Concrete - Issue 183

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6ICTORY FOR ,ACROSSE

The Event

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#YCLING TOWARDS THE FUTURE .EWS PAGE

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA

Issue 183

November 23rd 2005

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#HARLES #LARKE JOINS THE DEBATE WITH 5%! STUDENTS "Y !.$9 *5$3/. .%73 #/22%30/.$%.4

On Friday 19th November the UEA Debating Society hosted a debate attended by the Home Secretary and Norwich South MP Charles Clarke. The debate was to discuss if democracy was on its back in Britain and Clarke made up the opposing side.

He was assisted by Owen Bryant whilst the rival team consisted of DebateSoc mem-­ bers Jack Guest and Jess Du-­ rant. The event occurred in a packed Nelson Common Room A where members from De-­ bateSoc were joined by many other interested students, as well as outside groups who wanted to grill Mr Clarke. There was an atmosphere of anti-­ Clarke vibes at the event.

The debate itself was well fought with both sides pro-­ ducing an entertaining and in-­ formative debate. Owen made a good decision to let Clarke do most of the talking for his side because it was obvious that it was Clarke people were here to see. Meanwhile, Jack and Jess performed very well against their professional opponent and went on to win the debate by producing a compelling list of democratic discrepancies in this country that have yet to be addressed, including the First Past the Post voting system

that largely favours Labour.

The debate remained peace-­ ful as members of the audience restrained themselves from at-­ tacking Clarke both physically or verbally and waited patiently for the opportunity to ask him questions later. However, there was a petition that worked its way through the crowd by the UEA Lib Dem Soc for the No2ID campaign. The ques-­ tions themselves were almost all directed towards Mr Clarke as the event provided a rare op-­ portunity to hold our MP and Minister to account.

Mr Clarke was made to ac-­ count for his record on demo-­ cratic reform and though he de-­ fended it well, there appeared to be discrepancies between what he said and the way he acted in Parliament. Members of LabourSoc were present to defend their champion whilst Lib Dems attacked his poor record on manifesto pledges.

Mr Clarke left the debate in a hurry, persued by Liberty members, whilst the UEA Lib Dems handed out more anti-­ID card leaflets. Although Clarke failed to satisfy many of the queries of those present, his presence was still appreciated as he gave a rare opportunity to witness a skilled debater in action. DebateSoc should also be recognised, not only for get-­ ting Clarke to visit but also for producing a fair and engaging debate.

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 On  Wednesday  16th  Novem-­ ber  members  of  the  Make  Poverty  History  Society  braved  the  cold  to  demonstrate  the  problems  faced  by  developing  countries  through  a  football  match  which  could  be  de-­ scribed  as  more  than  a  little  unfair.  The  two  teams  consisted  of  the  G8  representatives,  played  by  the  UEA  football  team,  against,  as  the  title  sug-­ gests,  the  rest  of  the  world, Â

played  by  members  of  the  MPH  society.  The  rest  of  the  world  faced  handicaps  including  chained  feet,  upper  bodies  wrapped  in  bin  bags  and  having  to  aim  up  the  Square  steps  into  a  goal  less  than  half  the  size  of  the  other  teams.  Predictably  the  result  was  G8 Â ďŹ fteen,  rest  of  the  world  zero.  The  aim  of  the  match  was  to  demonstrate  the  unfair-­ ness  of  policy  and  trade  rules  which  affect  many  less  devel-­ oped  countries  with  weaker  economies.  The  MPH  society  aims  to Â

draw  attention  to  the  Wold  Trade  Organisation  ministerial  meeting  taking  place  on  13th-­ 18th  December  in  Hong  Kong,  where  they  believe  world  lead-­ ers  will  have  the  power  to  re-­ dress  the  balance  in  terms  of  trade  rules.  The  WTO  is  an  organisa-­ tion  that  campaigns  for  free  trade  and  aims  to  place  re-­ strictions  on  big  business;Íž  it  believes  that  this  is  the  best  way  to  achieve  development.  The  MPH  campaign  feels  that  free  trade  can  be  detrimental  to  countries  that  are  in  differ-­ ent  stages  of  development  and Â

believes  it  can  result  in  exploi-­ tation  and  the  holding-­back  of  developing  nations.  The  Make  Poverty  History  campaign  is  felt  to  have  been  a  great  triumph  so  far,  and  although  the  result  from  the  G8  summit  in  Gleneagles  was  not  exactly  what  campaigners  were  hoping  for  it  is  deemed  to  be  a  great  success.  An  extra  fourteen  billion  dollars  of  aid  each  year  phased  over  the  next Â ďŹ ve  years,  alongside  eighteen  countries  having  their  debts  to  multilateral  organisations  cancelled  is  a  positive  result  for  the  campaign. Â

.ATIONAL SPERM SHORTAGE AS STUDENTS OPT OUT OF DONATION .EW LAW PUTS BIGGEST CONTRIBUTORS OFF DONATING "Y *%33 2/").3/. .%73 #/22%30/.$%.4

A  recent  study  has  revealed  a  sharp  drop  in  the  number  of  students  volunteering  as  sperm  donors.  Students  were  one  of  the  largest  contribut-­ ing  bodies  to  sperm  donation,  leaving  the  country  with  a  criti-­ cal  shortage  of  participants.  The  decline  appears  to  be  linked  to  a  law  enforced  in  March  which  removed  the  donor’s  right  to  anonymity.  The  change  in  law  means  that  children  conceived  using  do-­ nor  sperm  or  eggs  can  identify  and  trace  their  biological  par-­ ents  when  they  turn  eighteen,  in  a  similar  way  to  adopted Â

children.  Donors  will  not  be  able  to  trace  children  and  the  chil-­ dren  are  unable  to  obtain  any Â ďŹ nancial  or  legal  claim,  but  they  can  arrive  on  your  door-­ step  eighteen  years  after  do-­ nation.  Students  appear  to  have  been  scared  off  by  the  new  law  because  of  fears  of  a  child  entering  their  lives  long  after  donation.  Magazine  Hu-­ man  Reproduction  published  a  report  revealing  that  the  number  of  donor  applicants  to  one  donation  centre  dropped  to  25  in  2003  from  175  in  1994,  with  the  main  fall  since  2000  when  legal  changes  were  be-­ ing  planned.  The  Newcastle  Fertility  Centre  found  that  from  1994-­2003  nearly  ninety Â

percent  of  donor  volunteers  were  under  36  years  of  age  and  more  than  half  were  students  without  partners.  Since  the  introduction  of  the  new  law  there  has  been  a  substantial  fall  in  the  number  of  students  applying  to  do-­ nate.  The  new  law  has  caused  a  shift  in  the  donor  proďŹ le  to  older  men,  already  in  a  stable  relationship.  Evidence  from  Sweden,  which  removed  ano-­ nymity  rights  before  the  UK,  also  showed  young  students  no  longer  donating.  In  some  countries  there  has  been  a  drop  in  sperm  donation  by  up  to  85%.  Even  before  the  anonymity  ban,  Britain  was  in  short  supply.  Dr  Allan  Pacey,  head  of  andrology  at  ShefďŹ eld Â

Teaching  Hospital  and  spokes-­ man  for  the  British  Infertility  Society,  said  last  year:  “Every-­ one  is  already  screaming  that  they  can’t  get  enough  sperm.â€?  Plans  to  increase  payment  to  encourage  more  donors  has  not  made  any  signiďŹ cant  dif-­ ference  and  if,  as  predicted  by  Dr  Sudipta  Paul,  lead  author  of  the  Newcastle  study,  the  quality  of  UK  semen  generally  is  set  to  fall  then  Britain  may  turn  to  overseas  supplies  for  its  needs.  Cryos  International,  the  world’s  largest  sperm  bank,  expects  sales  to  the  UK  to  “in-­ crease  dramaticallyâ€?  and  has  donors  prepared  ready  to  take  advantage  of  the  UK’s  short-­ age.

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$PODSFUF  Wednesday  November  23  2005

3TANDARDISATION OF DEADLINES CAUSES MORE CONFUSION 3TUDENTS BLAME LACK OF COMMUNICATION FOR FEARS OF COURSEWORK PENALISATION "Y *!#15) "52'/9.% .%73 #/22%30/.$%.4

Students  are  confused  as  to  what  Common  Course  Struc-­ ture  has  done  to  deadlines  and  penalisation  policies  across  faculties  at  UEA,  and  may  risk  losing  coursemarks  as  a  result.   Common  Course  Structure  came  into  effect  this  academic  year.  However,  few  students  know  exactly  what  the  new  regulations  are.   Efforts  have  been  made  to  inform  the  student  body.   Geoff  Moore,  Director  of  Un-­ dergraduate  Studies,  said:  “All  students  who  were  affected  by  the  regulation  changes  got  a  letter  in  June  2004  saying  precisely  what  the  changes  would  mean  for  their  degree.â€?  He  explained  that  the  student  handbooks  given  to Â ďŹ rst  years  also  contained  the  up-­to-­date  guidelines.   However,  students  already  at  UEA  do  not  receive  these  handbooks  and  since  the  let-­

ters  in  June  2004,  little  has  been  done  besides  updating  the  Learning,  Teaching  and  Quality  (LTQ)  website.   Many  students  feel  the  website  is  not  very  easy  to  use.   The  URL  provided  in  the  2004  letter  does  not  have  a  direct  link  to  pages  that  students  would  use  and  is  simply  a  gen-­ eral  one  to  the  LTQ  site.  Susie  Cummings,  HIS3  said:  “The  website  was  really  confusing  to  navigate  and  I  don’t  have  time  to  try  to  understand  the  complicated  language  the  in-­ formation  was  presented  in.â€?    In  terms  of  coursework  deadlines  and  penalisa-­ tion,  regulations  have  been  standardised  across  UEA.  All  coursework  is  now  due  on  Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednesday  or  Thursday  at  3pm.   Work  to  be  handed  in  must  be  time  and  date-­stamped  with  receipts  for  submission.   Penalisation  for  late  work  is  now Â ďŹ ve  marks  removed  for  work  submitted  on  the  due  date  but  after  3pm  and  before  5pm;Íž  ten  marks  removed  for Â

work  submitted  up  to  5pm  on  the  day  following  the  due  date;͞  twenty  marks  taken  off  for  work  handed  in  on  the  2nd  or  3rd  day  after  the  due  date  up  to  5pm;͞  and  if  work  is  handed  in  on  the  fourth  day  after  the  due  date  or  later  it  will  receive  no  marks.  These  regulations  apply  to  all  undergraduates.

Students  are  generally  aware  that  changes  have  taken  place,  although  there  is  con-­ fusion  over  the  exact  details  of  the  new  procedures.  Ruth  Crawshaw,  PHI3  said:  “Stu-­ dents  in  my  department  are  pretty  confused  about  dead-­ lines.  We  don’t  particularly  talk  about  the  other  changes  so  I  don’t  know  how  many  people  are  aware  of  them.â€?    Uncertainty  has  been  worsened  by  mixed  messages  from  staff.  There  have  also  been  problems  in  the  imple-­ mentation  of  the  new  rules.   Eddie  Shields,  BIO3,  said  that  there  is  no  date  stamp  in  BIO  so  students  have  to  write  the  time  and  date  on  their  work.   Nick  Smith,  CMP3,  said: Â

3TUDENT ARE CONFUSED ABOUT COURSEWORK DEADLINES AND NEW PENALISATIONS “What  we’ve  found  confus-­ ing  is  that  the  administration  of  our  department  has  been  rearranged  and  at  the  begin-­ ning  of  the  term  nobody  knew  what  ofďŹ ces  to  go  to  -­  many  still  don’t.â€?

Dan  Pearson,  Student  Un-­ ion  Academic  OfďŹ cer,  admit-­ ted:  “I  think  communication  [on  the  part  of  the  Univer-­ sity]  broke  down  in  some  re-­ spects.â€?   He  said  that  this  has  been  noted  and  that  plans  are Â

underway  to  help  better  pub-­ licise  the  changes,  including  publishing  the  information  in  Rabbit  and  on  the  Union  web  site.  Pearson  added:  “I  would  suggest  reissuing  the  Student  Guidebooks  to  second,  third  and  fourth-­years.�  He  also  said  the  possibility  of  future  changes  to  the  rules  might  make  this  idea  problematic.    Geoff  Moore  said:  “I  don’t  believe  there  is  anything  fur-­

ther  planned  by  UEA  staff  to  publicise  changes,  although  there  are  going  to  be  efforts  made  through  the  Union.   However,  if  there  is  uncer-­ tainty  about  what  regulations  apply  or  how  to  interpret  them  then  the  Academic  Division  of  the  University  will  respond  in  whatever  way  seems  most  useful.�    ,41 WEBSITE WWW UEA AC UK LTQ

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5

3TUDENTS RALLY AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE AS 5%! HOSTS ITS @'O 'REEN %NVIRONMENT 7EEK .53 DAY OF ACTION COINCIDES WITH 5%! S CAMPAIGN FOR STUDENTS TO @GO GREEN "Y )3!"%, $93/. .%73 %$)4/2

The National Union of Stu-­ dents UK (NUS) held a rally to highlight the devastating impacts that climate change would have on everyday life with a co-­ordinated day of ac-­ tion.

On Thursday 17th Novem-­ ber universities and colleges across the country held special events to draw attention to the effects and causes of climate change and emphasise the need for urgent action.

Cambridge University Students’ Union held a panel debate on climate change and its potential impacts on our health, education and the glo-­ bal economy.

As a ‘warm-­up’ to the main debate, students ignored the

freezing autumn climate and opted for beachware to dem-­ onstrate outside King’s Col-­ lege. Attired in shirtsleeves and sunglasses, the unlikely band of beachgoers held up placards spelling out the prob-­ lem, backed up by an accom-­ panying steel band.

UEA held a debate entitled “Can Politicans Save the En-­ vironment?” and talks by the author Paul Mobbs on trans-­ forming Western approaches to energy.

The NUS day of action is supported by the Campaign Against Climate Change and Friends of the Earth. All three organisations are also call-­ ing students to take part in the national Climate March in London on Saturday 3rd De-­ cember.

NUS Environmental Cam-­ paign officer Flick Cox said: “Climate change is the most

important issue our genera-­ tion will face. Our day of ac-­ tion aims to engage students in the campaign against en-­ vironmental damage and en-­ courage them to take part in the national demonstration next month.”

Phil Thornhill, of the Cam-­ paign Against Climate Change, said: “This decade could be the last one in which humanity still has the time to prevent the catastrophic destabilisation of global climate. So it’s great to see students -­ who would see more of the fall-­out from un-­ checked climate change than most of us -­ staging this Day of Action in support of what will be Britain’s biggest-­ever demonstration on climate change.”

Tony Juniper, Director of Friends of the Earth, said: “Tony Blair has said climate change is the world’s great-­

#AMPUS 4RADER SELLS STUDENTS GOODS

We see them everyday and they’re literally everywhere.

Posters, hundreds of the tacky things advertising everything from hoovers to mopeds, clut-­ tering every inch of concrete wall I’ve grown to love. I don’t blame these people for trying to sell their junk, I have loads of thing I don’t need anymore and could definitely do with the spare cash, so why don’t we all follow the trend and post our junk around campus?

Well, lets just say the thought of posting hundreds of fly-­

ers just to sell a DVD when I could be in bed, or lectures, isn’t exactly appealing. Then I suppose there’s eBay, but with the selling fees, commis-­ sion, postage, and the added risk of fraudulent buyers and sellers, I’m still unsure how to sell anything around campus.

Well it seems my ques-­ tion has been answered and finally UEA have an online market place where we can advertise our junk for FREE. Patrick Robb is a 2nd year Law student and has started

www.CAMPUSTRADER.co.uk.

A completely free service where you can advertise any-­ thing from student accom-­ modation to concert tickets.

Here’s what he had to say about the site: “Well the idea is that any student with something to sell can register in under a minute and be listing their item, with a photo in just as quick. Instead of sending items by post, you would arrange to meet the buyer on campus or around Uni and exchange safely.”

est environmental challenge, but his Government is simply not doing enough about it.

Emissions of carbon dioxide, the main gas causing climate change, continue to rise in the UK. We hope students will join the Climate March on 3rd December to show they feel strongly about the need for urgent action on climate change.”

The campaign is con-­ cerned with the amount of electricity universities use and how measures can be taken to improve energy consumption.

In the 1960s there were sixteen climate-­related natural disas-­ ters. In the 1990s there were seventy. 1998 was the warmest recorded year and the top ten warmest years ever recorded have all occurred since 1981.

Universities and colleges generally have one bill and the

vice-­chancellor has the power to choose which company to use. ‘Green electricity’ is now very widely available. It is elec-­ tricity that is generated in a sustainable way, from wind, hydropower, tidal and wave power or agricultural waste.

Three British universities have switched to green and this week has seen campaign-­ ing on the UEA campus to ‘go green’.

Environment and Devel-­ opment organisations from across the UK visited UEA to give a series of workshops and lectures. Added to bicy-­ cle-­powered smoothie mak-­ ers, electric cars and scooters, cycling promotions, and a day to turn off all lights and TVs, UEA got stuck in to promote an environmentally friendly campus.

The Environment week aimed to raise awareness

amongst UEA students and give information as to what can be done to help the mil-­ lions across the globe would who suffer from the effects.

Events throughout the week, including talks from Friends of the Earth, Cam-­ paign Against Climate Change and People and Planet, led up to Energy Action Day on Friday when CRed asked students to turn off all electrical applianc-­ es that weren’t being used so they could record how much energy was saved.

Leeds Metropolitan Uni-­ versity is one of the few univer-­ sities that has turned to green elctricty, and it reports that the costs are no greater than their previous ‘brown’ elec-­ tricty bills. This suggests that it would be possible for more universities to change energy suppliers without excessive expense alterations.

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.OMINATIONS FOR 3PORTS /FlCER ANNOUNCED /N -ONDAY AND 4HURSDAY OF 7EEK AN ELECTION WILL TAKE PLACE TO DETERMINE THE IDENTITY OF THE NEW 3PORTS /FlCER !LL 5%! STUDENTS ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE AND THE WINNING CANDIDATE WILL TAKE ON THE ROLE OF LIAISING BETWEEN THE 3PORTS #LUBS AND THE 5NION S %XECUTIVE #OMMITTEE &OR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT $AN 0EARSON ON SU ACADEMIC UEA AC UK

7HY SHOULD WE VOTE Union  elections  such  as  the  vote  to  choose  a  new  Sports  OfďŹ cer  are  an  opportunity  for  all  students  to  take  part  in  the  democratic  procedures  of  the  Union.  The  current  chairman  of  Union  Council,  Leigh  Bis-­ set,  explains  why  he  believes  these  events  are  vital  for  the  continued  effectiveness  of  the  Council. “The  UEA  Union  Council  is  an  ideal  opportunity  to  ensure  that  the  students  on  campus  have  the  representation  they  deserve.  However,  it  seems  extraordinary  that  the  Coun-­ cil  has  been  forced  to  have  a  mandatory  attendance  from  all  Clubs  and  Societies  in  or-­

der  to  retain  a  credible  attend-­ ance  at  meetings  because  the  Council  felt  that  fairness  and  true  representation  was  not  being  achieved.  The  most  powerful  body  in  the  Students’  Union  wasn’t  working  as  effectively  as  it  should  be.  A  number  of  stu-­ dents  seem  to  have  the  wrong  perception  of  Union  Council.  As  one  vocal  commentator  claimed:  ‘It  is  like  turkeys  vot-­ ing  for  Christmas’.  The  decisions  made  by  Council  will  affect  students,  and  the  issues  that  aren’t  dis-­ cussed  because  the  democrat-­ ic  structure  is  not  being  made  to  work  hard  enough  can  be  brought  up.  Areas  which  re-­

quire  further  policy  making  and  campaigning  include  childcare  services,  welfare  support  serv-­ ices,  campaigning  against  discrimination  and  for  greater  access  to  all  students.  The  beneďŹ ts  to  council  members  are  positive  CV  ma-­ terial  and  the  opportunity  to  gain  an  insight  to  the  work-­ ings  of  the  Students’  Union  and  a  possible  political  career.  Most  importantly  it  allows  the  chance  to  make  changes  that  will  actually  beneďŹ t  students  at  UEA.â€?  For  further  information  please  email  the  Academic  OfďŹ cer  or  send  a  message  to: leighbissett@gmail.com

Resident  Tutors Applications  are  now  invited  from  highly  motivated,  enthusiastic  and  suitably  experienced  full-­time  students  and  members  of  staff  for  ap-­ pointment  as  Resident  Tutor  for  the  academic  year  2006-­07.  Students  spending  next  year  abroad  should  also  apply  now  for  appointment  in  September  2007.

'EORGE 0ERRY Hey  my  name’s  George  Perry;͞  I  am  a  third  year  politics  stu-­ dent  and  an  active  member  of  the  University  Hockey  Club.  As  a  keen  cricketer  I  captained  both  my  school  and  local  side.  I  am  a  lifelong  Norwich  City  season  ticket  holder  and  a  member  of  Nottinghamshire  County  Cricket  Club,  simply,  I  Love  sport!!!

Why  should  you  vote  for  me?  I  want  UEA  to  be  one  of  the  countries Â ďŹ nest  sports  universities,  as  sports  ofďŹ cer Â

I  will: *  Encourage  the  formation  of  new  sports  clubs.  *  Commit  to  continue  and  im-­ prove  Ziggurat. *  Push  existing  clubs  to  at-­ tract  new  members  and  make  them  feel  welcome  regardless  of  ability. *  Push  the  university  and  clubs  to  improve  the  standard  of  their  sides  through  implanta-­ tion  of  effective  training,  help  them  gain  access  to  qualiďŹ ed  coaches  and  aid  them  in  gain-­

ing  the  resources  they  need  to  succeed. *  Liaise  between  the  univer-­ sity  and  clubs  to  build  rela-­ tionships,  understanding  and  generally  improve  the  levels  of  communication. *  Act  as  YOUR  representative  on  all  university  committees  that  I  am  member  of. *  Organise  Sports  Mart  2,  aid  the Â ďŹ nance  ofďŹ cer,  and  train  sports  club  ofďŹ cials.

Any  Questions?  george.perry@uea.ac.uk

Resident  Tutors  welcome  students  when  they Â ď€ ďŹ rst  move  into  residences,  provide  information  and  support  to  help  them  manage  the  transition  to  uni-­ versity  life  and,  throughout  the  year,  are  available  to  deal  with  issues  of  wel-­  fare  and  good  order.   By  using  their  mediation  and  problem-­solving  skills,  Resident  Tutors  help  maintain  a  balance  between  the  interests  of  individu-­ als  and  the  community  in  residences.

*OE 4HOMSON

Successful  applicants  will  have  excellent  all-­round  people  skills,  be  non-­ judgmental,  able  to  empathise  with  the  academic  problems  commonly  ex-­ perienced  by  students,  have  good  written  and  spoken  English,  good  time  management  skills,  the  ability  to  follow  clearly  deď€ ďŹ ned  procedures,  exibility  and  a  willingness  to  work  unsocial  hours.

This  appointment  will  be  subject  to  a  criminal  record  check  from  the  Crimi-­ nal  Records  Bureau.

Further  particulars  are  available  from  the  Dean  of  Students’  Ofď€ ďŹ ce  Recep-­ tion  or  from  www.uea.ac.uk/dos/intranet/welcome.html  (click  on  to  Resi-­ My  name  is  Joe  Thomson;Íž  I  feel  would  be  important  when  would  like  to  establish  a  new  dences).

I’m  running  for  sports  ofďŹ cer  trying  to  co-­ordinate  thoughts  Sports  Club.

There  are  2  closing  dates  for  applications:  Friday  16th  December  2005  (ap-­ plicants  will  be  invited  for  interview  or  informed  that  their  application  is  un-­ successful  by  10  February  2006)  and  Friday  27th  January  2006  (applicants  will  be  invited  for  interview  or  informed  that  their  application  is  unsuccessful  by  17  March  2006).

There  is  also  a  vacancy  in  the  Village  for  immediate  appointment.   Please  indicate  in  your  application  whether  you  also  wish  to  be  con-­ sidered  for  this  vacancy.

in  the  union  by-­election.  Why  vote  for  me?   I  am  committed  to  ensur-­ ing  that  everybody  can  get  the  best  out  of  the  facilities  we  have  here  at  UEA,  doing  the  sports  which  they  most  enjoy,  whether  they  be  competitive  or  just  want  to  play  for  fun.  I  am  an  approachable  guy  who  enjoys  interacting  and  talking  with  new  people,  which Â

and  opinions  between  Sports  clubs  and  the  Union  Execu-­ tive.   If  elected  I  will  take  an  active  role  on  the  Universities  committees,  ensuring  that  the  student  voice  is  heard.

A  strength  of  being  a Â ďŹ rst  year  is  that  I  would  be  able  to  devote  more  of  my  time  to  the  position,  being  more  available  to  talk  with  Union  members  who  have  queries,  or  who Â

If  elected  I  would  inquire  into  the  feasibility  for  ‘tast-­ er  periods’  within  different  sports  clubs  to  take  place.  This  is  aimed  at  giving  union  members,  who  are  unsure  to  which  sports  they  may  enjoy,  the  chance  to  do  so  before  committing  fully.   Any  Questions?  j.thomson@uea.ac.uk

/&84

$PODSFUF  Wednesday  November  23  2005

7

3TUDENTS GO TO THE VOTE OVER .ESTLĂ? BOYCOTT ! POLICY BALLOT WILL BE HELD IN WEEK TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE 5NION CONTINUES TO BOYCOTT PRODUCTS MADE BY THE COMPANY .ESTLĂ‘ )N CHARGE OF THE 9%3 TO THE BOYCOTT CAMPAIGN IS !NDY (IGSON SU COMMS UEA AC UK AND RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ./ TO THE BOYCOTT CAMPAIGN IS 3TEVE 7ILLIAMS STEVEN WILLIAMS UEA AC UK &OR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT SU ACADEMIC UEA AC UK

9ES TO THE BOYCOTT NestlÊ  is  the  largest  single  source  of  violations  of  the  World  Health  Organisation’s  (WHO)  International  Code  of  Marketing  of  Breastmilk  Sub-­ stitutes  and  subsequent,  rel-­ evant  World  Health  Assembly  Resolutions.  NestlÊ  continues  to  violate  WHO  codes  and  is  at  the  forefront  of  trying  to  prevent  their  implementation  by  governments  and  other  bodies.

NestlÊ  is  the  target  of  a  boycott  in  at  least  20  coun-­ tries  because  it  aggressively  markets  baby  foods,  break-­ ing  World  Health  Assembly  marketing  requirements  and  contributing  to  the  death  and  suffering  of  infants  around  the  world.  We  simply  ask  that  NestlÊ  abide  by  the  Interna-­ tional  Code  of  Marketing  of  Breastmilk  Substitutes.  They  refuse  to  do  so.

The  case  against  NestlÊ  is  based  on  rock-­solid  docu-­ mentary  evidence.  NestlÊ  has  been  successfully  convicted  in  legal  actions  for  baby  food  marketing  malpractice.  When  NestlÊ  claimed  in  an  anti-­boy-­

cott  advertisement  to  market  infant  formula  ‘ethically  and  responsibly’,  Baby  Milk  Action  complained  to  the  Advertis-­ ing  Standards  Authority  and  all  of  the  complaints  against  NestlÊ’s  claims  were  upheld.

The  water  mixed  with  baby  milk  powder  can  be  unsafe  and  it  is  often  impossible  in  poor  conditions  to  keep  bottles  and  teats  sterile.  Bottle  feeding  un-­ der  such  circumstances  can  lead  to  infections  causing  diar-­ rhoea,  the  biggest  killer  of  chil-­ dren  worldwide.  Where  water  is  unsafe,  UNICEF  says  that  babies  are  25  times  more  likely  to  die  if  they  are  bottle  fed.

A  mother  has  a  right  to  independent  information  and  freedom  from  pressure  from  companies.  If  she  chooses  to  bottle  feed  she  should  be  aware  of  the  risks  and  costs.  To  increase  proďŹ Â ts,  baby  milk  companies  have  to  persuade  health  workers  and  mothers  to  bottle  feed.  Their  tactics  range  from  advertising  and  misinfor-­ mation  to  sending  sales  reps  into  hospitals  to  promote  their  milks  to  sponsoring  health Â

workers,  conferences  and  even  health  facilities.

Companies  that  make  baby  foods  or  bottles  and  teats  are  well  aware  that  infants  die  from  unsafe  bottle  feeding.  However,  they  continue  to  put  proďŹ Â ts  before  health  by  en-­ couraging  mothers  and  health  workers  to  use  their  milks  and  equipment.

Should  we  as  a  Union  sell  NestlÊ  products,  or  should  we  use  the  boycott  as  part  of  a  wider  campaign  to  force  NestlÊ  to  change  their  ways?  This  is  not  about  what  NestlÊ  have  done  in  the  past,  it  is  what  they  do  each  and  every  day.  When  NestlÊ  give  moth-­ ers  and  children  in  developing  countries  a  fair  deal  we  should  end  the  boycott,  but  not  a  day  before.  Vote  for  those  people  who  don’t  get  a  say.  Vote  yes  to  the  Boycott.

If  you  want  to  help  the  yes  to  the  Boycott  campaign  email  su.comms@uea.ac.uk.  For  more  info  have  a  look  at  www.babymilkaction.org Â

.O TO THE BOYCOTT A  policy  ballot  will  be  held  in  week  10  to  determine  whether  the  Union  continues  to  boy-­ cott  products  made  by  the  company  NestlĂŠ.  In  charge  of  the  YES  to  the  boycott  cam-­ paign  is  Andy  Higson  (su. comms@uea.ac.uk),  and  re-­ sponsible  for  the  NO  to  the  boycott  campaign  is  Steve  Wil-­ liams  (steven.williams@uea. ac.uk).  A  policy  ballot  will  be  held  in  week  10  to  determine  whether  the  Union  continues  to  boycott  products  made  by  the  company  NestlĂŠ.  In  charge  of  the  YES  to  the  boy-­ cott  campaign  is  Andy  Higson  (su.comms@uea.ac.uk),  and  responsible  for  the  NO  to  the  boycott  campaign  is  Steve  Wil-­ liams  (steven.williams@uea. ac.uk).  A  policy  ballot  will  be  held  in  week  10  to  determine  whether  the  Union  continues  to  boycott  products  made Â

by  the  company  NestlĂŠ.  In  charge  of  the  YES  to  the  boy-­ cott  campaign  is  Andy  Higson  (su.comms@uea.ac.uk),  and  responsible  for  the  NO  to  the  boycott  campaign  is  Steve  Wil-­ liams  (steven.williams@uea. ac.uk).  A  policy  ballot  will  be  held  in  week  10  to  determine  whether  the  Union  continues  to  boycott  products  made  by  the  company  NestlĂŠ.  In  charge  of  the  YES  to  the  boy-­ cott  campaign  is  Andy  Higson  (su.comms@uea.ac.uk),  and  responsible  for  the  NO  to  the  boycott  campaign  is  Steve  Wil-­ liams  (steven.williams@uea. ac.uk).  A  policy  ballot  will  be  held  in  week  10  to  determine  whether  the  Union  continues  to  boycott  products  made  by  the  company  NestlĂŠ.  In  charge  of  the  YES  to  the  boy-­ cott  campaign  is  Andy  Higson  (su.comms@uea.ac.uk),  and Â

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responsible  for  the  NO  to  the  boycott  campaign  is  Steve  Wil-­ liams  (steven.williams@uea. ac.uk).  A  policy  ballot  will  be  held  in  week  10  to  determine  whether  the  Union  continues  to  boycott  products  made  by  the  company  NestlĂŠ.  In  charge  of  the  YES  to  the  boy-­ cott  campaign  is  Andy  Higson  (su.comms@uea.ac.uk),  and  responsible  for  the  NO  to  the  boycott  campaign  is  Steve  Wil-­ liams  (steven.williams@uea. ac.uk).  A  policy  ballot  will  be  held  in  week  10  to  determine  whether  the  Union  continues  to  boycott  products  made  by  the  company  NestlĂŠ.  In  charge  of  the  YES  to  the  boy-­ cott  campaign  is  Andy  Higson  (su.comms@uea.ac.uk),  and  responsible  for  the  NO  to  the  boycott  campaign  is  Steve  Wil-­ liams  (steven.williams@uea. ac.uk). Â

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8

/&84

$PODSFUF Wednesday November 23 2005

)S THIS THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR "LAIR 4ONY "LAIR S POWER APPEARS TO BE ON THE DECLINE AS TERROR BILL IS REJECTED "Y !.$9 *5$3/. .%73 #/22%30/.$%.4

MPs in the House of Com-­ mons rejected Tony Blair and Charles Clarke’s bill to detain terrorist suspects for ninety days without charge on Wednesday 9th September by a substantial margin of thirty-­ one.

This was Blair’s first de-­ feat since coming into power in 1997 and as such marked an important milestone for a Prime Minister who began with so much promise and who now appears to be losing his grip as head of the Govern-­

ment.

Blair already declared his intention of stepping down before the next election and the question remains as to when. After this defeat, the popular consensus is that it could, and should, be sooner rather than later.

Blair’s decline seems to be marked by an apparent gam-­ bling streak that would scare off most Las Vegas card sharks. He gambled his cred-­ ibility over the war on terror and lost it when no WMDs were found in Iraq. He gam-­ bled his authority to push through ever more controver-­ sial bills in Parliament and

has now lost that. The terror vote has shown that he can be beaten and no doubt will give strength to the opposition par-­ ties and internal Labour rebels to continue to fight back.

Blair’s use of the whips ap-­ pears finally to have backfired despite an apparent clamp-­ down against rebels. In addi-­ tion to this, his allies continue to either fall or abandon him.

With more controversial is-­ sues on the horizon Blair faces a tough choice. If he continues to fight, despite the knowledge that his sheen of invincibility has gone, he will doubtlessly be left vulnerable.

There appears to be no

one else Blair can now turn to for support. It was less than a month ago that David Blun-­ kett, one of his staunchest al-­ lies, had to resign once again from a ministerial position.

Surely Blair at least can rely on the House of Lords as he has managed to hold onto his ability to appoint most of it?

Unfortunately for him, there are rumours that the Lords will now no longer even pass some of Labours manifesto pledges, breaking the Salis-­ bury Convention.

The truth of the matter is that Tony Blair’s name has now become political poison.

Attaching his name to policies

seems to draw support away from them and the constant bad news from all across the political board is dragging his name down.

If Blair really cares about the New Labour project, he will step down as soon as pos-­ sible. To push through any more of his ideas and poli-­ cies, Blair can no longer tie his name to them or he will see more examples of the failed bill to detain terrorists.

David Cameron seems likely to beat Davis and re-­ invigorate the Conservatives whilst the Liberal Democrats continue to gain support, now representing over a fifth of

Britain’s voters. Blair will only drag Labour’s name down and many now believe that he should sacrifice himself for it;; an act of martyrdom is surely attractive as he seems to place that mantle on himself any-­ way.

Blair seems too attracted to his power now, as is shown by the fact he continues to place it upon himself. He will be another in a long line of British politicians who leave Parliament with a taste of dis-­ appointment. New Labour’s energy is now all but spent and Tony Blair will never enjoy the kind of popularity he once did.

#HERIE PUTS HER FOOT IN IT AGAIN !S "LAIR HITS A TOUGH TIME HIS WIFE ADDS TO THE KNOCKDOWNS OVER TOP UP FEES "Y ,%% !.. 2)#(!2$3 .%73 #/22%30/.$%.4

Tony Blair faces opposi-­ tion to higher education fees from a source much closer and more personal in his life.

Cherie has claimed that if she could not afford to go to uni-­ versity she would be working in a shop.

As well as being the Prime Minister’s wife, Cherie Blair enjoys a successful career as a barrister and judge. She was the first person in her family to go to university and benefited from free university education.

Her statement goes against the government’s plans for tuition fees.

Cherie Blair made the com-­ ment in barrister’s magazine

Counsel, saying: ‘The truth is if I hadn’t had the funding from the state to go to univer-­ sity I would have worked in a shop’.

Under the plan for tuition fees, fears are that poorer stu-­ dents will be deterred from going to university. Students have to look forward to the prospect of facing loans of up to £3000 a year for their tuition

fees, although this money will only be paid once the gradu-­ ates have an annual income of £15,000. Poorer students will also be eligible for a grant of £2,700 a year, but the debt at the end of their graduation is off-­putting to many.

This academic year saw a rush in the number of people applying to universities in a bid to avoid the top-­up fees.

Cherie Blair has supported the need for poorer students to get financial help in their study. She recognises the im-­ portance that her free univer-­ sity education played in her position as a successful bar-­ rister and judge.

Ed Davey of the Liberal Democrats remarked: ‘The prime minister seems to be an ever more isolated figure and

the growing sense of disillu-­ sionment is also clearly felt by his wife.’

Downing Street has dis-­ missed Mrs Blair’s comment, saying she was misinterpret-­ ed. A spokeswoman claimed: ‘Cherie Blair believes poorer students need support from the state, which is what they will have under the new, fairer system.’

46 FOOTBALL SHAKE UP &OOTBALLERS PLAY FOR +ICK )T /UT #UP "Y -!44 "52,!.$ .%73 #/22%30/.$%.4

A new deal struck between the Premier League and the European Commission last Thursday is set to end BskyB’s monopoly over live coverage of English Premier League matches under a radical shake-­up of the way football TV rights are sold.

The move will ensure that other broadcasters get access to live coverage of Premier-­ ship matches. The new agree-­ ment will see the Premier League creating six packages of “balanced” content that would then be auctioned to broadcasters.

Under the deal, BSkyB would not be permitted to bid for all six packages because the old agreement broke EU competition law.

The European Commis-­ sion, the civil service arm of the European Union, has been

trying for several months to change the way the Premier League sells televised football rights.

European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said the new system would provide football fans with “greater choice and better value.

“The commitments of-­ fered by the Premier League should ensure that the media rights are sold in a fair and transparent manner.”

Sky will no longer be the sole broadcasters for live Pre-­ miership football as of 2007.

Terrestrial channels such as BBC, ITV and Five could bid for a number of matches each season.

Alternatively, other cable and satellite channels such as NTL, could buy the rights meaning that football fans would be forced to subscribe not only to Sky, but also vari-­ ous smaller pay-­per-­view chan-­ nels.

.ORWICH #ITY &OOTBALL #LUB HOLDS AN ANTI RACISM DAY

.ORWICH #ITY FOOTBALL PLAYERS CAMPAIGN TO KICK RACISM OUT OF FOOTBALL Sunday saw the first ever Kick It Out Cup at Norwich City Football Club in a new scheme to rid football of racism.

Norwich and Norfolk Ra-­ cial Equality Council (NNREC) in conjunction with Norwich City Supporters’ Trust (NCFC) hosted the first annual Kick It

Out Cup. The aim of the youth five-­a-­ side tournament was to bring young people together from different ethnic backgrounds to join the nationwide cam-­ paign to ‘Kick Racism Out Of Football’.

The event is in conjunc-­

tion with Norfolk Black History Month. The brand name of the campaign -­ Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football -­ was estab-­ lished in 1993.

Kick It Out works through-­ out the football, educational and community sectors to challenge racism and work to-­

wards a positive change.

The campaign is support-­ ed and funded by the game’s governing bodies, including founding body the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), the FA Premier League, the Football Foundation and The Football Association.

/&84

$PODSFUF  Wednesday  November  23  2005

9

.EW 5%! 4RAVEL 0LAN PROMOTES CYCLING &OLLOWING THE %NVIRONMENT 7EEK CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE GREEN METHODS OF TRANSPORT #ONCRETE INVESTIGATES THE PROVISIONS MADE FOR CYCLISTS AT 5%!

AND ASKS WHETHER ENOUGH IS BEING DONE TO ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO BIKE TO CAMPUS *5,)! "2!$3(!7 .%73 2%0/24%2

UEA  is  actively  promoting  bi-­ cycle  riding  as  means  for  com-­ muting  to  and  from  campus.  A  number  of  measures  pushed  through  by  Dawn  Dewer,  the  new  transport  coordinator,  as  part  of  the  University’s  new  Travel  Plan,  are  helping  to  en-­ courage  students  and  staff  to  choose  cycling  as  an  alterna-­ tive  form  of  transportation.  Ms.  Dewer  is  actively  in-­ volved  in  promoting  cycling  at  UEA  and  has  worked  hard  on  realising  many  reforms.  As  a  result,  several  new  rules  designed  to  beneďŹ t  cyclists  have  been  implemented.  For  example,  every  new  building  on  campus  must  have  associ-­ ated  covered  bicycle  parking  and  there  are  new  cycle  paths  at  the  University.  A  shortage  of  locked  parking,  one  of  many  complaints  from  cyclists,  has  been  dealt  with  by  building  new  locked  parking  areas,  one  of  which  is  next  to  the  music  school.  There  are  also  plans  for  a  locked  cycle  compound  in  the  Village,  which  would  provide  parking  for  up  to  60  bicycles.  In  addition  to  these  developments,  there  are  clean  and  modern  shower  rooms  available  to  cyclists  in  the  Zicer  building,   the  Medical  School,  and  level  01  in  the  Arts  build-­ ing.  Additional  shower  rooms  have  also  been  planned  for  the  future  Arts  refurbishment.   Surprisingly,  however,  shower  and  changing  facilities  are  not  common  knowledge  amongst  the  cycling  commu-­ nity.  Your  correspondent  is  a  long-­time  cyclist  at  UEA  and  until  recently,  knew  nothing  about  these  facilities.  This  is  not  uncommon.  In  an  email,  cyclist   Eleanor  Karslake  said,   “I  think  more  staff  would  be  encouraged  to  cycle  to  uni  if  there  were  showers  and  changing  rooms  availableâ€?.  This  suggests  that  the  Uni-­ versity  is  not  doing  enough  to  inform  cyclists  of  the  facilities  provided  for  them.  The  trans-­ port  department  needs  to  do  more  to  increase  awareness.

Despite  the  other  reforms  mentioned  above,  many  sea-­ soned  UEA  cyclists  still  feel Â

that  much  more  should  be  done.  Most  tend  to  agree  that  increased  secure  parking  and  better  cycle  routes,  particularly  along  the  Avenues,  are  greatly  needed.  Teresa  Belton  from  the  School  of  Education  is  a  con-­ cerned  cyclist.  “Three  im-­ provements  spring  to  mind  immediately,�  she  said.  “First,  building  a  wider  cycle  track  along  the  Avenues  on  the  grass  verge  rather  than  on  the  road  in  the  direction  of  UEA  –  similar  to  the  one  on  the  pavement  on  the  other  side  of  the  road  –  to  separate  bikes  from  cars.  Second,  providing  even  more  cycle  racks  on  cam-­ pus,  preferably  covered  like  those  outside  EDU,  and  lastly  somehow  separating  cyclists  and  pedestrians  on  the  path  behind  the  Porters’  Lodge.�

The  cycle  path  down  the  Avenues  is  indeed  in  an  ap-­ palling  state  of  repair,  in  both  directions.  The  many  cracks  and  potholes  in  the  road  make  cycling  dangerous  because  they  often  force  cyclists  to  swerve  into  the  road  in  order  to  avoid  riding  into  a  gaping  hole.  “It  is  a  real  health  and  safety  problem,�  said  Katy  Ap-­ pleton,  head  of  the  UEA  BUG  (Bicycle  Users  Group).  Accord-­ ing  to  Ms.  Appleton  the  Av-­ enues  is  used  more  frequently  than  any  other  bicycle  route  in  Norwich.  A  transport  survey  conducted  by  the  University  Transport  Department  is  due  to  be  released  soon,  and  the  results  might  highlight  some  of  these  problems.  The  trans-­ port  department  could  not  be  contacted  to  comment  on  this  issue.

Dr.  Rupert  Read,  Senior  Lecturer  in  Philosophy  and  cyclist  at  UEA  for  more  than  8  years  said:  “I  would  like  more  secure  bike  parking  that  is  clearly  explained  to  people  how  it  can  be  used.  The  bike-­routes  in  the  area  could  still  be  im-­ proved  further  ...  there  should  be  more  continuous  bike  lanes  put  in.  And  we  desper-­ ately  need  a  bike-­route  along  Earlham  Road  or  through  the  cemetery  into  town.â€?  Others  voiced  similar  opinions.  “The  biggest  dif-­ ďŹ culty  I Â ďŹ nd  with  cycling  to  UEA  is  that  there  is  hardly  anywhere  to  park  your  bike  on Â

#YCLE PARKS OUTSIDE THE NEW RESIDENCES campus,  especially  if  you  want  it  to  be  somewhere  where  it  will  remain  dry  and  not  rust.  Most  of  the  places  to  put  bikes  are  directly  exposed  to  the  el-­ ements.  More  spaces  under  shelter  would  deďŹ nitely  make  a  difference  to  me,â€?  said  Mr.  A.  Cage,  a  third  year  student  who  has  cycled  to  and  from  campus  for  his  entire  univer-­ sity  career.   Gill  Seyfang  enjoys  the  beneďŹ ts  of  cycling  to  and  from  the  University.  “I  love  it!  Hav-­ ing  a  locked,  undercover  bike  store  in  the  Zicer  building  gives  me  conďŹ dence  that  my  bike  is  about  as  safe  as  it  can  be,  and  that  is  a  major  factor  for  many  people,â€?  he  said.   Yet  he  too  has  concerns.  “There  seems  to  be  quite  a  lot  of  bike  thefts  and  vandalism  on  cam-­ pus,â€?  he  said,  adding  that  “it  would  be  good  to  have  more  of  a  network  of  cycle  lanes  –  properly  distinguished  from  the  rest  of  the  road/pavement  –  both  around  UEA  and  on  campus  too.  The  existing  bike  lanes  are  not  really  very  dis-­ tinctive.â€?

In  addition  to  parking  and  cycle  path  concerns,  Christine  Wilson,  the  founder  of  BUG  and  a  UEA  staff  member  who  has  been  a  cyclist  and  a  cycle  campaigner  for  more  than Â ďŹ ve  years,  commented  that  more  awareness  of  cycling  issues  was  needed.  She  advocated  more  help  for  women,  es-­ pecially  those  who  are  more Â

reluctant  to  cycle  for  various  reasons,  and  said  that  more  awareness  of  safety  issues,  better  storage  at  residences  and  a  higher  proďŹ le  of  cycling  at  a  higher  level  are  needed.  She  also  believes  that  there  should  be  “more  pressure  on  the  City  Council  to  improve  routes.â€?

Concrete  recently  received  an  email  from  a  student  com-­ plaining  about  the  lack  of  park-­ ing  security  and  the  measures  taken  by  the  University  to  deal  with  this  issue.  The  student  had  two  bikes  stolen  from  campus  and  felt  that  the  se-­ curity  guards’  response  to  the  thefts  was  inadequate.  As  this  information  was  received  as  Concrete  went  to  press,  UEA  Security  has  not  yet  had  time  to  issue  a  comment.  How-­ ever,  according  to  BUG  cycle  theft  is  a  common  complaint  amongst  cyclists.  The  serious-­ ness  of  this  threat  is  not  easily  determined  because  bicycle  theft  is  not  often  reported  by  students,  usually  because  most  cyclists  are  uninsured.  Unfortunately,  a  condition  of  insurance  is  that  the  bike  must  be  locked  indoors  at  night,  making  it  very  difďŹ cult  for  stu-­ dents  on  and  off  campus  to  insure  their  bicycles.   Although  UEA  is  doing  much  to  support  cycling,  the  2005  cycle  map  issued  by  the  Transport  department  con-­ tains  a  few  confusing  inaccura-­ cies.  For  example,  there  are  40 Â

bicycle  parking  spaces  marked  by  a  sports  track  which,  oddly  enough,  does  not  actually  ex-­ ist.  A  cyclist  wishing  to  park  his  bicycle  by  the  Sainsbury  Centre  might  be  terribly  con-­ fused  as  the  markers  on  the  map  are  in  the  wrong  place.  On  a  more  positive  note,  the  cycling  leaet  available  around  campus  is  very  user-­friendly  and  informative.

When  Concrete  asked  stu-­ dents  what  they  thought  the  greatest  deterrent  from  cycling  to  university  was,  the  major-­ ity  replied  that  it  was  the  high  cost  of  purchasing  a  bicycle.  Ms.  Appleton  agrees  with  this  general  opinion  and  believes  that  there  is  indeed  a  short-­ age  of  cheap  second-­hand  bikes  in  Norwich.  This  is  per-­ haps  something  the  transport  department  could  try  to  deal  with.  Ironically,  many  students  also  said  that  their  primary  reason  for  cycling  was  to  save  money.  Anyone  wishing  to  raise  a  cycling-­related  concern  can  email  Ms.  Appleton  who  will  take  it  up  at  the  next  UEA  transport  meeting.  BUG  has  the  potential  to  be  an  effective  organisation,  but  is  unfortu-­ nately  extremely  understaffed.  Because  it  is  not  a  Union  Soci-­ ety,  BUG  depends  entirely  on  volunteers,  such  as  Ms.  Apple-­ ton,  to  run  the  website  and  to  organise  cycling  activities  and  excursions.  BUG  is  virtually  a  one  woman  show,  and  she Â

herself  is  a  very  busy  person.  It  welcomes  anyone  who  is  interested  in  volunteering  to  help  in  any  way.

Since  cycling  does  seem  to  be  increasing  in  popular-­ ity  at  UEA,  BUG  would  like  to  highlight  some  serious  biking  faux-­pas  which  can  be  condu-­ cive  to  major  safety  concerns  and  accidents.  Cycling  without  a  rear  and  front  light  at  night  is  both  illegal  and  life-­threaten-­ ing.  A  few  years  ago  a  biology  student  was  tragically  killed  on  Bluebell  Road  because  an  on-­ coming  cyclist  had  no  lights,  causing  the  student  to  swerve  into  the  road  and  collide  with  a  car.  Jumping  trafďŹ c  lights,  which  is  very  common  at  the  intersection  of  Colman  Road  and  the  Avenues,  is  also  illegal  and  very  annoying  to  motor-­ ists.  Following  the  highway  code  is  imperative  for  main-­ taining  road  safety.

As  for  UEA’s  cycling  fu-­ ture,  the Â ďŹ ndings  of  the  trans-­ portation  survey  might  give  a  clearer  idea  about  what  steps,  if  any,  the  University  will  take  to  deal  with  the  problems.

"5' EMAIL UEABUG UEA AC UK "5' WEBSITE WWW UEA AC UK ^R 4RANSPORTATION $EPARTMENT WEBSITE WWW EST UEA AC UK EBDFRAMES ASP MENU TRANSPORT

10 '&"563&4

$PODSFUF  Wednesday  November  23  2005

3ORRY MATE YOU RE NOT COMING IN #HANGES IN THE LICENSING LAWS AND NEW LEGISLATION REGARDING THE CONDUCT OF DOORMEN WILL CHANGE THE WAY WE BEHAVE ON A NIGHT OUT AS TOUGH PENALTIES ARE INTRODUCED TO COMBAT BINGE DRINKING 0RIYA 3HAH AND 3IMON 3HERIDAN INVESTIGATE

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ow  often  has  a  night  out  been  ruined  by  bounc-­ ers?  It’s  a  fairly  familiar  story  most  of  the  time:  you  decide  to  go  out  with  a  group  of  friends,  hit  a  few  bars  and  enjoy  the  odd  pint.  But  when  you  queue  for  the  club, Â ďŹ nally  get  to  the  front  of  the  line  and  are  on  the  brink  of  getting  in-­ side,  a  huge,  shaven-­headed  bouncer  proclaims  that  “you’re  too  drunk  mate,  you  ain’t  comin’  in  ‘ereâ€?.  Some  of  us,  after  a  moment  to  com-­ pose  ourselves,  would  simply  slink  off  into  the  darkness,  maybe  to  get  an  early  night.  Others  may  take  the  other  extreme  and  argue  the  toss,  perhaps  resulting  in  being  restrained  for  taking  their  objections  too  far.  There  are  plenty  of  people  out  there  who  have  tales  of  this  sort.  The  question  is,  why?  Is  it  because  all  bouncers  have  a  serial  dislike  for  students,  or  is  it  just  that  in  our  alcohol  fuelled  euphoria  an  incident  with  a  bouncer  seems  like  an  event  of  incomparable  consequence?  Con-­ crete  has  heard  a  number  of  complaints  about  bouncers  in  the  City,  and  went  to  one  of  Nor-­ wich’s  more  popular  clubs,  Optic,  to Â ďŹ nd  out  how  their  bouncers  operate  and  if  the  students  have  legitimate  gripes.

Firstly,  it  may  interest  you  to  know  that  the  term  bouncer  is  no  longer  applicable  to  many  of  Norwich’s  club  guarders.  They  are  door-­ men.  While  many  of  you  might  think  that  this  is  merely  a  technical  formality,  the  General  Manager  at  Optic,  Tom  Webster,  informed  us  that  it  was  not  simply  a  matter  of  language.  In  fact  there  is  a  considerable  difference  between  a  ‘bouncer’  and  a  ‘doorman’,  and  this  is  seen  most  explicitly  in  the  qualiďŹ cation  one  needs  to  become  a  doorman.  Candidates  have  to  take  a  week  long  course,  which  results  in  a  City  &  Guilds  certiďŹ cate.  The  course  is  highly  inten-­ sive,  involving Â ďŹ re  training, Â ďŹ rst  aid  training  and  lessons  in  conict  resolution  -­  with  the  empha-­ sis  on  peaceful.  Passing  this  course  is  now  the  only  way  to  become  a  licensed  doorman  in  the  United  Kingdom,  and  even  after  taking  it,  the  candidates  still  have  to  secure  a  license  from  the  Security  Industries  Authority,  which  com-­ pletes  several  background  checks  to Â ďŹ nd  if  they  are  suitable.  It  is  now  the  law  that  all  doormen  have  to  have  this  license  in  order  to  work,  with  penalties  for  individuals  and  clubs  that  don’t Â

adhere  to  the  rules.  This  is  not  to  say  that  your  stereotypical  bouncer  does  not  exist  in  Nor-­ wich,  or  anywhere  else  for  that  matter,  because  he  does.  However,  in  most  of  Norwich’s  clubs  the  doormen  are  now  certiďŹ ed  and  licensed,  as  it  is  simply  too  risky  to  try  and  get  away  with  it.  In  any  case,  Optic  does  not  employ  unlicensed  doorman,  and  is  similar  to  Mercy  in  this  respect  as  both  are  privately  owned  enterprises  which  cannot  afford  to  lose  their  licenses  or  their  in-­ come  because  of  dodgy  bouncers.

Fair  enough,  you  might  think,  but  what  of  all  those  occasions  mentioned  earlier?  If  door-­ men  are  properly  trained,  how  is  it  that  we Â ďŹ nd  ourselves  aggrieved  because  they  do  not  let  us  into  a  club?  The  answer  to  this,  which  may  seem  obvious,  is  that  we  drink  before  we  go  to  a  club.  Some  of  you  may  have  a  vodka  red  bull  or  two  beforehand,  whereas  others  might  sink  seven  pints.  The  point  is  that  by  the  time  we  get  to  whichever  club  we  have  chosen,  we  are  not  in  a  position  to  assess  our  own  abilities.  Alcohol  has  the  funny  effect  of  inhibiting  our  percep-­ tions  of  reality,  which  in  some  cases  leads  to  inexplicable  drunkenness  which  practically  eve-­ ryone  has  at  least  one  story  about.  Whether  it  is  falling  off  a  wall  or  puking  in  the  toilet  of  a  club,  any  of  us  that  go  clubbing  will  probably  have  experienced  a  horrendous  event  whilst  drunk.  This  is  because  we  do  not  really  know  what  it  is  we  are  doing.

Put  yourselves  in  the  shoes  of  a  club  owner.  Would  you  want  to  cope  with  masses  of  out-­ of-­control  youths  every  night,  getting  rowdy  and  being  ill  after  consuming  vast  quantities  of  Stella,  or  would  you  rather  have  a  crowd  that  is  enjoying  the  beneďŹ ts  of  a  few  shots  of  Sam-­ buca  without  resorting  to  punching  passers-­by  or  throwing  ashtrays?  It  is  not  a  difďŹ cult  ques-­ tion  to  answer,  but  it  is  a  necessary  question.  Club  proprietors,  particularly  in  the  wake  of  new  legislation  on  the  subject,  have  got  to  ad-­ here  to  police  guidelines  on  under-­age  drinkers  and  those  who  exhibit  clear  signs  of  drunken-­ ness.  Failure  to  do  so  will  result  in  “court  ac-­ tion  where  offences  under  the  new  Licensing  Act  are  discovered  which  will  be  combined  with  requests  for  license  reviews  where  necessaryâ€?  (Police  letter  sent  to  all  clubs  concerning  the  new  licensing  laws).  For  the  club  owners,  this  would  mean  inevitable  closure  and  the  effective  loss  of  a  job.  It  is  also  for  this  reason  that  nightclubs  across  the  country  are  clamping  down  on  se-­ curity  issues.  In  the  wake  of  the  London  bomb-­

ings,  managers  at  clubs  are  now  required  to  carry  out  checks  to  ensure  that  no  incendiary  devices  get  into  clubs.  This  is  on  top  of  other  items,  like  guns,  knives  and  drugs,  whose  cap-­ ture  forms  a  large  part  of  a  doorman’s  respon-­ sibilities.  It  is  fairly  obvious  that  any  of  these  items  inside  a  nightclub  is  wholly  undesirable,  but  people  still  attempt  it.  This  fact  should  il-­ lustrate  that  doormen  are  responsible  for  the  welfare  of  themselves  and  those  customers  al-­ ready  in  the  club,  and  are  therefore  meticulous  in  their  approach  to  any  potential  problems.  This  may  seem  overbearing  to  some,  but  in  contrast  to  being  stabbed  it  is  a  fairly  minor  oc-­ currence.  Optic  for  example,  conducts  random  searches  to  root  out  anybody  with  illicit  items,  but  anyone  who  is  searched  is  offered  a  com-­ plimentary  drink  as  a  result.  They  also  employ  a  student  –  ‘Smily’  –  on  the  door,  and  a  team  of  doorwomen  to  make  this  process  easier  and  more  affable.

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his  should  enforce  the  point  that  the  clubs  are  not  looking  to  ban  people  or  ruin  nights  out.  They  are  simply  in  a  business  which  compels  them  to  observe  any  number  of  security  and  safety  concerns.  Optic’s  camera  system  cost  approximately  £30,000  and  encompasses  some  44  cameras.  It  covers  every  area  of  the  inside,  and  also  the  areas  directly  outside  the  club.  This  ensures  that  no  incidents  occur  in  Optic  without  being  recorded  digitally  on  a  computer  server.  Mercy  has  a  similar  system,  with  roughly  70  cameras,  and  this  is  to  the  ben-­ eďŹ t  of  customers,  doormen  and  owners  alike.  In  Optic’s  case,  it  has  allowed  the  club  to  dis-­ credit  many  accusations  made  against  it,  from  sexual  harassment  to  assault.  Consulting  the  tapes  reveals  very  quickly  that  these  incidents  did  not  occur,  or  were  grossly  exaggerated  by  those  who  made  them.  It  seems  that  alcohol  really  can  convince  even  the  most  honest  that  we  were  in  the  right,  even  when  evidence  to  the  contrary  is  freely  available.  Most  of  the  time,  the  doormen  deal  with  people  in  the  correct  fash-­ ion,  and  no  evidence  of  any  assaults  on  cus-­ tomers  is  apparent.  Optic  has  never  once  been  convicted  of  any  such  offence  despite  a  number  of  court  actions  brought  against  it.  This  is  not  intended  to  portray  doormen  as  angels,  as  it  is  quite  clear  they  are  not,  and  in-­ deed  would  not  want  to  be.  Their  job  requires  them  to  adhere  to  rigid  safety  restrictions,  and  therefore  it  is  inevitable  they  will  carry  this  out Â

4HE 3)! TRAINING COURSE FOR DOORMEN COVERS THE FOLLOWING Communication  Skills  and  Conict  Management: How  to  refuse  entry  and  how  to  eject  in  a  way  that  reduces  risk  of  conict  -­  Identifying  the  types  of  incidents  that  could  happen  inside  a  venue  and  how  to  deal  with  them  -­  Understanding  the  law  about  arrest  Role  and  Responsibilities  of  a  Door  Supervisor: Appropriate  behaviour  for  door  supervisors  -­  Civil  and  Criminal  Law  -­  Searching  and  arrest  procedures  -­  Drugs  awareness  -­  Recording  incidents  and  crime  scene  preservation  -­  Licensing  law  -­  Equal  opportunities  and  discrimination Â

with  an  air  of  serious  professionalism.  While  we  are  enjoying  our  night-­off  revelling,  they  do  not  even Â ďŹ nish  work  until  about  4am.  The  fact  we  have  been  drinking  means  we  interpret  door-­ man  as  sinister,  but  this  is  part  of  the  process  to  root  out  drunken  individuals  and  those  with  something  to  hide.  We  also  complain  about  not  being  let  into  clubs  because  of  not  wearing  the  requisite  clothes,  but  this  is  a  rather  lame  ex-­ cuse  as  clubs  make  it  very  explicit  as  to  what  can  and  can’t  be  worn  in  their  establishment.  Their  choice  merely  reects  the  mood  they  wish  to  create  in  their  club,  and  the  fact  of  the  matter  is,  if  the  clubs  do  not  permit  baseball  caps,  then  do  not  wear  one.  Essentially,  the  best  policy  is  to  act  with  re-­ straint.  Going  clubbing  on  a  diet  of  alcohol  is  a  well-­known  and  enjoyable  part  of  British  culture,  but  there  are  limits.  The  new  licensing  laws  rep-­ resent  two  sides  of  the  same  coin:  on  the  one  hand  they  liberalise  drinking  as  we  can  now  do  it  for  longer  and  in  more  exible  periods,  but  on  the  other  hand  they  come  with  a  signiďŹ cant  increase  in  police  powers  to  deal  with  excessive  drunkenness  and  anti-­social  behaviour,  and  pubs  and  nightclubs  are  at  the  forefront  of  this  effort  as  they  facilitate  the  process.  It  may  come  as  a  surprise  to  some,  but  it  is  no  longer  OK  to  be  drunk  in  public,  and  clubs  have  to  adhere  to  this  law  just  as  much  as  individuals.  At  the  end  of  the  day,  if  you  act  with  respect  and  treat  doormen  accordingly,  the  likelihood  is  that  you  will  have  an  enjoyable  night  out  without  any  problems.  Taking  things  to  excess,  however,  will  only  result  in  your  night  being  cut  short  and  the  inevitable  whinging  about  it  the  day  after.  It  is  a  simple  choice,  and  one  that  is  in  the  interests  of  all  concerned.  It  would  suit  a  doorman  to  allow  everyone  who  queues  up  into  the  club  he  is  responsible  for,  as  it  keeps  trouble  to  a  minimum.  Surely  all  of  us  can  agree  with  this,  as  any  trouble  in  a  club  is  the  fault  of  the  doormen  for  not  spotting  it  sooner.  It  makes  our  nights  safer  and  more  fun,  and  it  eliminates  those  who  wish  to  cause  trouble.  The  message  is  to  drink  responsibly,  for  the  good  of  your-­ selves  and  the  doormen. www.optic-­club.co.uk

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$PODSFUF  Wednesday  November  23  2005

,E 0EN ALTIES WILL BE SEVERE 4HE EVENTS IN &RANCE SHOULD BE A MESSAGE FOR US ALL THAT DESPITE YEARS OF APPARENT INTEGRATION INSTITUTIONALISED RACISM STILL EXISTS ACROSS THE CONTINENT 0RIYA 3HAH ASSESSES THE IMPACT OF THE &RENCH RIOTS AND THEIR POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE 5+

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t  seems  that  after  three  weeks  of  rioting,  the  violence  has Â ďŹ nally  sub-­ sided  and  a  state  of  normality  has Â ďŹ nally  settled  over  France.  Presi-­ dent  Jacques  Chirac  has  made  a  plea  to  the  French  Republic  to  “cre-­ ate  new  opportunities  for  young  peopleâ€?  in  an  attempt  to  prevent  violent  insurgencies  from  erupting  once  again.  But  which  young  people  is  he  talk-­ ing  about?  After  vowing  to  bring  the  rioters  to  justice  and  proclaiming  “we  are  all  aware  of  dis-­ criminationâ€?,  it  seems  very  hypocritical  that  he  makes  a  speech  claiming  he  is  very  well  aware  of  discrimination  in  France.  So  why  didn’t  he  do  something  about  it  earlier?

The  recent  rioting  in  France  has  subse-­ quently  led  to  British  leaders  attempting  to  ex-­ plain  why  the  French  model  of  integration  has  failed.  This  is  exactly  what  happened  after  the  London  bombings  where  the  French  pointed  to  the  embryonic  collapse  of  British  multicultur-­ alism.  The  fact  of  the  matter  is  that  these  two  countries  have  long  standing  histories  and  dif-­ ferent  models  of  integration.  Britain  has  allowed  diverse  communities  to  develop,  whereas  the  French  model  has  relied  heavily  on  individual  integration.  Just  last  week  the  French  far  right  leader  Jean-­Marie  Le  Pen  publicly  criticised  the  French  immigration  policy  by  saying:  “We  let  in  10  million  foreigners  over  30  years  -­  it’s  wild  insanity.  No  country  can  handle  that  invasion.�  He  argued  France  was  paying  the  price  for  its  “mad  and  criminal  immigration  from  the  Third  World�.

You  would  think  that  this  would  be  a  wake  up  call  for  Chirac,  but  it’s  apparent  the  French  leader  is  remaining  in  denial  over  the  fact  these  riots  are  just  the Â ďŹ rst  of  many.  So  far  Chirac  has  proven  to  be  all  talk  and  no  trousers,  and  if  these  are  empty  promises  he  is  making  he  should  be  prepared  for  more  riots.  Make  no  mistake  I  am  not  condoning  the  violence  in  France  in  any  way.  A  society  needs  law  and  order  to  be  up-­ held  and  respectful  citizens  are  an  integral  cog  in  this  system.  On  the  other  hand  how  else  are  these  people  supposed  to  be  heard?

#OULD RIOTS HAPPEN HERE The  nation  recently  witnessed  some  of  the  most  shocking  mass  violence  seen  in  years,  the  motive  you  say,  a  mere  case  of  Chinese  whispers.  Tensions  mounted  in  the  Lozells  area  of  Birmingham  after  allegations  were  made  of  a  sexual  assault  on  a  fourteen  year  old  Jamaican  illegal  immigrant  girl  by  group  of  Asian  men.  The  violence  began  when  riot-­ ers  forced  their  way  into  a  meeting  at  the  New  Testament  Church  of  God.  The  meeting,  which  was  attended  by  around Â ďŹ ve  hundred  people,  was  to  discuss  the  claims  with  several  church  leaders  speaking.  What  followed  was  an  evening  of  destruc-­ tion  in  which  around  eighty  crimes  were  com-­ mitted  and  35  people  were  hospitalised.  It  has  been  described  as  ‘a  series  of  sporadic,  seri-­

France  is  dealing  with  institutional  racism  of  the  worst  kind  as  immigrants  are  accepted  to  their  face,  but  in  reality  are  undermined  by  the  indigenous  animosity  that  is  felt  by  many  within  the  country.  The  discrimination  here  of  unemployment  and  housing  policies  is  nothing  but  institutional  racism.  If  anything  we  are  play-­ ing  into  the  hands  of  the  far  right  through  the  segregation  of  communities.  They  thrive  on  the  division  of  residential  communities  as  they  can  promote  themselves  to  citizens  as  being  a  party  that  understand  their  needs.  This  way  they  can  scare  communities  by  introducing  the  fear  of  unknown  communities  they  have  no  idea  about  and  do  not  understand.  In  any  case  Chirac’s  days  may  be  numbered,  as  if  France  is  not  care-­ ful  they  will  be  putting  a  xenophobic  leader  in  his  place. Â

alf  of  the  French  rioters  were  under  18  years  of  age.  This  week  Chirac  announced  a  package  of  measures  aimed  at  stopping  the  riots  in  France.  He  said  a  voluntary  task  force  would  be  set  up  to  assist  young  workers  with Â ďŹ nding  employ-­ ment.  He  estimated  50,000  people  would  have  training  for  the  job  in  2007.  Although  this  is  a  start  it  just  is  not  enough.  France  needs  to  integrate  immigrants  into  French  society  in  a  positive  fashion.  Better  efforts  need  to  be  made  for  this  to  happen  otherwise  immigrants  have  no  chance  at  all.  It  is  not  surprising  to  see  this  tsunami  of  inchoate  youth  rebellion  that  is  en-­ gulďŹ ng  France.  The  government  has  neglected  its  respon-­ sibility  for  integrating  the  black  and  Muslim  population  into  its  culture  and  wider  economy.  What  we  see  happening  in  France  could  be  the  tip  of  the  iceberg.  This  uncontrollable  violence  which  has  escalated  throughout  France  needs  to  be  addressed Â ďŹ rmly  before  we  see  any  more  eruptions  within  Europe,  or  elsewhere.

The  undercurrents  of  antipathy  are  on  display  within  Europe.  The  Netherlands  has  a  population  with  20%  of  foreign  descent.  It  is Â

leading  to  a  question  of  national  identity  and  crystallising  fears  of  other  cultures.  Most  coun-­ tries  in  Western  Europe  have  large  immigrant  communities  which  face  similar  problems  and  are  very  dissatisďŹ ed.  This  leads  to  the  question  of  national  identity.  It  seems  apparent  you  can  be  French-­European  or  German-­European  but  you  cannot  be  Algerian-­European  or  Turkish-­Eu-­ ropean.  National  identity  is  again  causing  huge  acrimony  between  people  across  Europe,  and  if  the  problem  is  not  rectiďŹ ed,  Europe  could  be  torn  apart.  Although  none  of  us  are  old  enough  to  remember  Nazi  Germany,  the  lessons  of  World  War  II  and  the  Holocaust  seem  to  have  been  forgotten  by  many  on  the  continent.

We  hear  about  Mosques  being  burned  down,  racial  hatred  and  incitement  coming  to  the  surface  but  this  is  bigger  than  a  ‘clash  of  civilisations’.  The  deeper  background  to  these  problems  is  the  cause  of  the  violence.  The  hid-­ den  barriers  of  racial  hatred  have  sprung  to  the  surface  and  immigrants  feel  this  rioting  is  the  only  way  to  be  heard.  Although  these  riots  have  allowed  voices  to  be  heard,  it  has  not  solved  the  problem.  There  has  to  be  democratic  reform  and  peaceful  negotiations.  In  these  last  three  weeks  we  have  not  even  heard  the  option  of  the  French  talking  to  Muslim  or  black  leaders  for  a  peaceful  negotiation.  There  is  no  political  party  in  France  that  immigrants  can  identify  with  and  last  of  all,  there  seems  to  be  no  sympathy  for  the  poor  people  that  have  to  endure  this  racial  pain  every  single  day.  Nevertheless,  integration  also  has  to  be  voluntary.  There  are  many  commentators  that  will  argue  that  these  people  do  not  want  to  in-­ tegrate  within  society  and  do  not.  When  60%  of  youths  are  unemployed  in  French  suburbs,  it  needs  to  be  addressed  immediately.  The  sad  thing  is  that  it  took  three  weeks  to  rioting  and  damage  for  this  to  be  heard.  Perhaps  we  take  our  own  lives  for  granted.  Perhaps  this  world  is  just  too  small  for  all  of  us  to  live  in.  These  are  the  questions  I  ask  myself  but  the  reality  is  that  this  is  a  European  prob-­ lem  which  if  not  addressed  properly  will  only  fuel  the  violence.

ous  extreme  incidents’  in  which  a  local  man  was  fatally  stabbed  and  a  police  man  was  hit  in  the  leg  by  a  ball  bearing Â ďŹ red  from  a  gun.  OfďŹ c-­ ers  reported  that  the  night  of  rioting  consisted  of Â ďŹ ghting  in  the  streets,  a  number  of  petrol  bombs  being  thrown  and  several  gunshots  be-­ ing Â ďŹ red.  However,  all  of  this  blood  was  shed  for  ‘rumour,  myth  and  speculation’  and  the  Jamai-­ can  girl  has  not  even  come  forward  to  police.  Regardless  of  this,  over  1,000  people  in  the  surrounding  area  signed  a  petition  calling  for  ‘justice’,  protests  were  held  consisting  of  up  to  100  people  and  vandals  desecrated  around  30  Muslim  graves  in  a  cemetery,  pushing  over  headstones  and  leaving  offensive  literature.  Yet  such  disorder  is  merely  the  latest  in  a  history  of  tension  to  blight  the  Lozells  and  East  Handsworth  area  of  which  82%  belong  to  mi-­ nority  groups.  A  gang  culture  has  grown  with  black  and  Asian  gangs  being  linked  to  drug Â

and  gun  crime.  In  the  early  hours  of  January  2nd  Charlene  Ellis  and  Letisha  Shakespeare  were  shot  dead  in  nearby  Aston.  Four  mem-­ bers  of  the  black  ‘Burger  Bar  Boys’  gang  were  convicted  of  their  murders  and  it  was  revealed  that  they  had  been  seeking  revenge  on  their  ri-­ vals  the  ‘Johnson  Crew’  and  the  girls  had  been  innocent  victims  of  their  rage.The  events  in  Birmingham  have  brought  to  the  public’s  at-­ tention  the  power  that  rumours  hold,  and  the  possible  violence.

However  maybe  certain  groups  use  such  accusations  as  a  guise  to  vent  their  frustra-­ tion  and  racial  antagonism.  The  British  public  needs  to  seriously  address  the  problems  that  can  arise  from  tensions  developing  within  an  integrated  community.  Do  we  need  to  brace  ourselves  for  worse  events  before  the  govern-­ ment Â ďŹ nally  realises  the  seriousness  of  the  situation  and  calls  for  improvement?

By  Rebecca  Hunt

H

AUSTRIA  With  anti-­EU,  anti-­immigrant  policies  and  its  leader’s  apparent  nostalgia  for  the  fascist  era,  the  Austrian  Freedom  Party  grew  from  the  extreme  political  fringes  into  a  power-­ ful  force.  However,  recent  splits  within  the  party  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  new  Alliance  for  Austria’s  Future  which  is  cur-­ rently  growing  in  support.  It  will  most  likely  make  important  gains  in  the  Austrian  gen-­ eral  elections,  to  be  held  next  year.   BELGIUM  Belgium’s  far-­right  Vlaams  Blok  party  has  steadily  gained  ground  over  the  last  few  years  on  a  platform  of  Flemish  independ-­ ence  and  anti-­immigration  policies,  directed  particularly  against  the  large  Muslim  popu-­ lation.  The  party  has  often  been  accused  of  breaching  Belgium’s  anti-­racism  legislation,  with  other  political  parties  hesitant  to  join  them  in  coalitions.  DENMARK  Ultranationalist  right-­wingers,  Dansk  Folkeparti  (DPP),  gained  nine  new  seats  in  last  year’s  general  election,  signalling  a  big  increase  and  inclusion  in  the  centre-­right  co-­ alition  government.  Denmark’s  xenophobic  surge  post-­9/11  allowed  an  easy  victory,  with  all  right-­wing  campaigns  focused  mainly  on  the  issue  of  stricter  immigration  policies,  which  have  since  been  implemented.  How-­ ever,  the  DPP’s  approach  is  far  milder  than  other  European  far-­right  parties.   HOLLAND  The  hardlining  anti-­immigrant  far-­right  Pim  Fortuyn  List  party  lost  the  2002  general  elec-­ tion  to  the  Christian  Democrats  following  their  leader’s  assassination.  While  before  this,  the  party  was  set  to  become  a  signiďŹ -­ cant  political  force  now  it  remains  only  as  a  part  of  a  centre-­right  coalition  government  and  has  been  forced  to  accept  softer  meas-­ ures  on  issues  such  as  immigration.   GERMANY  Germany’s  Christian  Democrat  party  re-­ cently  sparked  controversy  with  an  anti-­ immigration  advertising  campaign,  urging  people  to  put  ‘children  before  Indians’.  However,  no  far-­right  party  has  ever  passed  the  5%  threshold  needed  to  gain  national  political  representation.  Germany  has  strict  laws  against  any  rehabilitation  of  its  Nazi  past,  and  many  Germans  feel  a  heavy  moral  responsibility  not  to  allow  nationalist  poli-­ tics  to  return.  SWEDEN  Sweden  has  no  organised  far-­right  parties,  but  in  recent  years  the  country  has  seen  a  wave  of  neo-­Nazi  violence  -­  including  mur-­ ders  and  bombings  which  have  targeted  immigrants.  One  million  of  Sweden’s  10  million  population  are  immigrants,  and  the  number  is  steadily  growing. Â

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F

or  many  of  us  in  Britain  the  EU  is  literally  a  foreign  body,  known  only  for  the  more  un-­ likely  policies  that  make  it  onto  the  outraged  pages  of  the  tabloid  press.  A  few  years  ago  our  national  guardians  were  up  in  arms  about  the  “bendy  bananasâ€?  rule,  which  stated  that  supermarket  bananas  couldn’t  curve  beyond  a  predetermined  shape  –  and  which  was  eventually  considered  unenforceable  in  British  shops.  Stories  like  this  have  given  the  EU  a  bit  of  a  bad  name  –  where,  indeed,  it’s  a  name  at  all  –  so  the  UK’s  assumption  of  its  Presidency  is  an  ideal  time  to  investigate  some  of  the  myths  and  mystery  behind  this  inuential  decision-­making  body.

The  history  surrounding  the  foundation  of  the  EU  is  –  at  least  at Â ďŹ rst  glance  –  pretty  difďŹ cult  to  unravel.  It  was  created,  in  its  earliest  formation,  in  1951,  the  product  of  a  post-­war  climate  in  which  co-­operation  between  nations  had  become  an  es-­ sential  precursor  to  lasting  peace.  Six  countries,  Belgium,  France,  Germany,  Italy,  Luxembourg  and  the  Netherlands,  set  up  the  European  Coal  and  Steel  Community  (ECSC)  in  1952  to  regulate  their  use  and  production  of  the  industrial  resources  that  would  be  most  valuable  to  them  should  they  once  again  decide  to  take  up  arms.  The  collaboration  was  successful,  and  the  idea  of  co-­operative  trea-­

ties  was  soon  extended  to  economics  and  atomic  energy.  By  1967  the  ECSC,  the  European  Eco-­ nomic  Community  and  the  European  Atomic  En-­ ergy  Community  had  been  merged  into  one  body  which  would  later,  in  1993,  become  known  as  the  European  Community  (EC).  When  the  Maastricht  Treaty  was  signed  in  1992,  the  European  Union  was  formed.  The  UK,  ever  late  to  the  party,  joined  the  EU  in  1973.  There  are  at  present  25  member  states  (Aus-­ tria,  Belgium,  Cyprus,  Czech  Republic,  Denmark,  Estonia,  Finland,  France,  Germany,  Greece,  Hun-­ gary,  Ireland,  Italy,  Latvia,  Lithuania,  Luxembourg,  Malta,  Netherlands,  Poland,  Portugal,  Slovakia,  Slovenia,  Spain,  Sweden  and  the  UK).  In  order  to  become  a  member  of  the  EU,  a  country  must  agree  to  abide  by  the  treaty  that  sets  out  its  core  values:  ‘Liberty,  democracy,  respect  for  human  rights  and  fundamental  freedoms,  and  the  rule  of  law’.  A  plethora  of  other  principles,  known  as  the  ‘Copen-­ hagen  Criteria’,  set  out  the  political,  economic  and  institutional  standards  that  must  be  met  by  all  ap-­ plicants.

Yet  it  is  for  its  decision-­making  powers  that  the  community  is  best  known.  Entrance  to  the  EU  enables  a  country  to  take  part  in  the  process  of  de-­ veloping  policies  which  might  eventually  become  law  for  all  the  member  states.  There  are  a  number  of  different  decision-­making  bodies  within  the  EU,  which  work  together  to  create  a  balanced  system Â

of  democracy.  Amongst  these  institutions  are  the  Council  of  Ministers,  which  represents  the  govern-­ ments  of  member  states,  a  Commission  that  pro-­ poses  legislation  from  the  European  Community,  the  European  Parliament  –  elected  by  European  citizens  –  which  has  the  power  to  approve  or  reject  new  legislation,  and  the  European  Court  of  Justice,  which  ensures  the  Treaties  that  bind  the  member  states  are  upheld. Â

)F THIS ALL SOUNDS COMPLICATED

THAT S PROBABLY BECAUSE IT IS BUT AMONGST THE COMMUNITIES COUNCILS AND COMMISSIONS IS A PROGRESSIVE AND PROVOCATIVE SOVEREIGN BODY If  this  all  sounds  complicated,  that’s  probably  because  it  is.  But  amongst  the  communities,  coun-­ cils  and  commissions  is  a  progressive,  and  –  as  any  sceptic  will  tell  you  –  provocative  sovereign  body.  And  this  is  where  the  UK  Presidency  comes  in.  The  Presidency  of  the  Council  of  the  European  Union  is Â

rotated  between  each  of  the  member  states  every  six  months.  From  July  1st  to  December  31st  2005,  the  UK  holds  the  Presidency  –  the Â ďŹ rst  time  it  has  done  so  since  1998.  This  means  that  it  takes  re-­ sponsibility  for  chairing  the  Council’s  meetings,  represents  its  interests  within  other  bodies  of  the  EU  and  non-­EU  countries,  and  develops  existing  ideas  that  have  been  taken  forward  from  the  previ-­ ous  Presidency.

The  Council  meets  most  weeks,  with  a  repre-­ sentative  Minister  from  each  member  state  attend-­ ing,  and  votes  are  taken  to  pass  new  policies.  These  votes  are  weighted  according  to  the  size  and  popu-­ lation  of  each  member  state,  so  while  the  UK  has  29  votes,  a  much  smaller  country  such  as  Malta  has  only  three.  If  an  issue  is  particularly  controversial,  it  has  to  be  passed  unanimously  –  this  means  that  each  state  has  the  power  of  veto.  Douglas  Alexan-­ der  MP  explains  that  the  UK’s  task  as  President  is  not  to  run  the  EU:  “The  job  of  the  Presidency  is  to  coordinate  the  agenda,  represent  the  EU  to  the  rest  of  the  world,  and  to  ensure  the  effective  conduct  of  business.  Every  member  state  has  a  say  in  deciding  what  issues  need  to  be  addressed,  how  and  when.  The  UK  Presidency  worked  with  previous  EU  Presi-­ dencies  to  agree  the  policy  agenda  and  is  working  with  the  Presidencies  that  come  next  –  Austria  and  Sweden  -­  to  ensure  progress  is  maintained.�

Issues  at  the  top  of  the  agenda  for  the  UK  dur-­ ing  its  Presidency  include  a  new  strategy  against Â

$ID YOU KNOW  The  European  Union  has  25  member  states It  covers  an  area  of  3,892,685  km²  There  were  approximately  460  million  EU  citizens  in  December  2004 If  you  want  to  phone  someone  in  the  EU,  all  current  members  have  calling  codes  beginning  with  +3  or  +4 The  largest  city  in  the  EU  is  London  Its  anthem  is  Ode  to  Joy The  EU’s  motto  is  “In  varietate  Concordiaâ€?  (which  means  “unity  in  diversityâ€?)

The  EU  ag  consists  of  twelve  yellow  stars  forming  a  circle  on  a  blue  background  -­  the  stars  represent  the  union  of  Europe’s  peoples From  this  year  the  EU  has  been  assigned  its  own  top-­level  domain,  which  means  that  its  web  addresses  all  end  in  “.euâ€?

The  international  currency  of  the  EU  is  the  Euro National  currencies  include  the  pound,  koruna,  krone,  kroon,  forint,  lat,  litas,  lira,  złoty  and  tolar  If  the  EU  was  a  country,  it  would  be  the  7th  largest  in  the  world  by  area

climate  change,  which  hopes  to  capitalise  on  previ-­ ous  EU  laws  that  have  banned  the  use  of  lead  in  petrol  and  made  catalytic  converters  compulsory  in  newly  manufactured  cars.  Although  these  have  had  an  effect  on  the  level  of  toxic  emissions  pro-­ duced  by  personal  transport,  much  more  legisla-­ tion  is  needed  before  signiďŹ cant  progress  can  be  made.  In  October,  these  issues  were  debated  at  the  Environment  Council,  and  Mr  Alexander  believes  the  UK  is  in  a  strong  position  to  take  these  ideas  forward  to  the  UN  Climate  Change  negotiations  in  December.

O

ther  topics  up  for  debate  include  new  aid  packages  for  developing  countries,  and  under  the  UK’s  Presidency  the  EU  has  agreed  to  double  its  aid  to  Africa  by  2010.  Measures  have  also  been  proposed  to  reduce  or-­ ganised  crime  such  as  people  trafďŹ cking  and  ID  fraud.  While  in  Britain  new  anti-­terror  measures  have  been  met  with  dissent  in  the  Commons,  the Â

/NE DECISION HAS BEEN MADE THAT COULD HAVE SIGNIlCANT CONSEQUENCES FOR THE FUTURE OF THE %5 THE START OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH #ROATIA AND 4URKEY FOR THEIR MEMBERSHIP OF THE 5NION EU’s  Counter  Terrorism  Action  Plan  has  been  aug-­ mented  under  Tony  Blair’s  leadership.  “By  the  end  of  the  yearâ€?,  says  Mr  Alexander,  “we  will  have  made  progress  on  a  strategy  to  combat  radicalisation  and  recruitment,  disrupt  terrorist Â ďŹ nancing  and  retain  communications  data.â€?   As  the  Presidency  only  lasts  for  six  months,  Mr  Alexander  acknowledges  that  there  is  little  time  for  real  progress  to  take  place:  “Our  aim  is  to  make  progress  across  the  board  before  handing  over  to  Austria  ‌  all  these  issues  have  a  long-­term  focus,  and  our  task  is  to  move  them  forward  constructive-­ ly.â€?  However,  one  decision  has  already  been  made Â

that  could  have  signiďŹ cant  consequences  for  the  future  of  the  EU:  the  commencement  in  October  of  negotiations  with  Croatia  and  Turkey  for  their  membership  of  the  Union.

For  Mr  Alexander,  the  proposal  of  Turkey  as  a  formal  candidate  for  membership  is  evidence  of  the  EU’s  culture  of  shared  values,  in  which  com-­ munity  is  deďŹ ned  by  common  values  rather  than  geography.  “The  enlargement  of  the  European  Union  provides  candidate  countries  with  the  op-­ portunity  to  embrace  the  core  European  values  of  democracy,  the  rule  of  law,  respect  for  others,  cultural  diversity  and  freedom,  thereby  promoting  regional  peace,  prosperity  and  stability.  We  believe  that  we  should  reach  out  to  our  neighbours,  rather  than  build  walls  around  the  Union.  Indeed,  the  founding  principle  of  the  European  Union  was  to  overcome  differences  in  culture,  language  and  ge-­ ography,  through  the  spread  of  shared  values  and  a  common  purpose.â€?

The  negotiations  with  Turkey  could  take  around  ten  years,  and  have  already  become  a  source  of  controversy  amongst  the  member  states.  They  are  seen  by  many  as  a  landmark  in  the  EU’s  history  and  could,  as  Mr  Alexander  asserts,  be  “a  pow-­ erful  demonstration  that  Islam,  democracy  and  economic  success  are  compatibleâ€?.  If  Turkey  is  ac-­ cepted,  it  will  be  the Â ďŹ rst  predominantly  Muslim  country  to  gain  entrance  to  the  EU  –  and  if  it  is  rejected,  many  believe  the  organisation’s  future  re-­ lationships  with  Muslim  nations  could  be  placed  in  jeopardy.  Whatever  the  outcome,  it  is  unlikely  that  the  EU  will  escape  criticism  from  at  least  some  of  its  member  states.  While  for  many  the  EU  is  deďŹ ned  by  the  ide-­ als  enshrined  in  its  treaties,  for  others  it  remains  synonymous  with  a  creeping  eradication  of  na-­ tional  values.  Be  it  the  single  currency  or  the  single  market,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  principles  and  policies  of  the  EU  have  a  daily  impact  on  all  of  our  lives.  For  every  “bendy  bananaâ€?  that  hits  the  headlines,  many  less  tabloid-­friendly  but  more  im-­ portant  decisions  inevitably  pass  us  by.  If  the  EU  is  a  remote  and  seemingly  inaccessible  body,  it  is  also  an  integral  part  of  modern  British  governance.  For  Tony  Blair,  the  last  few  months  have  offered  a  rare  chance  to  set  the  agenda:  for  the  rest  of  us,  it  has  been  an  opportunity  to  watch  our  politicians  in  action  on  an  increasingly  big  stage.

5+ 0RESIDENCY OF THE %5 WEBSITE WWW EU GOV UK

0OVERTY A  child  dies  every  15  seconds  from  easily  prevented  water-­related  diseases  WATERAID ORG UK More  than  10  million  children  under  the  age  of Â ďŹ ve  die  every  year  –  30,000  per  day  –  of  causes  related  to  hunger  and  disease  brought  about  by  poverty  /UTREACH )NTERNATIONAL Half  the  world’s  population  now  lives  on  less  than  US$2  a  day,  roughly  the  cost  of  a  burger  MAKE POVERTYHISTORY ORG Of  the  world’s  billion  poorest  people,  over  75%  live  in  urban  areas  without  adequate  shelter  and  basic  services  4HE 5NITED .ATIONS (UMAN 3ETTLEMENT 0ROGRAMME

%NVIRONMENT It  is  estimated  that  a  quarter  of  the  world  population  is  exposed  to  unhealthy  concentrations  of  air  pollutants  WORLD HEATH ORGANIZATION n WHO INT UK Climate  change  is  already  killing  150,000  people  a  year  GREENPEACE ORG UK Global  climate  change  is  the  single  biggest  environmental  threat  facing  the  planet  FRIENDS OF THE EARTH ORG 4  million  people  in  the  UK  will  face  the  threat  of  ooding  from  global  warming  'REENPEACE Rising  sea  levels  mean  that  in  some  places  land  will  be  lost  to  the  sea  %NVIRONMENT !GENCY

#RIME Organised  crime  costs  the  UK  over  £20bn  per  year  (OME /FlCE An  estimated  600  000-­800  000  people  are  trafďŹ cked  globally  per  year  53 3TATE $EPARTMENT ID  Fraud  has  risen  from  35  000  cases  in  2000  to  101  000  cases  in  2003  5+ &RAUD 0REVENTION 3ERVICE #)&!3 ID  Fraud  costs  the  UK  £1.3bn  per  year  #ABINET /FlCE )$ &RAUD 3TUDY *ULY Multiple  false  identities  are  used  in  one  third  of  terrorist  related  activities  and  organised  crime  and  money  laundering  2EGULATORY )MPACT !SSESSMENT )$ #ARDS "ILL -AY

-JGFTUZMF 15

$PODSFUF Wednesday November 23 2005

#OUGHS AND SNEEZES SPREAD DISEASES 7ITH THEIR NOTORIOUSLY POOR DIETS AND EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION STUDENTS TEND TO SUFFER MORE THAN MOST WHEN THE COLD SEASON ARRIVES WRITES #LARE !ITCHISON

I

t’s that time of year again. Eve-­ rybody is coughing and sneez-­ ing around you, and the UFO has sold out of Lemsip just when you were needing it the most because, frankly, you are feeling rough. Yes, you’ve got a cold. Or, if you’re really unlucky, the flu.

Colds and flu are both caused by viruses which are passed by droplets in the air. That means that when you breathe in bits of snot and spit that other infected people are coughing all over the place the virus inside these droplets latches onto cells in your nose and throat and then crawls inside them. The clever little virus then stimulates your nose to make more snot and to sneeze it all around the place, so it can attach itself to more victims.

Viruses like influenza can’t actually live for long outside the body: they need bits inside our cells to replicate and as soon as they are inside that is what they begin to do. But, ironically, it is not actually the virus multiplying which makes you feel ill, but the way your body responds to it. When your cells realise that they are infected, they release chemicals that circulate all around your body. These cause a fever, which is an at-­ tempt to burn out the virus, and a feeling of exhaustion to force you to rest and conserve energy. Some of the chemicals released directly kill the virus but they also end up damaging the cells in your nose and throat, causing a runny nose and a sore throat. White blood cells also rush to the area of infection to fight in hand to hand combat, but this makes the blood vessels in your nose swell up, blocking your nose. All in all, you feel pretty rough. While it may seem annoying that all the irritating symptoms we get from the flu and colds are actually a result of our bodies’ defences going overboard, if this did not happen the virus could divide uncon-­ trollably, taking over all the cells in your body and eventually killing you. This is why, although flu is relatively harmless to most fit students like yourself, for the very old, the very young or the already sick, it can be fatal.

So how are you going to get over this and get back on your feet? Well, first the bad news.

There are no cures for colds or flu. Antibiotics do nothing to help as they only kill bacteria, not viruses. In fact they can make things worse as they weaken the body’s defences and make it easier for the virus to replicate. And while para-­ cetamol and ibuprofen may make you feel better by lowering your temperature, they do not actu-­ ally get rid of the problem, and again may delay your eventual recovery. So there’s little point in dragging your aching body to the doctor’s for anything other than a sick-­note. There is a flu vaccine, but this is not offered to everybody, only people such as asthmatics who might be more at risk if they get flu. And since this vac-­ cine can only protect you against one strain of flu, and not colds at all, it is unlikely to stop you from getting ill this winter. And no, there is no bird flu vaccination available yet, however much you demand it, although you can rest as-­ sured that at present bird flu is not currently a major threat in this country.

But there is good news too. In the war of ‘body versus flu’ the body pretty much always wins. It just takes time, and you can help it to work faster. The stronger your immune system,

the quicker it fights off the infection. And the quicker the infection is dealt with, the sooner you feel better. In fact, the best defences kill off the virus before it even enters the cell, so you don’t feel ill in the first place. So, how do you build up a strong immune system?

First you will need to give your body the chance to recover, and I’m afraid this may mean missing School-­Daze, at least while you still feel

)T S NOT ACTUALLY THE VIRUS MULTIPLYING WHICH MAKES YOU FEEL ILL BUT THE WAY YOUR BODY RESPONDS TO IT ill. Your immune system needs sleep. While we sleep we release growth hormone, which allows our body’s cells to repair and replicate. This includes the all-­important white blood cells.

More white cells means a larger army to fight the virus and a larger army means a faster end to the war.

Next you are going to have to hold off the alcohol for a bit. Alcohol may numb the pain, and a hot whiskey seems like a great idea in this horrible weather, but it does sadly sup-­ press growth hormone, preventing white blood cells from replicating, thereby weakening your body to the attack of the viruses. It also makes you dehydrated. If you have a fever you will be sweating and losing water. Dehydration, like everything else, weakens your immune system.

This is why you need to keep drinking plenty of non-­alcoholic drinks, even if you don’t feel thirsty. Alcohol also stops you from absorbing

nutrients in your food which are important in the immune system, and this brings me to the next piece of advice.

For most of you this is your first time liv-­ ing away from home, and for many of you that means the first time buying and cooking your own food. With a limited budget and many de-­ mands on your purse strings you wouldn’t be blamed for trying to live entirely on Pot Noo-­ dles, but without a balanced diet your body does not have everything it needs to build all the important virus-­fighting cells. Fat is im-­ portant in building a strong immune system, vitamin C and zinc are also very important.

Buying supplements might help, but they are no substitute to eating well – fruit, vegetables, fish… OK, I’m starting to sound like your mum now, but you’ll thank me when you are partying through the night while your Pot Noodle eating flatmate is too sick to spend any of the money they saved on food.

O

f course, you could try and avoid catching anything in the first place. A strong immune system is a great place to start, but it helps to try and keep away from the viruses altogether. The most common way that these viruses are actually transmitted is by hand to hand contact. Picture this: Your snotty, coldy friend wipes their nose on their hand, you shake their hand or touch their con-­ taminated door handle, and then you pick your nose, touch your eyes or eat some food with your now virus infested hands. Now, I’m not telling you to get all obsessive-­compulsive, but if your friends or flatmates get ill then you might be best off avoiding too much close contact with them for a while and washing your hands

before eating. If your brand new boyfriend or girlfriend has also started snivelling (from cold symptoms rather than relationship ‘issues’) then it is also good advice to keep your tongue out of their throat for a while – unless you want to snuggle up together with hot lemon drinks and Kleenex.

To be honest with you, although this is all good advice, chances are you will catch something at university this winter. Cramming yourself into the LCR with thousands of other hyperactive, alcohol soaked, undernourished students, then walking home for an hour in the cold wearing little more than a belt is a sure-­ fire way to catch germs and get ill, and it may be wise to schedule a visit to the parents in a couple of weeks time for some TLC and good food.

One word of warning. Although I have told you that there is no point in going to the doctor with a cold or flu, there is one very important exception: Meningitis. In its early stages it can seem very similar to flu, but it needs to be treat-­ ed as soon as possible. If you or your friend have a very high temperature and are vomiting then you need to be seen by a doctor straight away. Other warning signs are a stiff neck and severe headache, and a dislike of bright lights.

An extremely high temperature can actually lead to seizures, and if you see anyone having a fit then you need to call an ambulance pronto.

Having said that, meningitis is very rare, and although you need to be aware of the symp-­ toms, and on the lookout for your friends, the chances are you will all get at least a little bit ill this winter. Take it easy, drink lots of water, eat good food (if you can stomach it) and make sure you are in the close vicinity of at least one person who can give you lots of sympathy. That, in my opinion, is the best medicine.

16 -JGFTUZMF

$PODSFUF Wednesday November 23 2005

7ANT TO STUDY ABROAD 4RY %RASMUS 4HE CHANCE TO STUDY ABROAD IS ONE TAKEN BY MANY STUDENTS AT 5%!

BUT AS THE FOLLOWING ACCOUNTS SHOW THE %2!3-53 SCHEME CAN SOMETIMES PROVE A DAUNTING EXPERIENCE

S

alamanca has a reputation (justly or otherwise) as having within its prestigious streets some of the purest Castilian Spanish in the country. This was enough for me to choose it as my ERASMUS year destination.

Salamanca is a couple of hours north west of Madrid and more or less the same distance south west of Valladolid, a city boasting a tiny airport with Ryanair flights directly from Lon-­ don. It is situated very close to Portugal, in Spain’s Castilla y León region, boasting one of the most diverse climates in Spain.

I found Salamanca intriguing, bubbling with life and hundreds of tapas bars littered in and around the famous plaza mayor (one of the most impressive in the country) with what seemed like the whole city out on the streets, the old and young, enjoying the weekend. On the rua (street) mayor families ate odorous fish and steaks at outdoor restaurants. I looked for Chinese, before finding a bar to watch Real

$ANIEL !JISAFE ON 3ALAMANCA 3PAIN Madrid get a hammering by Deportivo (just the beginning for Real). Scandalously, the bar doubled up as a strip joint, whose delights I didn’t sample, choosing instead to trek ‘home’ and prepare for school the next day.

In my first week I experienced a lot. I moved out of my host family’s house, choosing to live with three Spanish students (two girls). I start-­ ed classes in Cursos Internacionales, a sector of the university with kids from all over the world. Salamanca is unfortunately full of peo-­ ple who speak English, mostly students from Europe or the States, but some Spaniards were also eager to practise their English. This meant speaking Spanish became an effort, especially as my closest friends all spoke English (two yanks and a crazy Swiss Italian legend), and my housemates were making no efforts (right-­ ly so) to slow down their rapid fire stream of colloquial Spanish.

Salamanca is clearly a beautiful city, with plenty of history: it was General Franco’s head-­

quarters at one point. The new cathedral is a sight to behold and the architecture every-­ where, including the university, is breathtaking.

The locals (salamantinos) are very friendly and can’t resist a jibber if they find out you speak Spanish. At night though something happens to this place that needs witnessing. In short, the local youths go nuts, start singing, destroy-­ ing and vandalising anything they can find, and binge drinking (for cheaper than you can imag-­ ine) to reggaeton. The city transforms itself on big nights such as Thursday and Fridays, with bar libres (open bars). In my spot of choice, for 3 euros you can drink beers from 11 to 2am or for 6 euros you can drink anything. The par-­ tying doesn’t stop until you really want it to;; most clubs shut at 5am some at 7 and one at noon.

A nice way to start the night is with a botel-­ lon, which can either be a street party involv-­ ing drink, marijuana, men and women. Great!

A botellon can also be indoors: same princi-­

*ESSICA 4ROWBRIDGE ON #LERMONT &RANCE

P

erhaps it was best that I arrived in the dark. Looking out over the lights of a city I had been encour-­ aged to think of as home, nothing seemed more hostile than the enormity and anonymity of Clermont Ferrand.

A good two-­hour train ride from anywhere, Cl-­ ermont’s location, in the heart of France, had beckoned with visits to Barcelona, Geneva, Stuttgart and Milan. Naturally my exploration of France itself seemed unlimited. But the reality dealt a hefty blow. A lack of time and surplus of work rendered exploration impos-­ sible.

The attraction of the Michelin city has been likened to that of Birmingham. Personal-­ ly, I’ve never thought the Black Country city all that bad, but Clermont lends it a new appeal.

Factories have never featured so much in the aesthetics of my daily life. The mountains confining the city at first appear enchanting, but soon become forbidding and restrictive.

There is no escape. The unsystematic con-­ struction of a new tram system has brought inconvenience and annoyance to the three generations of Clermont’s UEA Erasmus con-­ victs with whom I’m acquainted. Unsightly, dusty and sporadically situated around the city, the tramline, destined for completion in 2008, is more imposing than facilitating.

Surprisingly, the city tram workers con-­ tradict any stereotype of men who like their tea breaks. Without exception, from 8am un-­ til 7pm, a plethora of constructionists com-­ plicate even the most direct of journeys, and just when you think you know where all their site locations are, another one appears over-­ night. By a phenomenon known among us outsiders, the Clermont effect ran like clock-­

work, dutifully engulfing the city at the close of office hours every Friday as the entire city emptied, only to lift to our great relief late Sunday afternoon, with the unconcerned re-­ turn of staff, students and workers alike. At weekends, bored beyond belief, we inhabited a ghost town.

Bad enough spending my 20th birthday, my first full day there, in this urban paradise with only the company of my then boyfriend.

My friend status, despite my better efforts, did not then improve as I had anticipated. The Cl-­ ermontois, it would seem, do not appreciate the need for friends. This has since proven to be ironic, as the Clermontois at UEA this semester have been without exception, excel-­ lent conversation and friendly beyond belief.

What UEA does not prepare you for is the fact that these students made their friends in lycée, and have moved alongside them to their local university. Think of it like an ex-­ tended sixth form. They do not require more friends, nor will they willingly accept your ap-­ proaches.Unaccustomed to “les étrangers”, having no river providing a history of trade, and protectors of the second largest base of La Resistance, the Clermontois were not particularly enthusiastic towards an Aryan girl with a foreign accent. Beyond a handful of classmates I was on “Bonjour” terms with after the 5-­month semester, the vast major-­ ity of my friends were other Erasmus and ex-­ change students. These are the people who understand. They are going through exactly the same experiences as you. They are there when the world falls apart, and they help you piece it back together. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of these people. Hold onto them after you return home.

ple. There are also bars in Salamanca where you can smoke marijuana, Amsterdam style almost, as the laws on this drug are tolerant and seldom enforced here. A hard thing was leaving at Christmas knowing when you come back all your friends would be gone, but this was almost like having two different Erasmus experiences. The second semester brought so many other things to the table, for instance, af-­ ter my first week of sun, Salamanca turned into an Antarctic, colder than London. I discovered during the winter I was in one of the coldest regions in Spain. However, during the spring and summer it was scorching, which meant of course barbeques, even more football,more botellones, Spanish women out in mini faldas and outdoor swimming.

If you have the chance to do an Erasmus year or semester, take it and enjoy it. Second, take your absinthe (absente!) in one go or you wont finish it. Aguardiente is also a must try, the purer the better.

0RIYA 3HAH ON 4RONDHEIM .ORWAY

I

landed in Trondheim Airport on the day after New Year. Filled with anticipation of this journey I was itching to get life started in “the land of the Midnight Sun”. As my feet stepped in Scandina-­ via, I was suddenly aware it was absolutely freezing and a thought ran through my mind: “Am I cut out for this?” The first night was the only night I wondered why the hell I chose Norway as it was -­25 degrees, I was knee deep in snow and I already missed my Picnic choc-­ olate bars, which seemed so far away.

Those thoughts were pushed to the back of my mind as I awoke the next morning. Any home sickness had been dissolved and now it was time for my adventure. Wearing two pairs of tights, thick socks, ski boots, thick trousers and my scarf and hat I was ready to feel that chilly breeze whip against my face.

Looking across the street I saw those crazy Norwegians impervious to the cold with cheekbones which could cut through ice. I felt as though I had to do this for myself, and was determined to make the best of the situation.

Surely enough I started to meet international students from all over the world. We had a day orientation just for the international students and this ice breaker was fundamental to me as I felt so much better making friends.

This ERASMUS trip was an unbelievable period of my life. To have the opportunity to spend some time abroad and learn about new cultures was so exciting. On a personal level this became a period of soul searching and personal development. Being an international student is something you cannot understand until you live it. I had no expectations of Nor-­ way, and although we only got 2-­5 hours of sunlight a day it was growing on me. Trond-­

heim used to be the capital of Norway and just has 150,000 people residing there. It re-­ ally is a true stereotype that Norwegians are reserved and cold, but if you become friends with them, they are your friends for life as I have come to learn. The clubs and bars are open until after 3am and a nachspiel (drink-­ ing party after clubs close) is normally the way forward. It was delightful going to watch Rosenborg get a beating by Liverpool.

The best part of this journey was walking into the unknown. The international friends I made whist there I hold dear to me. At times they are like your family and are going through the same emotions you are. I am still in close contact with the friends I had there and the bonds of friendship were unique to Norway and our Erasmus trip together. You tend to immerse yourself in an international culture. I never knew how much of an ap-­ preciation I had with nature until I was in the midst of it all. Norway is such a beautiful country, filled with mystery through the fjords and mountainous greens which await you.

The untouched beauty is so simplistic yet so mystifying.

To have this experience is something many people are scared about. Being a Briton in Norway was something the Norwegians were fond of. This is a place where the mini-­ mum wage is approximately £12 an hour, their national food is frozen pizza (despite what they protest) and every family owns a Volvo. Looking up at the star studded sky eve-­ ry night, seeing the northern lights so close to me and being in this winter wonderland was just an experience of a lifetime that you cannot comprehend until you take the plunge and live it.

-JGFTUZMF

$PODSFUF Wednesday November 23 2005

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&UEL TO KEEP YOU GOING THIS WINTER !S WINTER ARRIVES IN .ORWICH 6ICTORIA ,EGGETT LOOKS INTO THE FOODS THAT MAY HELP YOU TO STAY HEALTHY AND HAPPY THIS SEASON

I

t’s official, the sub-­zero tempera-­ tures are here. Yep, it’s winter. And what does winter bring? Colds, flu and unhappy students. You can avoid, or at least reduce, these nas-­ ty seasonal side effects by eating the right things.

We all know that Vitamin C helps to ward off colds: drink-­ ing orange juice and sticking the odd tomato in your meals will go some way to preventing gruesome illnesses but there are plenty of other foods to build up your immune system this win-­ ter. Omega 3 rich foods also help to ward off the common cold -­ this can be found in oily fish, such as tuna, salmon or mackerel.

Garlic can also help to keep you healthy this winter, and not just because eating it will stop the boy or girl next door with a streaming cold from wanting to snog you. It contains a natural antibacterial to kill off unwanted germs.

Eating foods which are high in zinc, such as beef, chicken, oatmeal or wholegrains, actually increase the number of white blood cells in our bodies which can destroy flu-­causing viruses.

So next time you have a curry, make it a Chicken Biryani, rather than a Lamb Rogon Josh. Even the cereal you eat first thing in the morning can add to your defences against the winter.

Around this time of year, the Germans stock up on cabbage, and for good reason. Green leafy vegetables like cale (a type of cabbage, but we all knew that didn’t we?) and spinach are rich in iron which, when eaten together with Vitamin C rich foods, can further enhance your protection against colds. Keeping hydrated is also a major factor in preventing illness: drinking water or fruit juices regularly is a simple way to benefit your health.

The average person is expected to get two colds a year, so when you are struck down with a cold or, worse still, flu (and I mean proper flu, not a sneeze or two that makes you feel a little poorly) despite taking all these precau-­ tions, there are certain foods to avoid when full of phlegm. Dairy foods are thought to be mu-­ cus causing;; keeping clear of cheese, milk and yoghurt may help to reduce the yucky parts of

4HE BODY NEEDS CALORIES TO BURN IN ORDER TO PRODUCE HEAT FOOD REALLY IS FUEL your cold. However, some research has shown that eating low-­fat yoghurt on a daily basis can reduce your susceptibility to colds by up to 25% because it contains good bacteria which can stimulate the production of certain substances in the immune system. So eat lots of yoghurt each day, but as soon as you start sneezing, stop immediately. Easy.

‘Feed a cold, starve a fever’. It’s not just a catchy phrase. Dutch research has actually shown that eating assists the body in destroy-­ ing cold viruses. What better excuse do you need to gorge yourself this winter? The clas-­ sic lemon and honey drink may also help you when gripped by winter bugs, the lemon’s an-­ tibacterial properties can help with the germs and the honey and heat of the drink itself can soothe. Green tea contains antioxidants which, if gargled, can help to neutralise flu viruses in the throat. Chicken soup is also a genuine aid -­ it clears congestion by thinning mucus and increasing the number of white blood cells -­ whilst herbal teas, particularly ginger, liquorice

and sage are thought to help with the inflam-­ mation of a sore throat.

The key to keeping healthy this winter is keeping warm. The Department of Health ex-­ plains in the ‘Keep Warm, Keep Well’ campaign that there is a direct link between cold weather and a rise in the number of people getting ill: ‘Hot meals every day and regular hot drinks will give you extra warmth and energy’. Simply eat-­ ing warm food and drinking hot drinks is a step in the right direction: eating something hot cre-­ ates inner body heat. This can also be created by pulses and root vegetables as well as warm-­ ing spices such as ginger and cinnamon.

As with fighting the germs, simply eating is a big help. The body needs calories to burn in order to produce heat -­ food really is fuel. The process of digestion sends warmth signals to the body, encouraging blood flow to the extrem-­ ities -­ so your feet can stay toasty warm! Iron rich foods can help to keep you warm as well as preventing bugs, so start conditioning your body to like spinach. Iron produces the thyroid hormone which stimulates heat production.

And the final tip for keeping warm this winter is (please don’t shoot the messenger) avoiding alcohol. Despite the rosy glow it may give you, alcohol is a big hindrance to keeping warm. As well as dehydrating you, alcohol suppresses shivering, which is one of the body’s natural mechanisms for stabilising body temperature.

A

nother consequence of the all en-­ compassing darkness and cold weather of this season is the winter blues. Seasonal Affective Disorder (or S.A.D.) is becoming increasing-­ ly common. As the nights draw in, your energy levels decrease and enthusiasm disappears.

2ECIPE FOR CREAMY VEGETABLE PASTA This recipe is ideal for a cold winter’s night. The mushrooms and creme fraiche make a creamy base for the rich Panchetta and tangy red pepper.

Serves 4 and takes about 20 minutes to prepare and cook.

You will need:

A 200ml pot of Creme Fraiche

1 Courgette

Enough Rotini pasta (twists) for 4 people

250g Panchetta (or 6 rashers of diced bacon)

1 onion

6 Mushrooms

1 Red pepper

Salt & pepper to season

Olive oil for cooking

Optional: Ciabatta to serve.

1) Coarsely chop the vegetables.

2) Boil a saucepan of water for the pasta. Add salt to speed the boiling time.

3) Turn the hob to a fairly high heat then heat up olive oil in a frying pan or wok and add the onion.

4) Allow the onion to cook until slightly translucent and add the panchetta or bacon. Cook for five minutes -­ the bacon or pan-­ chetta should cook quite quickly as it is in small pieces.

5) Depending on how long the pasta should take to cook, add it to the boiling water. Consider that the recipe will take about ten more minutes from here.

6) Add the red pepper, mushrooms and courgette and cook until the courgette is soft.

7) Turn the hob down and pour in the creme fraiche. Allow to simmer until the creme fraiche changes colour. The creme fraiche will turn a mushroom-­type colour.

8) Season, then drain the pasta and add to the pan.

9) Mix until the pasta is covered and serve with roughly sliced ciabatta.

Some people believe what we eat can influ-­ ence our mood. Endorphins are chemicals in the brain that are responsible for positive moods.

They reduce stress and naturally repress pain signals, making you feel happier and more up-­ beat. Endorphins are found in various foods;; the most popular of these is chocolate, hence eating an entire box of chocolates at Christmas feels so good! Chilli peppers are another good producer of endorphins. It is thought that we crave carbohydrates like bread, pasta and po-­ tatoes in times of stress and unhappiness be-­ cause they affect the chemicals in our body, causing us to feel more relaxed and calm.

Fruit is also rich in carbohydrates, so when the stress of Christmas shopping gets to you and extraordinary traffic jams caused by snow cause tension, you can always reach for an ap-­ ple for comfort. And spicy foods in general are supposed to be a good source of energy when your enthusiasm is lacking.

So does that mean we should just give in to the urge to have a hot, spicy curry followed by some chocolate, safe in the knowledge that it’s good for us? Unfortunately not. Despite containing phenylethylamine which releases endorphins, the caffeine content of chocolate means that too much can actually add to the stress associated with the winter blues. Whilst drinks like cola, coffee and tea, which contain an abundance of caffeine, can produce short term lifts in mood and make you more alert, they have to be consumed in moderation.

As winter creeps up on us, it’s important we look after ourselves, especially now most of us can’t rely on Mum or Dad to make sure we’ve eaten properly. Staying warm, healthy and hap-­ py this winter may simply be a case of buying the right things at the supermarket.

18

$PODSFUF   Wednesday  November  23  2005

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he  place  to  start  making  a  dif-­ ference  is  at  home,  so  take  on  board  some  of  these  handy  tips Â

that  will  save  your  money  and  our  planet!

Water  bills  are  mounting  as  we  get  into  the  infamous  Norfolk  winter.  We  all  want  to  heat  up  in  a  hot  bath,  but  be  careful  as  you  could  be  gaining  hidden  costs  along Â

%NERGY SAVING GOES DOWN THE TOILET -ICHAEL #ROUCH REPORTS ON THE SURPRISING CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY INVOLVED IN WASTE WATER TREATMENT

I

f  you  drive  eastwards  along  the  A47,  you  will  often  notice  quite  a  strong  smell  at  about  the  point  you  pass  County  Hall  on  your  left.  That  smell  is  Whitlingham  Waste-­Water  Treatment  Works  (WWTW),  the  largest  works  in  the  Anglian  Water  region.  Â

the  way! Â

Make  a  note  of  these  cunning  tips:

*  Check  for  and Â ďŹ x  dripping  taps *  Turn  off  taps  if  you  do  not  need  them  e.g.  when  cleaning  teeth *  Favour  showers  instead  of  baths  where  possible *  Keeping  cool  water  in  the  fridge  means Â

3EWAGE TREATMENT PROCESS

you  won’t  have  to  run  a  tap  continually  to Â

Whitlingham  treats  all  of  the  waste-­water  from  Norwich  city;͞  that  is  to  say  sewage  and  indus-­ trial  efuents  and  water  from  storm  drains,  as  well  as  taking  water  from  a  large  area  of  sur-­ rounding  countryside,  extending  to  Hethersett  in  the  south-­west,  Helleson  to  the  north,  and  Brundall  to  the  east.  In  real  terms  this  means  the  works  deals  with  on  average  55  000m3  of  wastewater  a  day  (900  litres  a  second).  The  plant  has  to  cope  with  this  demand  24  hours  a  day  7  days  a  week:  it  is  never  ofine.

At  the  primary  treatment  stage,  up  to  a  tonne  of  grit  (originating  from  road  drains)  is  recovered  daily.  This  can  go  straight  back  to  the  local  council  for  use  in  icy  conditions.  The  plant  uses  a  type  of  Activated  Sludge  Digestion  known  as  Bio  P.  Bio  P  is  a  two-­stage  process,  the  second  process  using  aerobic  nitrifying  bacteria  to  break  down  ammonium  ions  in  the  sludge  to  nitrite,  which  is  a  useful  plant  ma-­ cronutrient.  The  resulting  product  is  then  heat  treated,  and  mixed  with  lime  to  kill  pathogens.   A  ‘cake’  is  formed  which  can  then  be  applied  to  local Â ďŹ elds  as  fertilizer,  thus  reducing  the  need  for  inorganic  fertilizers,  which  require  a  large  amount  of  energy  to  be  produced,  and  to  be  transported  due  to  their  bulk.   55%  of  Whitlingham’s  electricity  is  derived  from  an  on-­site  Combined  Heat  and  Power  (CHP)  plant.   Similar  to  UEA’s  CHP  plant  (which  is  powered  by  mains  gas),  Whitlingham’s  CHP  plant  is  powered  by  methane  produced  during  the  sludge  digestion  phase  –  poo  power!  The  plant  is  able  to  power  the  national  grid  at  times  when  unit  prices  are  high.  This,  and  the  result-­ ing  ‘Renewable  Objectives  CertiďŹ cates’,  make  money  for  Anglian  Water.

Up  until  the  mid-­1990s  most  sewage  sludge  in  the  UK  was  either  disposed  at  sea  or Â

&INAL TREATED @CAKE BEING DEPOSITED in  landďŹ ll.  Sea  disposal  was  then  made  illegal,  and  water  companies  are  being  encouraged  to  seek  alternatives  to  landďŹ ll.  By  employing  active  sludge  digestion,  CHP,  and  by  re-­using  grit,  An-­ glian  Water  at  Whitlingham  are  reducing  waste  and  recycling  useful  raw  materials  and  energy  in  a  true  embodiment  of  the  ‘Reduce,  Re-­use,  Recycle’  principle.   In  the  future  Anglian  Water  hope  to  build  a  gassiďŹ er  plant  at  Whitlingham,  which  will  en-­ able  the  production  of  natural  gas  from  sewage  sludge.  This  will  further  enhance  the  efďŹ ciency  of  the  CHP  plant,  and  make  landďŹ ll  of  sludge  a  thing  of  the  past.

get  cold  water

#AUSE AND CONSEQUENCE

*  Think  about  how  much  toilet  cleaner  and  bleach  is  ushed  down  the  loo  -­  the  chemicals  do  affect  the  water  course *  The  average  washing  machine  uses  95  litres  of  water  per  cycle.  Using  a  full  load  uses  less  energy,  less  water  and  costs  less  overall  than  washing  half  loads.  The  same  can  be  applied  to  dishwashers *  Flushing  the  loo  can  use  around Â ďŹ fteen  litres  of  water.  Placing  a  brick  in  the  cistern  or  using  a  hippo  from  the  water  company  can  lead  to  considerable  sav-­ ings.  Toilet  cisterns  manufactured  after  1993  usually  use  less  water  per  ush  *  Think  of  ways  that  you  could  effectively  use  ‘grey  water’,  from  cooking  or Â ďŹ sh  tanks  for  example.  This  can  often  be  used  for  watering  plants  and  in  the  garden

4HIS YEAR S ,AUNCELOT &LEMING ,ECTURE 3ERIES FOLLOWED CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH THE EYES OF 0RO FESSOR 3IR *OHN ,AWTON

S

et  in  Norwich  Cathedral,  Profes-­ sor  Sir  John  Lawton  introduced  the  science  and  history  behind  cli-­ mate  change  to  a  mixed  audience  of  old-­timers  and  the  young.

Now  Chair  of  the  Royal  Com-­ mission  on  Environmental  Pollution,  Sir  Las-­ ton  is  a  man  respected  in  this Â ďŹ eld.  His  main  point  was  to  stress  that  the  melting  of  sea-­ice,  glaciers,  permafrost  and  land  ice  sheets  are  ob-­ servations,  not  predictions  as  the  media  have  often  interpreted.  He  described  our  current  abuse  of  our  atmosphere  as  “conducting  a  completely  un-­ planned  experiment  on  the  only  planet  we  can  inhabitâ€?,  adding  with  a  wry  smile:  “I  think  that’s  probably  a  bad  idea.â€?

He  delivered  an  easily  accessible  talk  on Â

0ROFESSOR 3IR *OHN ,AWTON the  major  implications  of  our  continuing  to  re-­ lease  emissions  at  our  current  rates,  carefully  explaining  that  once  we’ve  started  the  ball  roll-­ ing,  positive  feedback  in  our  environment  will  accelerate  our  problems.  Albedo  (that  is,  the  Earth’s  ability  to  reect  the  Sun’s  rays),  will  decrease  as  the  melt  con-­

tinues,  thereby  absorbing  more  of  the  sun’s  en-­ ergy  and  increasing  melt  rates.  Our  soils  also  contain  a  great  deal  of  car-­ bon  and  with  the  melting  of  permafrost  this  ancient  carbon  will  be  released  into  our  atmos-­ phere.  Carbon  locked  in  organic  matter  will  also  have  an  accelerated  method  of  release  as  decomposition  occurs  faster  in  warmer  condi-­ tions,  so  with  global  warming  it  will  be  acceler-­ ated,  leading  to  further  release  of  carbon  into  the  system. “Climate  change  is  a  bigger  threat  than  ter-­ rorism.  That  needs  to  be  recognised.â€?  Profes-­ sor  Sir  John  concluded  with  his  political  views.  He  put  in  plain  words  his  opinion  that  govern-­ ment  has  a  “speciďŹ c  role  to  create  clear  targets  for  industry  and  households  to  followâ€?.  He  questioned  the  different  points  that  politicians  make,  saying  “I  sometimes  think  politicians  think  they  can  walk  on  water.  They’re  going  to  have  to  soon!â€?  His  main  objection  to  the  poli-­ tics  of  climate  change  were  targeted  at  the  US,  whose  “administration’s  laid  back  attitude  is  deeply,  deeply  immoralâ€?.

The  lecture  highlighted  just  how  much  we  could  achieve  with  existing  technologies,  and  that  logically  domestic  energy  should  be  the  easiest  to  reduce  with  the  most  beneďŹ ts  to  the  environment. Â

$PODSFUF   Wednesday   November  23  2005

19

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/FFSETTING OR REDUCTION

35--%$ 50 Crop  subsidies  received  by  the  state  of Â

#AN A CERTIlCATE REALLY MAKE YOUR CAR A @COOLING CAR 4REES FOR THE &UTURE CLAIM THAT PLANTING TREES TO TAKE UP THE CARBON DIOXIDE EMITTED BY TRANSPORT CAN REVERSE CLIMATE CHANGE %URI 6IDAL AND -ARK (IRONS REPORT

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his  is  an  interesting  claim  given  that  the  International  Panel  on  Climate  Change  (IPCC)  predict  increasing  global  temperatures  well  into  the  next  century.  So  what  role  does  carbon  off-­ setting,  or  tree  planting,  have  in  mitigating  climate  change?   A  return  ight  from  London  to  Paris  is  re-­ leases  0.12  tonnes  of  CO2  into  the  atmosphere.  The  on-­line  company  futureforests.com  allows  us  to  calculate  this  amount  with  their  carbon-­ neutral  calculator,  and  tells  us  that  for  this  ight  we  need  to  plant  one  tree  in  a  place  of  our  choice,  amongst  which  we  can Â ďŹ nd  Norfolk’s  Hemp  Meadow  Wood.

The  more  we  y,  the  more  trees  we  should  plant  to  offset  the  carbon  emissions  produced  by  our  carbon  intensive,  industrially-­based  life-­ styles  by Â ďŹ xing  it  back  into  the  carbon  cycle.  If  you  pay  for  your  offset  the  company  sends  you  a  map  of  the  location  of  your  tree  and  informa-­ tion  about  your  forest  and  a  certiďŹ cate  with  a  personal  dedication  if  you  plant  for  someone  else.  Alternatively,  you  can  purchase  any  of  their  wide  range  of  products,  such  as  cards  and  toys  for  children,  and  part  of  the  proďŹ ts  made  still  go  to  tree  planting.  Other  companies  such  as  carboncare.org  offer  us  the  option  of  going  carbon  neutral  by  using  our  economic  contri-­ bution  to  invest  in  greener  technologies  in  de-­ veloping  countries.  This  means  that  communi-­ ties  there  can  develop  in  a  sustainable  way,  and  avoid  releasing  huge  amounts  of  carbon  diox-­ ide  as  they  acquire  more  comfortable  lifestyles.  For  example,  in  Honduras  home  energy  reduc-­ tion  is  achieved  through  the  purchase  of  energy  efďŹ cient  stoves.  If  carbon  neutral  schemes  contribute  to  a  reduction  in  carbon  emissions,  tree  planting  seems  a  good  way  to  get  rid  of  the  carbon  di-­ oxide  that  is  contributing  to  warming  the  Earth  and  –  thinking  locally  –  we  can  ensure  sustain-­ ability  for  the  Norfolk  forests.  However,  for  the  scheme  to  work,  the  trees  must  reach  old  age  so  that  they  can  absorb  enough  carbon  dioxide  to  offset  our  emissions.  In  this  regard  Maria  Dyson,  who  is  part  of  the  Friends  of  the  Earth  (FoE)  Information  team,  says  the  envi-­ ronmental  group  is  reluctant  to  support  tree  planting  projects.  This  is  because  of  “the  lack  of  guarantee  about  what  happens  to  the  trees  in  the  future,  as  they  could  be  cut  down  and Â

Nebraska  over  the  last  10  years  (72%  of  which  went  to  10%  of  the  largest  cooperate  farms)  = Â

The  amount  of  money  President  Bush  has  asked  Congress  to  approve  for  emer-­ gency  u  preparation  funds  (the  virus  that  has  infected  130  and  killed  67)  =

Amount  of  money  needed  to  support  the  international Â ďŹ ght  against  AIDS  over  the  next  two  years  (of  which  only  $3.7  billion  $O TREE PLANTING SCHEMES HAVE A SIGNIlCANT EFFECT IN OFSETTING #/ USE burnt  later,  thereby  releasing  carbon  back  into  the  atmosphereâ€?.  FoE  also  adds  that  trees  and  other  biomass  can  get  diseases  and  die  as  they  are  “short  term  stores  and  are  vulnerable  to  a  changing  environmentâ€?.  Moreover,  the  environmental  group  found  that  in  at  least  one  case  “these  projects  are Â ďŹ -­ nancing  tree  planting  that  would  happen  any-­ way,  thus  [there  is]  no  environmental  gainâ€?.  It  adds  that  some  industrialised  nations  such  as  Australia,  Canada,  Japan  and  Russia  particu-­ larly  use  tree-­planting  schemes  to  “avoid  in-­ ternational  obligations  to  reduce  carbon  emis-­ sions  and  pay  other  countries  to  plant  trees  as  a  way  of  carbon  tradingâ€?.  FoE  acknowledges  the  importance  of  schemes  which  aim  to  pro-­ tect  and  improve  forested  areas  –  “not  least  to  climate  change  and  biodiversityâ€?  –  but  because  of  the  uncertainties  and  loopholes  that  carbon  offsetting  involves,  it  believes  that  these  argu-­ ments  should  not  be  used  to  ignore  the  need  to  achieve  “a  real  cut  in  carbon  emissions  in  the  westâ€?.

Tree-­planting  is  therefore  not  the Â ďŹ nal  so-­ lution  to  climate  change.  Marcus  Armes  for  CRed  (the  Carbon  Reduction  action  group  who  work  in  partnership  with  UEA’s  Environment  Department),  agrees  with  FoE  in  rejecting  tree-­ planting  because  it  also  involves  hidden  costs:  “70%  of  FutureForests  revenue  goes  to  admin-­ istrative  costs,â€?  he  says.  However,  they  strongly  support  projects  which  involve  investment  in  green  technology.  Mr  Armes  is  also  part  of  a  pioneer  project  at  Norwich  International  Airport  which  aims  “to Â

&ORESTS AND WOODLANDS ANOTHER TEMPORARY SOLUTION

offset  the  environmental  costs  of  ightsâ€?.  This  would  be  achieved  by  levying  a  tax  on  ights  “proportionate  to  the  length  of  the  journey  and  the  carbon  dioxide  emittedâ€?,  and  which  will  al-­ ways  be  “entirely  at  the  discretion  of  the  pas-­ sengerâ€?.  This  scheme  attempts  to  raise  public  –  and  particularly  the  traveller’s  –  awareness  of  carbon  emissions.  It  hopes  to  invest  in  pro-­ grammes  to  reduce  emissions,  not  through  tree-­planting  but  by  investing  in  environmental  education.  The  project  intends  to  reach  homes  in  Nor-­ wich  by  “installing  renewable  technologies  in  schoolsâ€?.  The  programme  could  also  use  the  revenue  in  other  offset  options  such  as  better  and  more  environmentally  friendly  house  in-­ sulation  for  older  people.  The  scheme  would  serve  to  market  the  airport’s  product  and  allow  it  to  “gain  commercial  advantage  from  being  seen  as  socially  and  environmentally  responsi-­ ble  companyâ€?.  It  would  also  set  an  example  for  other  airports  and  airlines.

When  asked  whether  people  should  stop  ying  to  cut  emissions,  Mr.  Armes  said  that  they  need  “to  work  in  the  real  world  and  not  tell  people  they  should  do  this  or  thatâ€?.  Revers-­ ing  the  effects  of  climate  change  is,  after  all,  a  matter  of  changing  our  lifestyles  to  match  the  Earth’s  environmental  limit.  In  this  regard,  Mr.  Armes  sees  gift  purchasing  from  carbon  neu-­ tral  companies  as  a  good  option  “if  we  are  go-­ ing  to  buy  Christmas  cards  anywayâ€?.  He  also  pointed  out  that  if  we  are  going  to  make  a  trip  from  London  to  New  York,  we  have  to  accept  the  need  to  y.  Louise  Hazan  from  People  and  Planet  ar-­ gues  that  the  best  thing  we  can  do  in  that  case  is  offset  our  contribution  to  global  warming  by  tree  planting  –  Armes  says  that  if  we  are  travel-­ ling  from  London  to  Paris,  maybe  we  should  try  to  take  the  train.

So,  environmental  groups  and  climate  change  specialists  won’t  support  it,  we’ll  y  and  buy  Christmas  cards  regardless;Íž  is  an  ar-­ ticle  about  carbon  offsetting  even  worth  the  paper  it’s  written  on?  Such  an  ironic  quagmire  is  bound  to  provoke  discussion  –  whether  you  argue  its  validity  or  stupidity,  perhaps  next  time  you  y  you  will  consider  the  cost  to  the  environ-­ ment. Â

has  been  raised,  while  3  million  died  last  year)  =

BILLION Amount  of  raw  sewage  sludge  produced  in  the  UK  each  year  (30%  of  which  ends  up  in  the  sea  after  treatment)  =

Amount  of  oil  consumed  by  the  UK’s        industrial  sector  =

Amount  of  annual  carbon  emissions  that  could  be  saved  if  UK  car  use  was  halved  (the  equivalent  savings  of  covering  the  UK,  France  and  Germany  in  trees)  =  Â

M TONNES Number  of  hydro  plants  in  Europe  =

Number  of  different  chemicals  found  in  main  brand  tobacco  =

Number  of  different  mammal  species  on  Earth  =

20 $0..&/5

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) VE GOT MY

$PODSFUF Wednesday November 23 2005

HOUR DRINKING WILL BE GOOD FOR US ALL

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At what age are we grown up? At 16 we’re still at school, earning a pittance at our Satur-­ day job and even if we were earning loads we wouldn’t be able to go to the pub to spend it anyway. Understandably parents still treat us like the adolescents we are. What about 18?

We’re now considered old enough to go to the pub and we can vote. Very grown up. But our tendency to drink ourselves into oblivion, vomit in unmentionable places and fall asleep on the nearest flat surface still suggests a need for a post-­teenage hand of guidance.

But once we’re in our twenties, surely we’re old enough to be treated like adults. We’re no longer teenagers;; no longer plagued by reputa-­ tions of terrorising our neighbours and smok-­ ing behind bike sheds. Does that make our parents suddenly think ‘let’s let them live their own lives, they’re responsible’. In some cases yes.

We’re now expected to earn our own mon-­ ey and more importantly look after that money.

Particularly at university, we have to juggle food bills, book costs, accommodation and make a responsible decision about whether we can af-­ ford to go out three or four times each week.

We have to plan our own lives;; parents aren’t there to tell us that we’re off to Auntie Marge’s on Thursday and have a dentist appointment on Monday at half three. If our teeth rot it’s because we didn’t look after them;; if we find ourselves triple-­booked and are unable to de-­ cide who to let down -­ the lecturer who you’ve arranged to meet about an essay, your morbid friend who is once again contemplating the meaning of life, or your housemate who fan-­ cies a curry -­ they can’t help, it’s our life.

So why on the other hand can’t we get our navels pierced or have a tattoo without disap-­ proving looks and being told “if it goes scep-­ tic, don’t come crying to me”. Why have I been stopped from seeing a band because they’re playing in Manchester and it’s too dangerous to drive there in February without an adult?!

OK, so we are still susceptible to the odd prob-­ lem. Yes, I did forget to go to work a couple of weeks ago, and I do frequently lose library books, keys and anything else not nailed down.

But that’s a memory problem, you get that even when you’re 70, only then it’s called se-­ nility. It ultimately all comes down to the fact that they’re the adults and we’re their children.

University actually elongates our time spent as dependents because we still have to go home each academic holiday and still have to run to them when our loan doesn’t quite stretch far enough. And they love it!

Can’t the government pass some sort of legislation saying “at this age your children are officially grown-­up, leave them alone”. It would save a lot of let downs each time you pass an-­ other mile-­stone age and still find a power-­mad parent standing in your way.

For those of us who love drunken debauchery, the dreaming is nearly over. Soon we will reach paradise, and it will be more beautiful than we had ever dared to hope. Even if it’s rubbish, who cares? We’ll all have beer-­goggles on. Imagine how many more adventures you can clock up during the extra hours of drinking that the Gov-­ ernment are finally granting us. You can pull two or three times more ugly people. You can be sick in interesting places or on interesting people at least twice a week, if not more. You can phone the object of your desire with even higher confidence in your powers of seduction.

Oh yes me beauties, you can get on the wrong bus enough times that the driver will know your name and invite you to the Christmas party. The day of wreck-­oning is here.

However, new drinking hours mean higher standards for what constitutes an adventure.

Being sick can surely no longer be called an act of heroic drunkenness. Passing out on the toi-­ let floor is sure to become part of the routine.

Put simply, we must now reach the highest lev-­ els of bodily malfunction in order to hold our spinning heads high in the following morning’s lecture. We all know what this means: we must adopt the practices of that rare breed of drinker.

The bed-­wetter. Or, given time to perfect a total loss of control over our bodies, the self-­defeca-­

tor. That’s right. Few people have ever seen someone get so drunk that they fouled them-­ selves in the most unutterable way. It’s the top banana, the cream of the crop, the wrecked an-­ tic to end all others. As Snoop Dogg would say: it’s the shizzle.

Allow me to tell a tale of one such incident that I was fortunate enough to witness. After a night out in one of Stockport’s finest night-­ clubs, The Bamboo ‘til 2, a close friend perched wobblingly on top of the wall outside the ke-­ bab shop, lamenting his rotten luck that the 45-­year-­old woman with whom he had shared a few stolen kisses had had to leave early in order to “relieve her babysitter”. Suddenly, my blurred eyes managed to focus on him, only to behold a slowly broadening wet-­patch forming on the wall beneath where he was sitting. A wave of elation swept over me. He had done it.

He had reached the drinking equivalent of Mec-­ ca. Needless to say, I broadcast the news with enough volume that every single person within a five-­mile radius would benefit from it, with a statement of Neil Armstrong-­esque profundity: “Look everyone, he’s pi***d himself!!!”

Ah, a simpler time! One that, with the relax-­ ation of licensing hours, we can all look forward to. Indeed, thanks to video-­phones, similar sights will surely become common, not only on the steps outside the LCR, but on small-­screens across campus, as curiously named Bluetooth-­ ers grace us with an endless wealth of urine-­ soaked revellers. About time, too. Those pesky Tories tried to stop it with their typically pes-­

simistic bleating, but no wonder. The Butler will already top up your Port at four in the morning, as long as you ring the bell. Medical “experts” came out with their usual doom and gloom predictions, blatantly just because they might have to do a bit more work for their hundred thousand pound salaries. Yet despite all this spoil-­sportedness, fun won the day. The drinks, as it were, are on the House.

But hang on;; I have been told I have to put in some token gibberish about harming your body, and making society slightly uncomfort-­ able for people who don’t want their front gar-­ den to smell like a urinal. Apparently, drinking to the point of soiled trousers, especially on a regular basis, can do nasty things to your liver.

And you might die a bit younger. Oh, and there was something about getting arrested for be-­ ing drunk and disorderly or some other stupid police word for “having fun”. And something called “drink-­violence”, which is when you meet another wrecked person who kindly offers to re-­ arrange your face for you, or liberate your wal-­ let, or rape you or something.

Fair play, a few bad things can happen to you when you’ve had a few scoops. That same bloke who hilariously lost control of his bladder had another great laugh when a fellow drinker took a cricket bat to his head. A few stitches later and it was all put down to adventure. An adventure we might all be fortunate enough to experience ourselves in the coming months as drinking hours are extended. At least we won’t remember it.

(URRAH FOR THE HOURGLASS lGURE "Y "%#+9 -!9(%7

I am one of those young women who are the proud, if not slightly tentative owners of what is fondly known as the ‘Hourglass’ figure. In this current climate, when the hourglass seems to be making a comeback in the media and vari-­ ous glossy mags are advocating the virtues of the ‘fuller figure’ in favour of Twiglet-­like stat-­ ures, I could cry “Hurrah! At last, I may walk down the road without worrying that people can still see me when I pass behind lampposts, or that I don’t find stepping over drains a prob-­ lem, or that a sudden breeze won’t plunge me into the depths of unfathomable peril! I can be myself again! The Hourglass is socially accept-­ able! Hurrah!”

I may cry ‘hurrah’ several more times be-­ cause you see I am pleased and delighted that the media is finally publicly rejoicing in the fuller figure: even that stud-­muffin of Saturday nights, Michael Parkinson, praised Charlotte Church on her ample stature a couple of week-­ ends ago, voicing his delight, in not a pervy way at all, at the current cultural celebration of the hourglass.

I have never understood the whole “If You’re

Wider Than A Piece of String, Lose Weight Im-­ mediately” thing. Fair enough if you’re naturally thin, that’s excellent, but if you have an hour-­ glass, why should you have to lose weight?

What’s wrong with a bit of variety? If God had intended us all to be the same, thin size, he wouldn’t have made a chunky version of the Kit Kat. And the standard of thinness portrayed in the media is impossible and surely undesirable anyway, at least from the point of view of the Hourglass. We have been subjected to what ap-­ pear to be living and breathing Twiglets on tel-­ evision and in films and magazines, and, aside from anything else, it can really be very mislead-­ ing. Are we Hourglasses really expected to look at these Twiglets and think, “Hmm, I’d like to look like that”, as we reach inside the fridge for the third chocolate mousse of the evening?

Why? Why should an Hourglass have to look like that? This is something I have never un-­ derstood: the emphasis on looking like a Pep-­ perami rather than eating them seems peculiar to me. I am glaringly aware that I am treading dangerous ground here, as talk of weight will inevitably raise the subject of eating disorders, which are, of course, very serious things and I am not at all attempting to make light of them – I am just trying to convey my belief that those women who have the ‘fuller’ figure, as it were,

should not try and lose it.

Of course, we all know, deep down, that the hourglass figure has never been socially frowned upon. When these Twiglets parade around on the television, and pose for demure, heavily made-­up pictures in magazines, I would live dangerously and say that there are actually very few Hourglasses who really, really want to look like that. We may smile hesitantly and mur-­ mur “Er…yes…very attractive”, and perhaps add “bitch”, and look wearily down at our bottoms which seem to be taking up both seats on the sofa and maybe a bit of the floor. But if we’re honest with ourselves, we will do nothing of the sort because we don’t want to look like that. We don’t want to run the risk of being blown to the floor every time someone sneezes in Leaming-­ ton Spa, or dissolving when it rains. We want to be warm in the winter, we want to be able to get away with not bringing a cushion on a picnic because our bums do the work for us;; we want to be friends with the double chocolate gateau and the pizza and the rainbow rows of choco-­ laty treats in the newsagents. I know I do.

So I say, if you’ve got an hourglass, keep it.

And hurrah that people are realising the virtues of it. That it is surely better than being eaten alive because someone thought you were a Twiglet.

-&55&34 &%*503*"-

$PODSFUF  Wednesday  November  23  2005

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4HE DRUGS ISSUE

I  am  writing  about  the  confusion  over  the  drugs  sur-­ vey.  Your  paper  noted  that  two  of  the  students  who  partici-­ pated  had  tried  ‘zcb’.  This  is  a  typo.  The  substance  is  known  as  2cb.  It  is  a  Psychedelic  Phenethylamine,  a  synthetic  hallucinogen  whose  full  name  is  4-­bromo-­2,5-­dimeth-­ oxyphenethylamine.  It  was  introduced  in  the  1980s  as  an  alternative  to  ecstasy.  It  produces  a  unique  ex-­ perience,  although  its  effects Â

are  similar  to  those  of  lsd  and  mushrooms.  As  well  as  a  psychedelic  rearrangement  of  reality  there  is  a  sense  of  mild  euphoria;Íž  the  buzz  is  similar  to  that  of  cocaine  or  speed.  There  is  an  awful  lot  going  on  at  once.  2cb  can  be  taken  orally  –  snorting  it  is  extremely  painful,  although  the  effects  come  on  far  quicker  and  the  sensations  are  more  intense.  The  trip  is  much  more  con-­ trolled  and  more  emotionally Â

detached  than  other  hallu-­ cinogens,  although  as  with  other  hallucinogenic  drugs  objects  shift  about  and  seem  to  breathe,  colours  are  far  more  vivid  than  they  would  be  normally  and  patterns  emerge  and  grow  out  and  towards  you  from  seemingly  plain  surfaces.  Other  than  the  effects  of  the  drug  on  its  own  it  is  also  an  enhancer,  so  taking  2cb  will  enhance  the  effects  of  what  has  already  been  taken Â

as  well  as  producing  its  own.  The  trip  lasts  for  up  to  six  hours  with  the Â ďŹ rst  being  the  most  intense  before  the  expe-­ rience  levels  off  to  something  more  sane.  Nausea,  anxiety  and  mild  disorientation  are  common  side  effects.

"OHVT ,JOH 1)* In  your  drug  issue,  you  asked  for  any  information  regarding  the  drug  ‘ZCB’  as  you  were  unsure  about  it.  It  is Â

actually  called  2CB  and  it  is  a  powder  that  acts  as  a  halluci-­ nogen,  the  intensity  of  which  varies  with  how  much  you  consume.  It  can  also  be  used  as  an  enhancer  when  mixed  with  other  drugs,  for  example  to  heighten  the  feeling  of  a  line  of  cocaine.  This  drug  was  legally  imported  from  the  States  via  the  internet  some  time  ago,  however  its  current  legal  sta-­ tus  is  probably  different. %BOJFM 8BSS 14*

0ARTY POLITICS My  position  as  an  impartial  lecturer  in  human  rights  law  precludes  me  from  any  substantive  comment  on  Sean  Newman’s  letter  about  ID  cards  (9th  Nov).  I  would  be  grateful  however  if  he  could  tell  us  where  to Â ďŹ nd  details  of  “[his]  party,  New  Labourâ€?.  I  have  tried  without  success  but  can  only Â ďŹ nd  one  called  “The  Labour  Partyâ€?  at  http://www.labour. org.uk/home.  As  they  say  in  the  pages  of  “Private  Eyeâ€?:  are Â

these  two  parties  in  any  way  related?  %BWJE .FBE -"8 A  letter  in  issue  181  criti-­ cised  ‘Andy  Higson’s  Rabbit’  as  representing  a  conict  of  interests  between  the  Com-­ munication  OfďŹ cer’s  job  and  his  personal  political  activities  as  an  active  member  of  the  Liberal  Democrats.  I  wrote  a  letter  to  Concrete  last  year  arguing  a  very  similar  point, Â

Cherie  Blair  didn’t  so  much  open  a  can  of  worms  as  dive  right  in  with  them  when  she  admitted  to  Counsel  magazine  last  week  that  she  would  have  ended  up  working  in  a  shop  if  she  had  been  forced  to  pay  for Â

her  university  education.

While  Concrete  (which  has  spent  much  of  its  adult  life  working  in  shops)  sees  nothing  wrong  with  a  career  in  retail,  it  is  apparent  that  our  generation  is  to  be  denied  the  privileges  that  got  the  power-­ ful  to  where  they  are  today.

$EPUTY %DITOR CONCRETE EDITORIAL UEA AC UK *AMES #ONWAY #HIEF #OPY %DITOR CONCRETE EDITORIAL UEA AC UK 3ARAH -ABLEY .EWS %DITOR CONCRETE NEWS UEA AC UK )SABEL $YSON 2EPORTERS ,EIGH "ISSETT *ULIA "RADSHAW *ACQUI "URGOYNE -ATT "URLAND !NDY *UDSON ,EE !NNE 2ICHARDS &EATURES %DITOR CONCRETE FEATURES UEA AC UK 3IMON 3HERIDAN 7RITERS 2EBECCA (UNT &ELICITY +AY 6ICTORIA ,EGGETT "ECKY -AYHEW 0RIYA 3HAH -ATT 3HOESMITH 4URF %DITOR CONCRETE TURF UEA AC UK (ANNAH .EWTON

yet  I  now  believe  this  view  to  be  unfounded.

Our  Student  Union  beneďŹ ts  greatly  from  having  members  and  ofďŹ cers  who  are  motivated  and  driven  to  bring  about  positive  change  at  a  lo-­ cal,  national  and  global  level.  Some  of  these  people  remain  independent  from  political  parties  (their  reasons  are  totally  understandable),  but  some  choose  party  politics,  as  a  way  amongst  many,  to  chan-­ nel  their  idealism.

I  hope  we  don’t  see  a  return  to  political  ‘tit  for  tat  parroting’  on  these  pages  and  I  call  on  members  of  differ-­ ent  parties  to  engage  in  real,  informed  and  respectable  de-­ bate,  but  I  do  not  think  being  a  member  of  a  political  party  necessarily  inhibits  a  Union  OfďŹ cer’s  ability  to  do  a  good  job,  not  at  all.

Furthermore,  it  is  because  of  my  political  views  and  idealism  that  I  oppose  the  ID  cards  scheme,  and  because Â

of  the  same  such  views  that  I  joined  the  Green  Party  (who,  along  with  other  groups  including  Norwich  Anarchists  and  NO2ID,  also  oppose  ID  cards),  not  the  other  way  round.  I  don’t  oppose  ID  cards  simply  because  I  am  a  member  of  the  Green  Party:  the  views  come Â ďŹ rst,  the  party  second.  I  suspect  that  the  same  is  true  for  Andy  and  the  Liberal  Democrats. +BDL (VFTU 14*

#ORRECTION

#HERIE ON FEES

21

#HARLES #LARKE AT 5%!

Charles  Clarke’s  participation  in  a  DebateSoc  event  at  UEA  was  a  rare  opportunity  for  stu-­ dents  to  see  close  up  some  of  the  skills  that  make  the  proc-­ ess  of  debate  and  comment  so Â

vital  to  our  society.   It  is  a  credit  to  the  propos-­ ing  team  that  they  won  the  debate,  entitled  Is  Democracy  on  its  Back  in  Britain,  against  such  an  experienced  speaker.  Perhaps  Mr  Clarke  will  take  some  of  their  criticisms  back  to  Parliament?

The  article  ‘Response  to  “undemocraticâ€?  Sports  As-­ sociation  Fee’  in  Concrete  Issue  182  implied  that  BUSA Â ďŹ xtures  no  longer  take  place  on  Wednesday  afternoons.  This  is  not  the  case.  BUSA  matches  are  still  played  on  Wednesdays,  but  block Â ďŹ x-­ tures  have  been  replaced  by  merit  leagues.

7RITERS %URI 6IDAL -ARK (IRONS -ICHAEL #ROUCH 4RAVEL %DITOR

CONCRETE FASHIONLIFESTYLE UEA AC UK

0RIYA 3HAH

7RITERS $ANIEL !JISAFE *ESSICA 4ROWBRIDGE &OOD %DITOR

CONCRETE FASHIONLIFESTYLE UEA AC UK

*OANNA ,AMBERT

7RITER 6ICTORIA ,EGGETT 3PORT %DITOR CONCRETE SPORT UEA AC UK ,OUIS (OLDING 0ARSONS 7RITERS 7ILL !LFORD 3IMON !RCHER !DAM "ARRETT -ARCUS *ONES (ANNAH -AXEY /LIVER 3TEWARD *EMMA 4HAKE #ARTOONISTS 0AUL ,ABOND 'OZEY 0ROOFREADING &IONA "ILLINGS 3ANNAH -ALIK !DVERTISING CONCRETE ADVERTISING UEA AC UK !NNA 3TEWARD $ISTRIBUTION .ICHOLAS +ENT

#ONCRETE

0/ "/8 ./27)#( ./2&/,+ .2 4" #ONCRETE IS PUBLISHED BY 55%!3 #ONCRETE 3OCIETY Š #ONCRETE )33. ,ETTERS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE %DITOR 3ARAH %DWARDES ,ETTERS MUST INCLUDE CONTACT DETAILS BUT WE WILL CONSIDER ANONYMOUS PUBLICATION 7E RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT FOR LENGTH AND CLARITY AS NECESSARY /PINIONS EXPRESSED ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE 0UBLISHER OR %DITOR 5SE OF THE NAME 4HE %VENT IS BY ARRANGEMENT WITH THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS 0LANET :OG ,TD .O PART OF THIS NEWSPAPER MAY BE REPRODUCED THROUGH ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE %DITOR 0RINTED BY !RCHANT

22

41035

$PODSFUF Wednesday November 23 2005

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Roy Keane’s departure from Manchester United not only brings an end to the career of one of United’s fi nest ever players but also leaves a huge hole in the playing staff.

Or so we are led to believe.

Is Keane really that much of a loss to United? What has he, in the fi rst three months of this season, given United that they will miss so greatly now he’s gone?

The simple facts read that Keane is 34, prone to niggling injuries, arguably past his best and, with regard to his MUTV blasting of a number of his team, a disruptive infl uence on the team. In his four Pre-­ miership starts this season Keane’s performances in try-­ ing to infl uence both the game

and his team mates as he did so magnifi cently in years gone by have, whilst being impres-­ sively abundant in effort, had the air of the naïve man clutch-­ ing to the plane wing as it dives into the sea, in the futile hope the plane will rise again before impact. In essence, he has given nothing.

It is the end of an era for United. With the worrying passing of the best of both Giggs and Scholes, the domi-­ nating team of the 90s is slowly breaking up. United are now a team evolving around the exciting attack strengths of Rooney, van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo. Whilst Keane has tried to cultivate the same grit and determination of the old team into the new generation, one cannot help but sense the “in my day…” cliché. Gary Neville is the best-­suited play-­ er around which to perform the transition;; professional,

hard working and adaptable.

And would he criticise his team mates so openly in the media?

It is perhaps no coinci-­ dence that United trail Chel-­ sea by some distance and Keane has had a limited role this season. But it is arguable that a slowing, ageing Keane would have made precious lit-­ tle difference. Whilst United have lacked his leadership and infl uence, they probably have not lacked his football-­ ing skills. Yes, United need an-­ other Keane-­style player, but was Keane really still the great player he once was and there-­ fore so badly required?

Will he leave a hole? In character and presence there is no denying this. But United have needed a new, younger Keane for over a year now. This is just the somewhat shock-­ ing, but rightful, ending of a supreme career at United.

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At the beginning of the fi nal day, England had a maximum of ninety overs to acquire the required runs for victory. This was equivalent to a run rate of two an over. However, it appeared that this fact had not been communicated to the English batsmen, who ap-­ peared to be trying to go at double that speed. As a result, rash strokes were played and England lost with over a ses-­ sion to spare.

The wickets of Flintoff and Pieterson in the second innings are prime examples of glory shots which were not needed in the situation. With-­ out wishing to sound all Boy-­ cott, all England had to do was block the good deliveries and look for ones and twos. In this situation, we needed a player from the mould of Thorpe or Hussain to knuckle down and grind out the victory. It is all

$ANISH +ANEIRA WHO TOOK FOUR %NGLISH WICKETS very well to say that our bats-­ mens’ natural game is to at-­ tack, but they have to be able to adapt to the circumstances of the match. In Multan, a more diligent approach was needed.

England are not without precedent on this point. As recently as the fourth test this summer at Trent Bridge, Eng-­ land went gung-­ho towards chasing a small total when they had time to spare. Eng-­ land only just scraped home that day. It was too big a task

to repeat the same trick in the more demanding settings this time around.

The quicker run rate of the modern game has undoubted-­ ly made test cricket much more exciting. Ultimately though, if a bit of old fashioned grit and determination is required to win a match, then England have to be prepared to sacri-­ fi ce the spectacle in return for a hard-­fought win. Hopefully, the lesson of Multan will serve this young England side well for future years.

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Norwich City 2 Luton Town 0 Norwich City eased the ten-­ sion on their manager with a vital win over Luton Town on Saturday.

The pressure had been mounting on Nigel Worthing-­ ton and many believed a loss here would mark an end to his career as Norwich manager.

However his side rose to the occasion and produced a mar-­ vellous performance to beat high-­fl ying Luton.

The Canaries made an ex-­ cellent start to the game. The players were clearly fi red up after the criticism they had received in recent weeks. Af-­ ter only three minutes Andy Hughes handed City the per-­ fect start. Ashton, who was infl uential all game, rolled the ball to Hughes and from twen-­ ty yards out he did the rest. It was a brilliant goal from the captain and a great way to open his account at Carrow Road.

The goal seemed like a massive blow to Luton’s con-­

fi dence, especially coming off the back of three successive defeats. Norwich continued to press their advantage and created a number of chances.

The two debutants, Wright and Etuhu, combined mag-­ nifi cently only for the on-­loan sticker to head wide. It would have been a perfect debut for Etuhu, but it was still encour-­ aging stuff from Norwich.

Midway through the sec-­ ond half City added to their lead to the delight of the Car-­ row Road faithful. Ashton, who had been on duty with the England Under 21s in mid-­ week, was again the provider.

He put Huckerby through with a cleaver back heel and the on-­rushing striker made no mistake.

The Canaries were now brimming with confi dence and were playing the lovely fl ow-­ ing football that took them to Championship victory a few years back. Ashton almost capped off a glorious fi rst half with a well deserved goal, but his header went wide. In the 37th minute Irish defender Doherty also went close, only to see his glancing header drift past the post.

Following the break both

sides continued to create chances in an entertaining game. Howard went close for Luton but his twenty yard drive went wide. Norwich suf-­ fered a blow in the 74th and 77th minute as both Dean Ashton and loan man David Wright limped off with inju-­ ries. City pressed on for an-­ other goal, but unfortunately it never came.

Late on Luton added to their woes when Perrett was sent off for a second yellow card. Even more strangely captain Nichols was given red, presumably for something he said to the offi cials following the fi nal whistle.

Overall it was a fi ne per-­ formance from Norwich City.

The manager was under an ex-­ treme amount of pressure and his players responded with a perfect performance.

Despite the slow start to the season, I would be an advocate of the manager stay-­ ing on. I still maintain he has done an excellent job and there would be no purpose in sacking him at this stage of the season. It seems outland-­ ish to even talk of him leaving.

As far as I’m concerned Nigel is still worthy for me.

41035 23

$PODSFUF  Wednesday  November  23  2005

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UEA  men’s  Lacrosse             16   Hitchin  away  at  Hitchin         8 This  is  the Â ďŹ rst  year  that  UEA  has  competed  in  the  South  England  Mens  Lacrosse  As-­ sociation  league  and  after  a  mixed  start  to  the  season  UEA  are  starting  to Â ďŹ nd  a  form  with  an  intake  of  fresh  and  en-­ thused  players.  UEA  currently  sit  in  10th  position  in  the  SEMLA  league  and  travelled  to  Hitchin  near  Luton  to  play  8th  position  Hitchin  A’s,  but  there  was  only  one  point  difference  between  the  two  teams.  After  a  rocky  start  with  Hitchin  taking  the  early  lead,  UEA  found  their  rhythm,  managed  to  gain  control  of  the  situation  and  started  to  dominate  the  match.  This  continued  until  half  time,  at  which  point  the  score  was Â

4HE LACROSSE TEAM INCLUDING WEARING NO GOAL $AVID h4RAVv AND IN STRIPEY HAT #HARLES h3TYLESv 6–4  to  UEA.   The  third  quarter  started  well  with  the  face-­off  being  won,  encouraging  UEA  to  attack  strongly  and  placing  a  lot  of  pressure  on  Hitchin. Â

This  resulted  in  two  goals  be-­ ing  scored  in  quick  succession  without  Hitchin  gaining  pos-­ session  of  the  ball.  The  third  quarter  was  the  strongest  for Â

the  UEA  team,  with  a  further  three  goals  being  scored  and  a  good  form  being  shown  by  the  attack.  It  wasn’t  an  easy  victo-­ ry  for  UEA  as  Hitchin  is  a  club Â

team  and  consists  of  mem-­ bers  that  have  a  lot  of  experi-­ ence  between  them,  and  who  have  been  playing  the  sport  for  many  years  and  practice  all Â

year  round.  Hitchin  displayed  a  strong  defence,  which  UEA  managed  to  break  up  with  fast  breaks  and  by  drawing  the  de-­ fense  out  to  cause  fractures  in  the  structure  and  allow  team  mates  to  cut  in  and  provide  opportunities  to  score.  Man  of  the  match,  voted  for  by  the  UEA  team,  went  to  Charles  ‘Styles’  for  an  impres-­ sive  dominating  mid-Â­ďŹ eld  at-­ tack.  The  mens’  captain  and  goalie  Andy  ‘Warrior’  was  voted  man  of  the  match  by  the  opposing  team  and  the  presi-­ dent  David  ‘Trav’  managed  to  knock  up  an  impressive  eight  goals  while  on  the  pitch.  This  victory  means  that  UEA  moves  above  Hitchin  in  the  table  and  now  stand  with  three  victories  under  their  belt  as  they  travel  off  to  Cardiff  next  weekend  to  take  part  in  the  second  round  of  The  Tel-­ egraph’s  Flags  Tournament.

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UEA  2nd  XI  football                2 Leicester                                  1 It  has  slowly  dawned  on  the  2nd  XI  that  there  is  a  dis-­ tinct  possibility  of  this  BUSA  campaign  ending  in  the  glo-­ rious  coronation  of  UEA  as  champions  of  BUSA  division  4D.  It  may  not  sound  exciting,  but  it  would  certainly  warrant  a  few  masculine  hugs  and  a  couple  of  celebratory  drinks.

Celebratory  drinks  should  have  been  in  fairly  short  sup-­ ply  last  Wednesday,  though,  as  the  team  laboured  to  a  2-­1  victory  over  a  distinctly  less  talented  Leicester  XI.  In  all  honesty  the  game  should Â

have  been  wrapped  up,  with  a  pretty  bow  on  top,  by  half  time  as  UEA  played  some  im-­ pressively  slick  football.  One  move  involved  the  play  being  switched  from  right  to  left  and  when  the  ball  was  laid  back  to  Chris  Gunn,  his  arching  cross  found  Nick  Gaskell  who  was  unable  to Â ďŹ nd  the  target  with  his  header.

Such  was  UEA’s  domi-­ nance,  centre  back  Jason  Lin-­ coln  even  had  the  temerity  to  go  for  a  foray  into  the  opposi-­ tion  half.  Indeed,  his  clinically  executed  cut  back  and  curling  shot  which  drifted  just  wide,  suggests  that  maybe  these  forward  trips  should  become  a  more  regular  occurrence.

Something  that  has  been  less  of  a  regular  occurrence  in Â

recent  weeks  is  the  name  of  Dave  Yeomans  upon  the  score  sheet.  However,  he  put  paid  to  this  rather  unwanted  fact  when  he  streaked  down  the  left  wing,  skipped  past  the  full  back  and  buried  his  shot  in  the  far  corner  of  the  goal  to  send  UEA  into  half  time  in  the  lead.  The  fact  that  it  was  only  by  a  solitary  goal  was Â ďŹ rstly  rather  unbelievable  and,  secondly,  meant  that  UEA  could  ill  af-­ ford  to  rest  easy  in  the  second  45  minutes.

Sadly,  UEA  completely  lost  the  ability  to  play  any  coher-­ ent  football.  Whether  trying  to  play  it  out  from  the  back  or  simply  hooďŹ ng  it  up-Â­ďŹ eld,  the  team  could  not  retain  posses-­ sion  of  the  ball  and,  seeing  their  opponents  in  such  disar-­

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UEA  Ladies  1st  XI  Hockey    3 Ipswich  and  East  Suffolk      2 UEA  were  looking  for  a  con-­ vincing  win  this  week  after  having  a  run  of  recent  bad  luck.  Determined  to  show  their  true  potential,  UEA  began  well  with  most  of  the  possession  in  their  half.   UEA  opened  the  scor-­ ing  in  the Â ďŹ rst  ten  minutes  with  some  excellent  work  in  open  play  by  Sam  Neate  and  Tess  Harding,  resulting  in  a  goal  scored  by  Hannah  Max-­ ey.   IES  fought  back  however Â

and  equalized  quickly.  UEA  stayed  focused  and  had  several  further  chanc-­ es  to  score.  The  pressure  put  on  by  the  UEA  girls  soon  paid  off  and  Maxey  put  away  the  second  goal  for  UEA.  IES  pulled  back  however  and  con-­ verted  a  short  corner  just  be-­ fore  half-­time.  The  second  half  began  well  for  UEA  with  Neate  scoring  an  early  goal  to  put  UEA  ahead  once  more.  De-­ spite  having  several  short  cor-­ ner  attempts  IES  were  unable  to  score  due  to  some  excellent  defending  skills  from  UEA.    UEA  Ladies  2nd  XI  Hockey    2    Lowestoft  Railway                   1

The  game  didn’t  start  well  for  UEA  with  Penny  Brindle  being  injured  in  the Â ďŹ rst  5  minutes,  leaving  just  ten  players  for  the  rest  of  the  match.  However  UEA  coped  well  in  the Â ďŹ rst  half  going  down  by  only  one  goal.   At  half  time,  UEA  revised  the  ten  player  formation  and  came  out  strong  and  determined.  After  some  fantastic  stick-­ work,  Nikki  Hart  scored  an  early  goal.  This  was  followed  by  serveral  frustratingly  close  attempts  before  Charlotte  Jen-­ ner  stunned  the  opposition  with  a  reverse  stick  sweep  into  goal.  Overall  it  was  a  good  win  for  the  girls,  who  pulled  to-­ gether  after  a  difďŹ cult  start.

ray,  Leicester  began  to  grow  in  conďŹ dence.  Alex  Potemitis  was  forced  into  a  couple  of  smart  saves,  but  was  helpless  when  a  long  ball  evaded  the  entire  UEA  backline  and  the  Leicester  striker  lashed  home  the  equaliser.

Startled  by  the  realisation  that  what  lay  in  store  was  a  three  hour  mini-­bus  journey  with  the  memories  of  a  squan-­ dered  three  points,  UEA  set  about  re-­asserting  themselves.  Captain  Gaskell  forced  his  way  into  a  shooting  position  on  the  edge  of  the  box  and  when  he  was  tackled  the  ball  fell  to  Simon  Grove-­White.  Normally  known  for  his  tough  tackling  and  scruffy  hair,  Simon  dis-­ played  a  hitherto  unseen  facet  of  his  game  as  he  ried  the  ball Â

home  from  20  yards,  sparking  scenes  of  shock  and  jubilation  among  the  UEA  players.  Despite  winning  a  succes-­ sion  of  corners  in  the Â ďŹ nal  ten  minutes,  Leicester  could  not  force  an  equaliser  and  UEA  held  on  to  their  tenuous  lead.  However,  in  the  coming  weeks  it  might  be  an  idea  for  UEA  to  make  life  easier  for  themselves  and  seal  victories  by  a  more  comfortable  margin.

UEA  1st  XI  Football   2 Loughborough  3rd’s  1 Having  been  beaten  by  the  Loughborough  2nd  XI  in  re-­ cent  weeks,  UEA  exacted  some  sort  of  revenge  in  defeating  the  Loughborough  third  team.  Once  again,  the  team  had  to  come  from  behind  as  an  early Â

looping  cross  found  the  goal-­ keeper  in  no  mans  land,  and  despite  the  efforts  of  Grant  O’Donnell,  the  ball  fell  into  the  unguarded  net.

The  second  period  saw  UEA  battling  their  way  back  into  the  match, Â ďŹ nding  their  passing  form  and  forcing  themselves  into  a  position  of  ascendancy.  A  long  ball  out  of  defence  found  Nick  Young  on  the  right  wing  and  his  whipped  cross  was  clinically  converted  by  Chris  Westwood.

Then,  with  only Â ďŹ ve  min-­ utes  remaining,  provider  turned  scorer.  Ryan  Lamb  dissected  the  Loughborough  defence  with  a  sublime  pass  and  Nick’s  delicate  lob  from  18  yards  handed  the  victory  to  UEA.

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Ziggurat  is,  in  general,  an  essentially  friendly  competi-­ tion.  However,  this  changes  somewhat  in  the  testosterone  charged  atmosphere  of  the  mensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  football Â ďŹ nals.  Normal-­ ly  docile  individuals  see  the  red  mist  and Â ďŹ nd  themselves  abusing  referees  for  absolutely  no  reason,  whilst  one  ill  timed  challenge  can  usher  in  years  of  inter  departmental  hatred.  The  object  of  particular  wrath  is  of-­

ten  the  winning  team,  as  eve-­ ryone  else  is  extremely  miffed  that  it  was  not  them.  As  such  History  can  probably  expect  some  particularly  crunching  tackles  to  be  directed  their  way  next  year  as  they  triumphed  with  a  1-­0  victory  in  the Â ďŹ nal.

There  was  no  doubt  that  they  deserved  their  win  as  they  progressed  comfortably,  scoring  four  goals  in  each  of  their  three  games  preceding  the  ultimate  showdown.  Dave  Yeomans  scored  their  winning  goal  against  the  team  from  Ed-­ ucation  in  the Â ďŹ nal  and  he  was Â

the  competitions  top  scorer, Â ďŹ nding  the  net  eight  times.  His  victorious  team  mates  were  Rob  Evans,  Chris  Westwood,  Matthew  Craddock,  Sean  Red-­ mond,  Chris  Burn  and  John  the  sports  rep.

Next  up  on  the  Ferris  wheel  of  fun  that  is  Ziggu-­ rat  are  the  badminton Â ďŹ nals  which  will  then  be  followed  by  the  swimming  competition.  So  if  you  want  to  get  involved  hunt  down  the  sports  rep  for  your  department  or  alterna-­ tively,  contact  Rachel  Tomes  at  r.tomes@uea.ac.uk.

24

41035

$PODSFUF Wednesday November 23 2005

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The UEA Cross country team are celebrating after another outstanding display in the East Anglian Cross Country League (EACCL). 15 athletes travelled to the sand dunes of Great Yarmouth to battle it out in the third race of the league last Wednesday.

The ladies A team was par-­ ticularly successful with club President Jess Trowbridge en-­ joying victory and Track Cap-­ tain Jemma Thake fi nishing in second. Anna Yosin contin-­ ued her good form to fi nish in sixth while Social Secretary Sian Loveless put in an excel-­ lent performance on her debut run to fi nish in seventh. This performance is likely to put UEA Ladies back at the top of the league, ahead of rivals St Edmunds Pacers.

The quality of the ladies squad was evident, with two members of the B team mak-­ ing it into the top ten. Emily Wildon and Francesca Lee ran well to fi nish in eighth and tenth respectively. Sarah Jor-­ dan fi nished in 16th and Lisa Sammons was 25th.

In the men’s race Glen Watts looked to be challeng-­

ing for the top spot but had to be content with second place after suffering a nasty fall. Rob Green moved into the Men’s A team for the fi rst time with an exceptional performance, his trademark sprint fi nish securing him sixth place. De-­ spite feeling unwell and fall-­ ing over at the same place as Glen, Cross Country Captain Calum Nicol battled on to fi n-­ ish in eighth. Mario Sanchez enjoyed a personal best per-­ formance to fi nish in ninth.

Johnny Lee consolidated his good run in the last race in the league to fi nish in 16th.

Glen Richardson continued his consistent form by fi nish-­ ing in 22nd. Ali McGeoth Wil-­ liams signifi cantly improved on his last race to cross the line in 24th.

Captain Calum said after-­ wards: “”A magnifi cent per-­ formance at the seaside, es-­ pecially from our ladies”. The team are now looking forward to this week’s fi xture at RAF Honington.

The UEA athletics team received bad news earlier in the week. Star cross country runner Andy Whetstone, win-­ ner of the previous two league races, has left UEA to pursue his running career in the USA. The club would like to wish him all the best.

Concrete Prize Crossword #72 ACROSS 1) Argentinean Dance, soft drink brand (5) 4) Two from the same preg-­ nancy (5) 7) Oxford’s boating rivals (9) 8) Romantic partner (5) 10) Cinema worker (5) 12) Given food to (3) 14) Grinded wheat grain (5) 15) Mistake (5) 17) A tree noted for its long life (3) 20) Rubbish, wither away (5) 22) Concentrated beam of light, weapon (5) 24) A rise to a superior rank 25) Edible nut, warm brown colour (5) 26) A step (5)

DOWN 1) Pleasure, buzz (6) 2) A fruit fermented into wine (5) 3) Of the ocean, US soldier(6) 5) Salaries (5) 6) Remove moisture from fruit such as tomatoes through solar radiation (3,3) 9) Measure of electrical power (potential difference) (5) 11) Ring through which one might jump (5) 12) Cook in pan of oil (3) 13) Morning condensation (3) 16) On/off button, swap (6) 18) Attempt, struggle (6) 19) Novelist or poet (6) 21) Five minus two (5) 23) Implement, acquire a child that is not one’s own (5)

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21 Avenue Road, Norwich 01603 768720 Open 9-­5 Monday to Saturday Solution to Crossword #71: Across: 1. Storm, 7. Aliens, 8. Ill, 9. Sleuth, 10. Pus, 13. Gland, 15. Sushi, 18. Green, 22. Feast, 24. Bit, 25. Collar, 26. Pom, 27.

Fleece, 28. Empty.

Down: 1. Sting, 2. Oil, 3. Mould, 4. Values, 5. Wishes, 6. Snipes, 9. Snake, 11. Ski, 14. Leer, 16. Under, 17. Hiss, 18. Gob, 19. Extoll, 20. Nickel, 21. Killer, 22. Farce, 23. Tommy, 26. Pop 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 02/12/05.

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