  ranks.â&#x20AC;?  When  questioned  over  the  controversy  of  one  of  our  latest  freshers  the  university  was  keen  to  put  the  record  straight;Íž  â&#x20AC;&#x153;The  results  achieved  by  the  Ameri- can  President  do  not  reďŹ&#x201A;ect  a  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;lowering  of  standards  in  an  archaic  educational  structureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?  explained  the  spokesperson.  â&#x20AC;&#x153;In  fact,  it  only  goes  to  show  how  misguided  the  public  have  been  in  doubting  the  Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  academic  merit.â&#x20AC;?  According  to  statements  released  by  the  White  House,  George  Bush  had  studied  hard  over  the  last  two  years,  taking  evening  classes  in Â ďŹ ve  A-ÂLevels,  alongside   ruling  the  world.  Allegations  that  Vice  President  Dick  Cheney  helped  his  Boss  complete Â
enrolling  into  the  School  of  Environmental  Sciences  this  Monday  and  was  excited  about  all  the  course  had  to  offer.  In  an  interview  with  The  Enquirer  later  that  day,  we  asked  his  reasons  for  developing  an  ed- ucation,  after  seemingly  getting  so  far  in  life  without  one.  â&#x20AC;&#x153;We,  the  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;merican  people,  stand  united  with  the  folks  in  Eng-Âa-Âland  and  the  international  community  in  the  face  ofâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;?  the  President  replied  before  trail- ing  off.  Further  sources  have  revealed  that  he  has  al- ready  become  a  member  of  the  cheerleading  society  and  the  Ultimate  Frisbee  sports  club.  We  spoke  to  the  Professor  of  Environmental  Sci- ences  to  gain  an  insight  into  how  the  school  is  react- ing  to  its  latest  enrollee.  â&#x20AC;&#x153;We  are  delighted  to  have  the  President  join  our  course  and  we  are  sure  he  will  prove  to  be  a  valuable  student,â&#x20AC;?  the  professor  told  us.  But  concerns  have  been  expressed  over  Bushâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  response  to  some  of  the  aspects  in  the  course  guide.  The  professor  apologetically  explained  that  he  could  not  make  the  changes  to  the  lectures  on  Evolution  that  the  President  had  requested.  â&#x20AC;&#x153;Neither  will  we  be  able  to  alter  curriculum  to  teach  that  global  warming  is  punishment  from  God  in  judgment  of  our  current  abortion  lawsâ&#x20AC;?  the  Professor  explained.     Despite  the  fuss  surrounding  Bushâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  continued  aca- demic  success,  the  Department  of  Education  and Â
his  geography  course  work  have  been  ignored,  and  it  appears  that  Bush  had  simply  been  diligently  brush- ing  up  on  his  World  Capitals.  With  four  A-Âgrades  in  Economics,  Geography,  English  Literature  and  Poli- tics  and  a  B  in  Business  Studies,  George  Bush  easily  qualiďŹ ed  for  his Â ďŹ rst  choice  university,  UEA.  Student  sources  say  that  the  President  was  seen Â
Skills  has  released  a  further  statement  asserting  the  rigour  of  the  modern  A-ÂLevels.  The  Education  Secre- tary  reported,  â&#x20AC;&#x153;the  exams  remain  as  tough  as  ever,  and  we  dispute  the  claim  made  by  some  that  these  days  any  foreign  monkey  with  an  alleged  drink  prob- lem  can  make  the  grade.â&#x20AC;?
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he  appointment  of  a  56  year  old  conserva- tive  lawyer  as  a  British  magistrate  provoked  disbelief  and  astonishment  last  night.  The  man,  who  is  of  white  origin,  was  created  a  justice  of  the  peace  along  with  a  61  year  old  happily  married  father  of  two,  who,  The  Enquirer  can  reveal,  is  also  of  an  ethnic  majority.  Criticisms  have  been  raised  and  these  appointments  are  seen  by  many  to  be  part  of  the  governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  latest  tactic  to  create  a  homogenised  and  alienating  judicial  system.  A  long  serving  magistrate  by  the  name  of  Lord  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Freddyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  Lockemup,  so  nick  named  because  of  his  resemblance  to  Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  famous  spin  bowler  Ash- ley  Giles,  announced  his  surprise  in  a  press  confer- ence  last  night.  â&#x20AC;&#x153;This  has  come  as  a  great  shock  to  us  all,â&#x20AC;?  Lockemup  insisted.  â&#x20AC;&#x153;The  recruitment  of  an  aging  white  lawyer  into  our  ranks  was  completely  unforeseen.â&#x20AC;?  He  did  add  that,  in  retrospect,  know-Â
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ing  that  92%  of  British  magistrates  are  white  and  84%  are  male,  an  astute  observer  with  a  little  inside  knowledge  may  have  been  able  to  predict  such  an  outcome.  â&#x20AC;&#x153;But  never  the  lessâ&#x20AC;?  he  maintained,  â&#x20AC;&#x153;this  seems  to  have  come  completely  out  of  the  blue.â&#x20AC;? The  government  have  faced  down  accusations Â
that  the  age  and  gender  of  this  new  member  are  an  unsuitable  mix  and  that  he  will  not Â ďŹ nd  respect  amongst  his  fellows.  â&#x20AC;&#x153;He  is  bound  to  face  a  certain  amount  of  discrimination,â&#x20AC;?  admitted  the  depart- ment,  â&#x20AC;&#x153;but  we  will  do  our  best  to  ensure  that  his  ethnic  background  of  centuries  in  racial  dominence  does  not  prevent  a  successful  careerâ&#x20AC;?. Â
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18
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s the environmental and development sec- tion of Concrete, Turf has the role to report on every green or ethical issue that faces the UEA. But our role does not stop at simply raising awareness. Neither should the role of a student be one that involves reading without acting. We there- fore offer this column as a fortnightly guide to better environmental practice. We hope that regular read- ers of Turf will be encouraged to join some of the many campaigns and organisation we report on. But failing that, we should all be following these tips, whether active environmentalists or not. We’ll start on the subject of cooking. When boiling vegetables, pasta or rice on the hob... Don’t use more water than you need - you will waste heat and water. Always put the lid on - this will prevent your water from vaporising. And it will boil quicker too. Sounds simple but this has been proven to reduce the nec- essary energy by 90%! For gas hobs, adjust the flame to fit the diameter of the pan - flames going up the side is energy going to waste! For electric hobs, always try to use a pan that covers the entire ring. Microwaves need much less energy to heat food than ovens or stoves. They also heat water much faster and more efficiently than a kettle. So if you have got a microwave, maximise your savings by us- ing it as much as you can when cooking.
W
elcome freshers and home-comers alike. You will all undoubtedly be yearning to find out how to get yourself involved with environmental schemes, programmes and events both at UEA and locally and you are surely eager to raise your awareness of the issues that will count this year. So here we go… Each year the highlight of the union’s calendar is Environment Week where everyone can get involved in the various showcases and campaigns. This year it will fall on Week 8, which gives us all plenty of time to get involved. Most of the schedule has already been planned, including workshops, presentations, stalls and arts. But there is still a lot of work ahead and any new ideas are welcome. If you would like to get involved you should contact the union’s Environ- ment Officer, Jenny Gellatly, at su.environment@uea. ac.uk. We are also home to CRed, the community Car- bon Reduction Programme - a body involving indi- viduals, schools and businesses alike in meeting the 2025 targets of a 60% reduction in C02 emissions. The internationally renowned Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research is also based here at UEA and holds a lecture series on relevant and new ideas of the field. There is of course the easiest way to be environ- mentally friendly in halls, in the form of a recycling bin, so if you wont be using those packing boxes again squish them up and shove them in that bin! Make sure it is all in the bin because we promise you
4HE 5NIVERSITY OF %AST !NGLIA ,ET S KEEP IT 'REEN they won’t take it away if it’s not. This will only be the second year that the recycling scheme has been in full operation and last year was witness to a lot of teething problems. A lot of hard work and research has gone into some much needed improvements, so make sure it has a smooth run this year. The university is ever under pressure to become greener and it can be a struggle sometimes. But with the prominent and expanding ENV department on-
"LOWING IN THE WIND
And on another note... Each year, 4 million pairs of functioning glasses are discarded in the UK. Yet there are thousands of people in developing countries that are hindered by poor eyesight. Vision Aid Overseas is a charity dedicated to im- proving the vision of poorly-sighted people in over- seas countries. They help over 15,000 patients each year and have helped over 150,000 so far. You can help them by donating any old pairs of spectacles that you no longer need... Either ask your opticians if they collect glasses for the VAO, or post them to the address below;; Vision Aid Overseas 12 The Bell Centre Newton Road Manor Royal Crawley RH10 9FZ Visit www.vao.org.uk for more information. And back to energy savings... Always try to remember to switch your VCR off standby mode using the power button on the ma- chine (usually a little red light will go out to show that it is off, but the clock stays on). When buying a new VCR, try to choose one that uses the least Watts when on standby mode. This goes for all electrical appliances. It is estimated that the equivalent of two full-sized power stations is needed just to keep the nation’s sound systems on standby. Everything that can be switched off should be switched off at the plug socket. Try to avoid charging your mobile phone overnight. Most phones only require a few hours of charging time, but the adapter will continue to draw energy afterwards. Just feel how warm the adapter is in the morning. This is all waste heat and does not need to continue all night. Once again, this last tip applies to anything that needs regular charging. Adapters from laptops, iPods and digital cameras all produce heat when plugged in, regardless of whether they are actively powering their product.
board, there are many more of us this year to pile on the pressure. Follow these pages to keep up to date with all the green issues that will be springing up this year. And finally, we are encouraging any would-be environmental journalists to join the team. We are always looking for new writers, so come on up to the Concrete office or email us at conrete.turf@UEA. ac.uk.
4HE OFFSHORE WIND FARM AT 3CROBY 3ANDS
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here have been plans for the university to put its name to a wind turbine for some time now and finally a location has been decided on. CRed, the Community Carbon Reduction Programme, is the body who has been orchestrating the initiative and it is an inno- vative project which ties in with the philosophies of ever growing Environmental wing of the campus. CRed, run by the CRed team, EEDA (East of Eng- land Development Agency) and our very own School of Environmental Sciences, are dedicated to reduc- ing carbon dioxide emissions by 60% by 2025. In real terms this represents a cut from 9 tonnes per person per year, to 3 tonnes p.a. “For various reasons the three wind turbines
have been negotiated off campus now” explained Keith Tovey of CRed, “but they will have the CRed logo displayed on them”. This was partly due to com- plaints that the turbines would be too close to the public footpath that runs through the UEA campus. The location selected for them is near Thickthorn Park and Ride. There are many reasons for the move, which will take the project approximately 2 km off campus, but the overriding influence was the weath- er conditions needed for the turbines to operate to the maximum effect. Wind turbines have already made their mark in Norfolk - most prominently with the 30 turbines which are set 2.5Km offshore of Great Yarmouth at Scroby Sands offshore wind farm, which is already
reaping the rewards. Due to the con- troversy over devel- opment and position- ing of wind farms there has to be a scrutinising process that calculates the costs and benefits of the turbines. At the Scroby Sands farm an initiating factor in the selection of the site was the pres- ence of sand and clay on the seabed in the shallow waters, making it a suitable location to build the foundations. Also the relatively high wind speeds combined with low wave forces ensure the turbines’ productivity and the close proximity of the onshore grid network offers a low-cost con- nection. They have had to take into account any overriding en- vironmental sensi- tivities or conflicts, of which there were few, though it was recognised that the construction and de- commissioning schedules would need tailoring to suit the local seal and bird populations. These issues have been adressed and are continually monitored. The advantages to the environment are obvi- ous, with up to 75,000 tonnes of potentially harmful greenhouse gases prevented each year and enough ‘green’ electricity generated to power 41,000 homes. Although not set at sea the same environmental considerations will have undoubtedly been addressed for our three turbines at Thickthorn Park and Ride. The main problem to overcome is the NIMBY attitude. Despite people being pro-renewable energy and damning the nations efforts to make the transi- tion, it seems few are prepared to see it happen in their back yard.
$PODSFUF   Wednesday   September   28  2005
19
,)&% 7)4(/54 #/.#2%4%
4HE MULTISTOREY SO FAR
35--%$ 50 Percentage  of  A  level  entries  which  received  an  A-Âgrade  this  year  = Proportion  of  the  11  million  chil- dren  a  year  death  rate  in  develop- ing  countries  that  is  caused  by  diarrhoea,  (which  could  be  easily  prevented  by  basic  medication  or  even  simple  rehydration  salts)  =   Percentage  of  the  UK  who  tuned  in  to  watch  Dirty  Den  being Â ďŹ nally  killed  off  in  East  Enders  =
The  average  daily  expenditure  of  the  UK  on  arms  =   Price  of  Sir  Bob  Geldofâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  luxury  estate  on  the  Kent  coast  (adorned  with  a  public  woodland  now  made  private  by  the  help  of  a  surrounding  12  foot  barrier)  = Cost  of  feeding  25,000  AIDS  or- phaned  children  in  Malawi  for  a  year  =
a MILLION
#URRENT 0ARKING 3ITUATION AT 5%!
#ONTINUING HOPE FOR A SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE TO MULTISTOREY DEVELOP MENT ON CAMPUS
T
ransport  and  car  parking  are  highly  contentious  issues  at  UEA,  and  with  the  saga  of  the  planned  new  car  park  getting  close  to  its  climax,  now  is  a  good  time  for  students  (new  and  old)  to  take  stock  of  the  story  so  far. In  January  2004,  after  10  months  of  preparation,  the  University  applied  for  planning  permission  to  build  a  multi-Âstorey  car  park  on  top  of  the  existing  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ďŹ&#x201A;atâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  car  park  on  campus.  The  new  car  park  would  create  an  extra  802  spaces  at  an  estimated  cost  of  over  £10m,  building  was  scheduled  to  start  in  July  2004. Objections  were  raised  concerning  whether  the  university  can  afford  to  spend  10  million  pounds  in  this  way  at  all,  the  development  would  mean  the  uni- versity  forking  out  something  in  the  range  of  £1  mil- lion  interest  a  year.  There  is  no  doubt  that  some  form  of  action  needs  to  be  taken  to  combat  UEAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  current  state  of  congestion,  but  even  if  the  parking  issues  on  campus  are  being  considered  seriously  enough  that  this  kind  of  money  is  on  the  table,  a  multisto- rey  car  park  would  obviously  increase  the  number  of  cars  coming  onto  UEA  campus  and  the  roads  cannot  feasibly  support  the  trafďŹ c  that  would  be  introduced,  thereby  defeating  the  object  of  the  new  car  park.  For  a  similar  price  there  are  seemingly  endless  more  sustainable  alternatives,  including  free  unlim- ited  bus  travel  around  Norwich  for  each  of  10,000  UEA  students  for  the  next  10  years. Before  the  development  proposition,  in  the  au- tumn  term  of  2003,  car  parking  charges  and  restric- tions  imposed  under  the  Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  new  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Travel  Planâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  (a  series  of  initiatives  aimed  at  reducing  car  use  on  campus  by  promoting  alternatives  such  as  walk- ing,  cycling,  car  sharing  etc.)  were  having  a  notable  effect  on  the  numbers  of  cars  coming  onto  campus. The  Travel  Plan,  a  serious  commitment  by  the  University  to  sustainable  transport,  was  in-Âkeeping  with  the  prestigious  reputation  of  UEAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  School  of  Environmental  Sciences,  and  also  wholly  necessary Â
given  the  planned  expansion  of  the  University  (new  buildings  and  more  students)  and  trends  in  car  us- age.  Yet  despite  the  early  successes  of  the  Travel  Plan  (a  500  space  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;overspillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  car  park  was  not  once  used  af- ter  the  Planâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  introduction),  the  new  car  park  project  continued  and  planning  permission  was  sought. The  University  knew  the  project  would  be  con- troversial  but  refrained  from  publicly  announcing  the  plans  to  the  University  community  until  after  plan- ning  permission  had  been  granted.  The  only  mention  before  then  was  in  March  2004â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  campus  magazine  Broadview  (as  the  planning  application  was  being  considered):  of  a  four-Âpage  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;building  at  UEAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  supple- ment  the  car  park  plans  were  accorded  just  26  words,  stating  that  the  University  was  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;looking  into  the  pos- sibility  of  adding  extra  decks  to  the  car  parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. With  planning  permission  granted,  the  plans  were  put  on  public  display  in  the  square  and  this  prompted  a  group  of  staff  and  students  to  form  the  University  pressure  group  STAG  (Sustainable  Trans- port  Action  Group),  then  acting  primarily  to  oppose  construction  of  a  new  car  park  on  grounds  of  cost,  increased  congestion  to  the  local  area  and  the  suit- ability  of  the  UEA  campus  for  more  sustainable  alter- native  transport  solutions.
&OR A SIMILAR PRICE THERE ARE SEEMINGLY ENDLESS MORE SUSTAIN ABLE ALTERNATIVES
T
hrough  the  autumn  2004  term  STAG  cre- ated  local  and  national  media  attention  on  the  car  park  issue  (including  coverage  in  Concrete,  The  Guardian  and  on  BBC  local  news)  and  lobbied  the  University  as  its  major  decision  making  bodies  ratiďŹ ed  the  car  park  plans  â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Â ďŹ rst  the  PRC  (Planning  and  Resources  Com- mittee)  in  November  and  then  University  Council  in  December.  The  project  has  been  delayed  but  building  is  scheduled  to  start  in  Summer  2007. STAG  have  continued  to  oppose  the  new  car  park,  holding  an  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Open  Meetingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  in  January  2005  to  discuss  realistic  alternatives  to  a  multi-Âstorey  car  park  with  lo- cal  businesses  and  council  authorities.  Out  of  this  a  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Working  Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  focused  on  sustainable  transport  for  the  whole  South  West  Norwich  area  has  been  born.
The  University  has  begun  to  show  a  new  and  signiďŹ cant  commitment  to  consultation  on  campus  environmental  and  transport  issues  with  the  forma- tion  of  a  new  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Environmental  Working  Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  and  a  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Transport  Working  Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  â&#x20AC;&#x201C;  the  latter  of  which  includes  staff  and  Student  Union  representatives.  Unfortunately  the  car  park  plans  remain  outside  the  remit  of  both  of  these  groups  since  the  project  began  before  they  were  formed. The  next  signiďŹ cant  event  in  the  car  park  saga  will  be  the  forthcoming  publication  of  the  results  of  a  travel  survey  undertaken  in  April  this  year.  If  these  show  that  the  Travel  Plan  is  still  effectively  reducing  car  use  on  campus,  or  that  attitudes  towards  car  use  are  changing  in  favour  of  more  sustainable  alterna- tives,  then  the  case  for  the  abandonment  of  the  mul- tistorey  car  park  project  will  be  that  bit  stronger. -  This  article  was  largely  adapted  from  a  detailed  account  and  chronology  of  the  car  park  project  (writ- ten  using  documents  obtained  through  the  Freedom  of  Information  act.  To  get  involved  in  the  opposition  to  the  carpark  contact  STAG  through  jack.guest@uea. ac.uk  or  su.environment@uea.ac.uk  for  more  infor- mation.
Number  of  cars  on  worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roads  = Number  of  people  working  for  less  than  US$  1  a  day Tonnes  of  carbon  dioxide  emmi- sions  that  would  be  saved  by  2010  if  the  G8  Gleneagles  Plan  of  Ac- tion  on  Climate  Change  was  im- plemented  fully  (a  saving  approxi- mately  equivalent  to  the  emissions  of  the  UK)  =
MILLION
20 $0..&/5
$PODSFUF  Wednesday  September  28  2005
4RANQUILITY IS JUST A STEP AWAY )N A TIME OF CONSIDERABLE RELIGIOUS TENSION WHICH THREATENS TO DESTROY OUR WONDERFUL MULTI ETHNIC SOCIETY 0RIYA 3HAH ARGUES THAT RATHER THAN FOLLOWING A PARTICULAR FAITH WE SHOULD MERELY HAVE FAITH IN OURSELVES BY ADHERING TO THE CONCEPT OF SPIRITUALITY In  light  of  the  recent  events  and  world  atrocities  we  often  hear  the  contrast  between  the  words  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;religionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  and  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;spiritualityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.  Many  people  will  tell  you  in  todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  modern  world  that  they  have  no  interest  in  religion  and  it  really  is  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the  opium  of  the  massesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  as  Marx  pro- fessed.  However,  there  are  a  percentage  of  students  who  appear  to  be  showing  an  increasing  interest  in  spirituality.  For  many  people  spirituality  is  troublesome.  They  donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t  know  what  to  believe  in  because  there  are  so  many  different  beliefs.  They  donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t  know  what  religion  is  best  because  there  are  so  many  to  choose  from.  And  many  people  who  want  to  turn  their  lives  around  struggle  with  spiritual  concepts  because  they  have  an  aversion  to  religion. Religion  is  also  a  misunderstood  concept,  which  can  lead  to  conďŹ&#x201A;ict  between  various  sects.  Take  Northern  Ireland  as  an  example  â&#x20AC;&#x201C;  a  country  divided  between  Catholics  and  Protestants.  The  Middle  East  is  another  prime  example  of  divisions  within  a  region,  in  this  case  between  Jews  and  Muslims;Íž  the  latter  also  having  differences  between  themselves,  such  as  the  Sunni  and  Shia  clash  in  Iraq.  Why  donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t  we  just  look  even  closer  to  home  and  realise  that  Europe  itself  has  been  plagued  with  religious  partitions  and  animosity  for  much  of  its  history.  Is  it  really  any  wonder  that  spirituality  is  on  the  up?  Perhaps,  people  have  just  woken  up  to  this  realisation. Nevertheless,  do  not  mistake  me  as  a  preacher  nor  an  ambassador  for  oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  true  path  in  life. An  argument  I  hear  frequently  is  that  religion  itself  is  a  state  of  false  consciousness.  If  I  am  hon- est  the  controversy  of  this  topic  fascinates  me,  as  the  power  of  reasoning  is  lost  within  the  realms  of  this  subject  matter.  One  can  talk  till  the  cows  come  home  about  theology,  higher  beings,  a  purpose  in  life,  nir- vana,  and  reincarnation  to  still  discover  that  logic  has  no  bearing  on  this  argument.  The  fact  that  many  peo- ple  across  the  globe  forsake  their  own  lives  because  a  book,  a  Priest,  or  a  Rabbi  tells  them  to  is  rather  hard  to  comprehend.  The  divisions  it  causes  means  people  cannot  identify  with  each  other  as  they  should  be  able  to  -  simply  as  human  beings.  Spirituality  can  solve  this  problem.  Spirituality  comes  in  many  forms.  And  although  it  has  individual  meanings  to  each  person,  a  deďŹ ni- tion  of  it  can  be  deďŹ ned  as  â&#x20AC;&#x153;spirituality  celebrates  life,  religion  celebrates  life  after  death.â&#x20AC;?  Monotheistic  religions  are  essentially  organised  systems  of  faith  and  worship.  They  are  founded  upon  the  idea  that  there  is  only  one  god.  It  is  common  for  believers  to  also  think  that  this  god  created  all  of  reality  and  is  totally  self-ÂsufďŹ cient,  without  any  dependency  upon  any  other  being.  This  is  what  we Â ďŹ nd  in  the  largest  monotheistic  religious  systems  which  are  Christian- ity,  Judaism,  Islam  and  Sikhism.  However,  Buddhism  promotes  the  consensus  that  living  your  life  to  the  fullest  in  the  present  is  the  ideal  way  to  reach  inner  peace  and  contentment.  Thus,  we  should  remember  that  even  by  practising  religion,  it  will  not  grant  a  pass  to  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;heavenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  nor  any  other  afterlife  there  may  be.  To  be  spiritual  is  to  make  the  best  of  your  own  life,  by  your  own  means  as  this  leads  to  true  happiness,  or  to  put Â
#AN SHOOT TO KILL EVER BE JUSTIlED ,OUIS (OLDING 0ARSONS QUESTIONS THE LEGITIMACY OF POLICE PROCEDURE IN THE WAKE OF THE DEATH OF *EAN #HARLES DE -ENEZES
it  another  way,  inner  peace.  People  are  religious  be- cause  they  want  answers  to  the  questions  that  plague  their  mind.  Being  spiritual  means  these  questions  are  merely  part  of  the  wonderful  thing  that  is...  life. I  once  got  into  a  heated  debate  and  proclaimed  that  a  personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  religion  is  down  to  what  family  they  are  born  into  â&#x20AC;&#x201C;or  as  I  recall  saying  at  the  time,  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;an  accident  of  birthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.  If  one  is  born  into  a  Jewish  family  and  raised  with  those  traditions  it  is  a  safe  assump- tion  that  they  in  turn  will  be  Jewish.  Even  if  by  chance  they  become  disenchanted  with  their  original  birth  religion,  they  will  not  actively  change  it,  thus  remain- ing  Jewish.  If  we  look  at  the  root  base  for  the  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;popularâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  re- ligions  the  ideology  remains  the  same.   Some  parts  of  the  Old  Testament  cover  Christianity,  Judaism  and  Islam  and  in  world  mythologies  the  idealisms,  mor- als  and  themes  are  all  intertwined:  for  example,  all  religions  make  it  wrong  to  commit  murder.  Thus,  re- ligions  are  not  as  far  apart  as  people  think.  Spiritual- ity  can  also  include  certain  mantras  from  the  other  world  religions,  but  it  is  the  reason  for  it  that  differs.  Christianity,  for  example,  makes  murder  a  sin  worthy  of  eternal  damnation  â&#x20AC;&#x201C;  therefore  you  will  not  mur- der  someone  because  you  do  not  want  to  go  to  hell.  Spirituality  would  also  say  that  murder  is  wrong,  but  because  the  act  will  haunt  you  as  a  person  for  the  rest  of  your  life.  The  reason  why  spirituality  is  appealing  in  such  a  progressive  age  is  because  it  is  now  fashionable  to  be  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;spiritualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.  We  live  in  a  world  where  people  are  free  to  make  up  their  own  minds  and  discover  their  own  paths.  People  do  not  have  so  much  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;blind  faithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  where  everything  they  are  told  is  believable.  Free  will  is  emerging  and  now  threatens  entire  belief  systems.  In  reality  we  are  the  only  animals  capable  of  understand- ing  ourselves.  We  are  the  only  ones  who  can  contem- plate  our  own  mortality.  For  that  reason,  centuries  ago,  people  needed  to  comfort  themselves  about  the  fact  that,  like  it  or  not,  they  were  going  to  die.  It  does  not Â ďŹ t  well  into  our  human  psyche  that  once  we  die,  we  cease  to  exist.  Apparently  we  are  so  vastly  impor- tant  that  we,  as  opposed  to  other  animals,  deserve  to  live  forever  in  a  state  of  unrequited  happiness.  So  re- ligion  was  invented.  The  ancient  pagans  established  various  gods  that  were  in  charge  of  different  aspects  of  their  lives,  including  the  one  after  we  die.  They  in- vented  worship.  The  world  has  changed  considerably  since  then,  so  why  do  we Â ďŹ nd  ourselves  worshipping  a  God  who  speaks  to  us  from  thousands  of  years  ago  through  the  medium  of  a  book?  This  is  the  century  of  the  individually  spiritual  be- ing,  which  undoubtedly  could  be  leading  into  a  spir- itually  based  society.  The  simple  fact  of  the  matter  is  that  each  individual  has  some  form  of  spirituality,  and  we  would  do  well  to  exploit  it.  To  maintain  peace  in  oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  own  life  is  the  only  weapon  we  have  against  those  people  who  use  religion  to  hurt  others  and  fur- ther  their  own  agendas.  These  people,  Bush,  Blair,  Bin  Laden,  could  do  with  becoming  more  spiritual  â&#x20AC;&#x201C;  there  is  no  hell  waiting  to  receive  them,  so  the  only  way  they  can  absolve  themselves  of  their  sins  is  to  stop  committing  them.
The  death  of  an  innocent  Brazilian  man  at  Stockwell  station  this  summer  shed  light  on  the  policy  of  the  police  when  dealing  with  potential  suicide  bombers.  Are  we  now  all  potential  victims  of  this  apparent  safe- guard  of  our  security? Before  I  develop  my  argument  I  must  detail  some  facts  about  my  position  on  this  subject.  I  am  for  armed  police  as  they  are  now  -  in  which  the  police  have  a  limited  number  of  armed  ofďŹ cers  -  but  I  am  against  arming  all  ofďŹ cers.  I  am  against  the  stand- ard  Metropolitan  Police  procedure  of  automatically  suspending  ofďŹ cers  who  have  discharged  their  weap- ons  while  on  patrol  until  an  investigation  by  the  In- dependent  Police  Complaints  Commission  has  been  completed.  I  believe  they  should  only  be  suspended  if  they  are  proven  by  the  subsequent  investigation  to  have  acted  unlawfully.  They  would  not  be  suspended  unless  they  were  found  to  be  in  breach  of  the  rules  of  engagement  based  on  guidelines  from  the  Associa- tion  of  Chief  Police  OfďŹ cers.  These  state  that  â&#x20AC;&#x153;they Â
may  shoot  a  suspect  only  if  they  fear  for  their  life  or  someone  elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  is  threatened  by  an  armed  individu- alâ&#x20AC;?. Despite  my  support  of  the  use  of  armed  police,  I  believe  SO19,  the  department  that  provides Â ďŹ rearms- related  support  to  the  Metropolitan  Police,  has  to  change  the  way  it  operates.  Shoot-Âto-Âkill  is  a  viable  option  for  dealing  with  the  threat  we  face  today,  yet  the  Metropolitan  Police  had  been  applying  a  shoot- to-Âkill  policy  long  before  the  7th  July  2005  attacks  in  London.  In  the  past  few  years  SO19  ofďŹ cers  have  dis- charged  their  weapons  in  a  lethal  manner  on  several  occasions. These  include  the  case  of  Harry  Stanley,  who  was  shot  dead  because  police  believed  that  the  table  leg  he  was  carrying  in  a  plastic  bag  was  a  gun,  James  Ash- ley,  who  was  shot  dead  while  naked  in  bed,  and  Derek  Bennett,  who  was  shot  dead  after  he  was  seen  bran- dishing  a  cigarette  lighter  shaped  like  a  gun. The  problem  is  that  less  lethal  options  such  as Â
taser  guns  and  plastic  bullets  are  useless  against  someone  brandishing  an  AK47  or  any  such  high  pow- er  riďŹ&#x201A;e  -  as  happened  in  Hungerford  in  1987.  Therefore Â ďŹ rearms  are  a  must,  but  how  they  are  used  needs  to  be  addressed.  On  too  many  occasions,  ofďŹ cers  have  used  lethal  force  where  incapacitation  could  have  been  better.  All  the  cases  above  are  an  example  of  an  innocent  person  being  killed.  In  a  re- cently  leaked  report,  which  stated  that  Jean  Charles  de  Menezes  was  under  restraint  at  the  time  of  his  death  is  true  this  would  make  his  death  murder. There  is  a  very Â ďŹ ne  line  between  danger  and  life- threatening  danger,  and  I  believe  that  lethal  shoot- ings  are  rarely  justiďŹ ed.  Lessons  must  be  learnt  from  the  events  of  this  summer. We  are  under  threat  from  suicide  bombers,  but  does  it  mean  that  every  time  we  walk  down  the  street,  we  might  have  to  dodge  bullets  because  our  police  force  thinks  itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  wiser  to  shoot Â ďŹ rst  and  ask  questions  later? Â
-&55&34 &%*503*"-
$PODSFUF  Wednesday  September  28  2005
! .%7 9%!2 &/2 #/.#2%4% 7ELCOME TO 5%! S STUDENT NEWSPAPER This  yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  Freshersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  Handbook  introduces  the  subject  of  essays  with  a  brilliant  quote  from  the  late  Douglas  Adams:  â&#x20AC;&#x153;I  love  deadlines.  I  like  the  whooshing  sound  they  make  as  they  ďŹ&#x201A;y  by.â&#x20AC;?  Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  a  feeling  that  is  all  too  familiar  in  the  Concrete  ofďŹ ce  every  other  Sunday,  as  print  deadlines  loom  and  pages  remain  stubbornly  unďŹ nished.  The  paper  you  are  holding  is  put  together  once  a  fortnight  by  a  team  of  up  to  twenty  editors,  with  written  contributions  from  dozens  of  members  of  the  Concrete  society  and  assistance  from  numerous  photographers,  copy  editors  and  proof-Âreaders.  All  of  them,  with  the  exception  of  the  Editor  and  Advertising  Manager,  work  on  a  voluntary  basis,  giving  up  their  time  for  free  to  write  articles  and  lay  out  pages.  It  is  a  credit  to  their  enthusiasm  that  we  are  consistently  one  of  the  biggest  societies  at  UEA,  and  can  hope  to  recruit  many  more  new  members  at  this  weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  SocMart.  Most  are  attracted  by  the  chance  to  write  for  an  established  publication,  many  more  by  the  ever-Âalluring  possibility  of  freebies,  and  some  just  by  the  thrill  of  seeing  their  own  name  in  print.  As  those  who  spent  last  weekend  preparing  the Â ďŹ rst  issue  will  doubtless  attest,  it  is  a  thrill  that  doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t  diminish  over  time.  Every  struggle  with  a  misplaced  adverb  or  attempt  to  conjure  up  the  perfect  headline  is  worth  the  satisfaction  of  pressing  print  after  a  long  afternoon  and  seeing  a  completed  page  slide  effortlessly  out  of  the  printer.  Most  of  our  members  have  never  been  involved  in  journalism  before,  and  Concrete  pro- vides  them  with  the  opportunity  -  in  between  socials  -  to  produce  a  paper  to  the  highest  pos- sible  professional  level.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  we  use  industry-Âstandard  software  -  our  ofďŹ ce  is  equipped  with  the  same  programmes  as  many  national  newspapers  -  to  put  the  newspaper  together.  We  aim  to  give  all  members  of  the  society  the  chance  to  work  with  these  programmes,  and  to  experience  in  a  relaxed  and  small-Âscale  environment  what  a  future  career  in  journalism  might  entail.  Our  editorial  line,  though  overseen  by  the  Editor,  is  determined  by  our  members.  We  abide  by  the  Constitution  set  by  the  Union  of  UEA  Students  for  all  its  communications,  and,  like  any  other  newspaper,  by  the  national  Press  Complaints  Commission  guidelines.  Concrete  does  not  presuppose  to  represent  your  views  -  that  is  a  matter  for  the  democratic  procedures  of  the  Union  -  but  we  aim  to  reďŹ&#x201A;ect  them  as  accurately  as  possible.  This  is  why  we  need  your  support:  if  you  hear  of  something  you  think  we  should  be  writing  about,  or  believe  we  have  overlooked  an  important  issue,  contact  us  on  the  address  at  the  right  hand  side  of  this  page  or  come  up  to  the  ofďŹ ce  to  speak  to  a  member  of  the  society.  The  letters  page  is  the  place  where  your  views  can  be  heard. So  if  you  have  enjoyed  reading  the  paper  (and  youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve  made  it  to  page  21,  which  can  only  be  a  good  sign)  join  us  at  SocMart  on  Wednesday  28th  September,  or  come  up  to  the  ofďŹ ce  in  Union  House  to  speak  to  a  member  of  the  team.  Without  you  this  page,  and  all  the  rest  of  them,  would  be  empty.
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%DITOR CONCRETE EDITOR UEA AC UK 3ARAH %DWARDES $EPUTY %DITOR
Dear  Concrete,
CONCRETE EDITORIAL UEA AC UK *AMES #ONWAY
This  lunchtime,  as  I  often  do,  I  went  down  to  the  main  stu- dent  eatery  on  campus,  Zest,  to  have  a  hot  meal.  Imagine  my  shock  to  be  told,  while  I  queued  for  my  Mexican  Bean  Chili,  that  staff  and  students  â&#x20AC;&#x201C;  in  fact,  anyone  who  is  not  a  paying  Conference  delegate  at  the  conferences  that  are  taking  place  here  this  summer  â&#x20AC;&#x201C;  are  barred  from  dining  at  Zest  until  the  start  of  next  term! The  sign  that  the  servers  directed  my  attention  to  said  that  this  was  being  done  â&#x20AC;&#x153;for  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  both  conference-Âattenders  and  staff/students.â&#x20AC;?  What  deceptive  tosh.  It  is  only  the  staff  and  students  who  are  being  barred!  We  are  being  discomforted,  for  others  con- venience. So  it  has Â ďŹ nally  come  to  this:  University  staff  and  students  are  displaced  to  make  way  for  higher-Âpaying  customers  from  outside. Have  we  so  totally  forgotten  the  mission  of  a  University?  Evidently,  Universities  â&#x20AC;&#x201C;  or  at  least,  this  one  -Â-  are  now  sufďŹ ciently  desperate  for  cash  that  they  will  literally  sell  out  their  own  members,  to  make  a  quick  buck  from  cash- paying  visitors. Of  course,  being  staff  I  could  have  gone  upstairs  to  â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Vistaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.  But  I  am  also  a  vegetarian,  and  Zest  has  by  far  the  best  hot  vegetarian  food  on  campus  (admittedly,  thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  not  saying  much).  And  me  going  upstairs  still  wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t  have  helped  our  students,  excluded  from  the  main  campus  eatery  for  two  whole  months  of  the  summer. So  I  decided  to  write  this  letter  instead.  And  I  will  conclude  it  by  drawing  out  the  following  implication  from  my  sad  story:  it  is  time  to  end  the  monopoly  of  the  contracted- out  catering  service  company  which  alone  is  permitted  to  sell  hot  food  at  UEA.  If  we  are  to  have  private  enterprise  /competition  on  campus  at  all,  then  let  the  Student  Union  do  what  it  has  wanted  to  do  for  years:  open  a  proper  can- teen  on  campus.  If  the  existing  catering  services  canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Â ďŹ nd  a  way  of  serving  us  and  conference  visitors  at  the  same  time,  then  let  the  students  themselves  have  a  go. That  way,  perhaps  next  summer  we  members  of  the  Uni- versity,  staff  and  (especially)  students,  will  no  longer  be  barred  from  our  main  hot-Âfood  eateries! Dr.  Rupert  Read, Senior  Lecturer  in  Philosophy Â
Congratulations  to  Robert  Castell,  who  has  been  nominated  for  Best  Travel  Writer  at  this  yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  Guardian  Student  Media  Awards.  The  competition,  which  takes  place  every  year,  recog- nises  outstanding  young  journalists  from  universities  across  the  country.  In  1995,  Concrete  won  Student  Newspaper  of  the  Year,  and  last  year  The  Event  received  a  nomination  for  Best  Maga- zine.  We  wish  Robert  luck  when  the  awards  are  announced  at  a  ceremony  in  November.
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$PODSFUF Wednesday September 28 2005
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So Lance Armstrong has, for the second time, become involved in allegations that he has failed a drugs test - this time for the far more serious drug EPO. All the other greats of cycling are defending him, which is not surprising for the “closed” world of cycling, where everyone is “clean” and “racing fairly” despite occasional evidence to the contrary. Jacques Anquetil, one of the illustrious five cyclists who has won five Tour de France or more, once said of doping in the sport: “What do expect? Do you really think we do the Tour on mineral water?” Anyone who has read It’s Not About the Bike cannot cease to admire Armstrong for his mental strength, but then again his aggression in beating cancer was there before he got the disease (he was known in the “peloton” and as a cyclist with an aggres- sive nature). Despite this, he is undoubtedly tougher than most people, and his “never quit” attitude has certainly rubbed off on to many other mortals. On the other hand, when I started to hear rumours that he wasn’t being straight, I did not believe them: he was tough, he was Armstrong, he was above doping, he was too good. Was I being naïve? France has been the biggest critic of Armstrong when it comes to doping, partly because he thrashes everyone come July, taking the spectacle out of their great race. For me, it became difficult to believe that
Armstrong is clean after reading LA CONFIDENTIAL: The Secrets of Lance Armstrong. Although the book is based on circumstantial evidence, it argues that Armstrong is not as clean as he claims he is. This book has not made it onto British shelves, partly be- cause no publisher wants to get sued (as the French publisher was). On this occasion, it seems that Armstrong is not going to sue. I would like to believe that it is because he knows that, for once, “they” (everyone and any- one who is against him, and we are led to believe by Armstrong that there is a conspiracy against him, es- pecially in parts of the French press) have got factual evidence. This evidence is unfortunately not safe from doubt, because only the B sample has been tested. Normally the A sample is tested and if it comes up positive, the B sample is tested to make sure of the result. Back in 1999 (on which the tests of this lat- est allegation are based) there was no test for EPO, so when Armstrong’s A samples were tested nothing came up. The nature of the test means they are vir- tually useless afterwards, and are consequently de- stroyed. Following standard procedure, the B sample was kept in frozen storage and this is what the French sport newspaper L’equipe based its allegation on. The anti-doping world needs to start making great strides if it wants to catch the numerous dop- ing cheats. Perhaps now, with the Armstrong myth in danger of being broken, people will be more open to the suggestion that many top athletes are getting illegal help.
Ê iÜÊë ÀÌ }ÊÞi>ÀÊ>ÌÊ1 SPORTS ASSOCIATION
So a new academic year starts again, with many sport fans and UEA athletes hoping for glory. Many clubs will be looking forward to the new season, some to consolidate after promotion;; others to go straight back up after relegation. Many returning sporty students will be interested to see the increase in price to join sport clubs. What might appear to be an increase in the insurance fee from last year is in fact not insurance related but a result of the Union budget not being able to cope with funding so many clubs (of which there are far more than in the past). This is a shortfall that has to be made up somewhere. Sport clubs have a responsibility in this. In par- ticular, the Union Bar needs to be used more often as their commercial services help to fund your clubs. Many will say that socials in town are better, but there’s nothing wrong with beginning your social in the Union bar and then moving on - after all, this money will be re-invested for our own enjoyment.
THE STATE OF SPORT
Over 30 Snooker tables Pool tables American style tables £250 jackpot machines Hot & cold food available Open 24 hours a day 7 days a week Licensed bar at low prices with usual opening hours
Eagle eyed readers will notice that there’s noth- ing in these pages about the Ashes - mostly because everything worth saying has already been said. Nevertheless, with the exception of the Ashes the last couple of weeks have not been good for British sport. First we get England’s footballers failing to turn up for internationals, whether friendlies or competi- tive, then we get a report detailing what many fans have suggested for some time that Sport England is a mess. To cap it all off, Britain’s national swimming performance director, Bill Sweetenham, has been ac- cused of bullying. Now, most of what we know about these alle- gations has been relayed to us by the press and by disgrunted former British swimmers. Sweetenham has often been accused of being extremely tough, but then when you are an international class athlete, you shoud not expect life to be easy. I, for one, support Sweetenham. This is not based on any personal expe-
rience but on the fact that he has often put his finger on many of the problems, that I, another foreigner (I am half-French) could not believe I was seeing in the British approach to sport. Having swum at a nation- al level of competition, I have always been amazed at what I saw as a lack of ambition in many other swimmers going to galas. Now I’m not saying that we should expect our swimmers to win every medal, but at least we can expect them to work hard, as any coach who is easy on you is not worth his salt. In previous olympics, some swimmers appeared to go along for the ride, their aim being primarily to get into the Olympics squad. For me an excellent ex- ample of the attitude to take is that of the Triathlete Marc Jenkins, who, despite having his bike broken (when in a great position to win a medal) by no fault of his own, continued and finished the race knowing that he had lost all chance of success, and was going to come in last.
THE MIKE COVELL MATCH
Finally, the Fifth Mike Covell Match is worthy of everyone’s attention, although at the time of writing this column the match had just taken place. Unfortu- nately the printing hour was looming large enought to stop a match report being included in this issue. Despite this I can tell you that the old boys beat their younger rivals (the UEA 1st XI) by six goals to two. The match was played in a friendly atmosphere but (England footballers take note!) at a high tempo with plenty of competitive spirit as well, which made it an enjoyment to watch, even for the non-hockey fol- lower. A full match report will be included in the next issue of Concrete. The UEA ladies old girls beat the UEA ladies “fit young ones” 1st XI 1-0. At the same time, please don’t forget the reason for this match: firstly in memory of Mike Covell, but also to raise awareness about me- ningetis. If you would like to know more, give a dona- tion or help in any way please contact Johnny downer on rudeboyjohnnyd33@hotmail.com. ,OUIS (OLDING 0ARSONS
ÀÜ V Ê ÌÞ ÊÕ«`>ÌiÊ ÊÌ iÊ > >À iýÊv ÀÌÕ ià "Y ,/5)3 (/,$).' 0!23/.3 30/243 %$)4/2 After having been so close, Norwich were actually far away from staying in the premiership last year, courtesy of a 6-0 thrashing by Fulham.This year Nor- wich were expected to be among the front runners to regain promotion, but exactly the opposite has happened, with Norwich stuck in the wrong part of the table. Many may point to the fact that Norwich managed to get promoted last time round by com- ing to the top of the championship around Christmas time and then through a spending spree in the Janu- ary confirmed there chances of promotion. Despite this, the season so far does not bode well on current form. Norwich are scoring goals but not enough, de- spite having past consistent goalscorers at this level in Darren Huckerby and Dean Ashton, with latter giv-
ing a boost to the club by committing himself to the club in signing a new contract. On the other hand, last season’s non-existent defending has not disap- peared. In Robert Green, Norwich have not only one of the better English goalies in the country, but also in the championship, his prowess having saved Nor- wich on numerous occasions. It’s ahead of him that seems to be problem. Defending has always been a problem, with a strong commanding defender a must for some time. Although it is too early to say, Calum Davenport seems to be exactly what Norwich need and when used he has been producing, or stopping the opposition strikers from producing the goods. Another successful signing is Andy Hughes who has more than filled the void left by Damian Francis, but one position which does not seem to have been ad- dressed, is the an out-and-out holding midfielder, especially as Nigel Worthington has favoured a dia- mond midfield in recent games.
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$PODSFUF Wednesday September 28 2005
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! MINUTE S SILENCE IS OBSERVED IN MEMORY OF -IKE #OVELL AT THE START OF THE 5%! V /LD "OYS 5%! ST 8) MATCH "Y *OHNNY $OWNER &ORMER 4EAMATE In September 1997 a posse of freshers joined the University of East Anglia Men’s Hockey Club, gaining places in both the First and Second XI’s. They were Mike Covell, John Downer, Simon Har- rington, Rob Kay, Neil Sheridan, Stuart Wright, Giles Manger, Andy Burnette, Glen ‘Twitch’ Richard- son, and Patrick Gill. Mike played in both the First and Second XI, commanding both defences with his northern tones. He was without any doubt the focus of social events, forging a reputation as the life and soul of the party. On Tuesday 2 December 1997,
Mike Covell contracted meningo- coccal septicaemia. He was dis- covered to be ill by team mates at approximately 8pm that evening. By midnight his heart had been injected with adrenalin. What should have been Mike’s first annual Christmas Ball was held on the Thursday night, with prayers for his recovery. Mike, however, remained in intensive care at the old N&N hospital. Sad- ly, on Sunday 7 December 1997 he lost his battle and passed away with his family at his side. At the Annual UEA Hockey Awards Dinner, in March 1998, A Mike Covell Award was founded, to be given to the fresher (male or female) who contributes most to the Hockey Club. The first re-
ceiver of the Award was Simon Harrington, Mike’s best friend at University. The Mike Covell Award continues to be presented. Six of the remaining seven team mates graduated in 2000, whilst I myself continued at UEA until 2002. Many of Mike’s origi- nal team mates had long since left UEA and with myself as a link be- tween the past and present hockey club members it was decided that Mike’s memory and spirit should not be forgotten. So in September 2001, following the trials in Fresh- ers Week, a combination of Mike’s original team mates from 1997 reunited at UEA as the Mike Cov- ell XI to commemorate his death. They did so by playing the current First XI. The prize for victory was
Concrete Prize Crossword #68 ACROSS
DOWN
1. A Norwich Street - Mad Mule? (12) 6. To gain money through hard work rather than student grant (4) 7. Famous local resort, Great ___ (8) 9. UEA’s cheepest accommoda- tion (7) 10. Fairly traded fruit from the UFO (5) 11. Our very own county (7) 15. The best pub in norwich (as judged by CAMRA), large feline (6) 16. Found at the centre of Norwich having recently under- gone refurbishment (7) 18. Row of stores along one of the Golden Triangle roads (7,5)
1. The water that flows through Norwich (11) 2. _____ _ Wales road, leading down to Norwich station (5,2) 3. The duration of a lecture (4) 4. Confectionary item, band on Campus along with all other Nestle products (4) 5. Norwich city football club (11) 8. ____ Munch, fast food resturant near the Norwich nightclubs (4) 12. Norwich venue playing jazz and funk and serving the gay clubbers on Thursdays and Saturdays (4) 13. What your feet get on the floor of the LCR (5) 14. A game of football, tennis or squash down at the sports centre (5) 17. To move quickly around the cam- pus (3)
the Mike Covell Shield. With vic- tory to the Old Boys in 2001, came defeat in 2002, but a win on pen- alty strokes in the third year and a solid win in the fourth year, 2004. This year, on Sunday 25 Septem- ber 2005, the Mike Covell XI will take on the current UEA First XI to retain the trophy for the third year running. While the hockey matches have undoubtedly been a success there is a serious aspect to why the Mike Covell XI return every September. In 2001, we success- fully raised over £950, in 2002 over £500, in 2003 over £1,300 and in 2004 a staggering £1,800 for the Meningitis Trust, as a re- sult of some gentle persuasion in the bar the night before (as well
as some other slightly innova- tive tactics!). This fund-raising was combined with distributing leaflets and giving information to new fresher students and old ones alike about this potentially fatal virus. These efforts had been off our own backs, and after last year we felt that we weren’t really mak- ing the most of this opportunity. Increasingly we were being asked questions from some genuinely interested students about menin- gitis for which we did not have the answers. Therefore, the Mike Covell XI has formed an informal commit- tee to improve organisation and to attach a bit more thought to both publicity and awareness this year.
We have secured backing from the University to compliment their Meningitis Awareness Campaign and from the Students Union to raise funds for the Meningitis Trust and distribute information. Remembering Mike’s vibrant spirit and fund raising for menin- gitis is now rooted firmly in UEA Hockey Club tradition, something that we all hope will continue in years to come. This year we aim to set in place the infrastructure, the commitment and the coverage for raising awareness of meningitis each September, as new members join the Club, and whilst the old team mates continue to celebrate Mike Covell’s life and remember the influence he had on all of us who knew him.
Set by Franky Frankenson Sponsored by the "WFOVF #PPLTIPQ
21 Avenue Road, Norwich 01603 768720 Open 9-5 Monday to Saturday 4PMVUJPO UP DSPTTXPSE XJMM CF QVCMJTIFE JO *TTVF There’s a £10 book voucher, courtesy of the Avenue Bookshop, up for grabs. To be in with a chance of winning, bring this voucher and your completed crossword to the Concrete office by Friday 7th October. Name: ........................................................................... Contact: ...........................................................................