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NoVEMBER 11, 1992
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Controversial letter sent to protesting students
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Mayo-days
reatene e istrar THE REGISTRAR has written to all students with outstanding rent bills in a move described as "threatening" by the Union Executive. In the letter, Michael Paulson-
Ellis makes special reference to those who have joined the rent strike, pointing out that as well having to pay late fees "you also be held personally responsible for any extra costs incurred by the University." He also threatens any student who has not paid their fees by next term with being thrown off their course, losing their place in residence, and not being permitted to collect their grant cheque.
By Gill Fenwick and Stephen Uzzel In a fmal reference to rent strikers, the Registrar points out that "You are, of course, at liberty to withdrawyourmoneyfrom the Union account and to pay it to the University". Colin Browning, Welfare Officer, was disgusted: "The Union has always been open to the University and told them that the money in the Rent Strike is not ours, and we are holding it in trust for the participants". Richard Hewison, Communications Officer, was quick to respond, branding the letter as
"alarming" and reassuring students of their safety. He also condemned the University for their "low intimidation tactics". Chris Hollingworth, Finance Officer, described the letter as "a frightener, it is designed to scare people into pulling their money out of the Rent Strike. "All it has done is increase opposition to the University and promote anger against their underhand tactics". The Registrar has allegedly never sent a warning letter to
students over rent before, only invoices. Chris believes that the letter was instigated as a response to the rent strike, adding: '1t has not worked, the total amount of people to pull their money out of theRentStrikeis 11 outof106". Richard has sent a letter to all students participating in the Rent Strike, to reassure them: "The Union will not stand by and allow the Registry to victimise our members in this way, we are determined to defend the rights of the people taking part in this dispute". No one from the Registry was available for comment.
Porter attacked on campus By Peter Hart A UNIVERSITY security porter
was attacked as he tried to approhend a cycle thief last Monday evening, November 2. DennisRichardson suffered facial injuries - including brusing, cuts to his forehead and damage to his teeth- when he was hit with a 3-foot pair ofbolt croppers as he rounded a corner near the Regis-
try. Maurice Morson, SuperintendentofPorteringand Security, said although UEA's Security personnel are trained not to get involved in a one-to-one situations, Mr Richardson "just walked in to it.. He was taken to the casualty department of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, where he was treated for his injuries. John Harris, who was in charge of security on the night Mr
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Richardson was attacked, said his colleague was "very, very badly shocked." He added: "I bumped into a guy in exactly the same situation last year, and arrested him. "But he said the security employees could not fear for their safety, as "although ifs not a nice situation, ifs all part of the job." Mr Morson explained that the University had started an extensivecycle-protectionscheme, and were also looking to extend their
closed circuit television coverage to special cycle parks. But he said the extent of improved security would depend on "how ambitious we are" and whether money was available. Although Mr Richardson did not get a good look at his assailant, he is described as between 20 and 24 years of age, with fair shoulder-lengthhair.Hewaswearinga dark donkey jacket and 'whitish' trousers with trainers.
Tel. (0603) 250558
RADIO 1 DJ Simon Mayo visited UEA last Friday, to chair a meeting organised by the Student Liberal Democrats. Titled "Blues with no soul?" the event in the Bill Wilson Room was billed as "a nonpartisan meeting examining the prospects for world justice." Speaking was a representative from Oxfam and Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes, named as Britain's 'Green MP' of 1992. The room was crammed full with people of all ages and political persuasions in what Simon Mayo described as "the best crowd yet" in this tour of universities around the UK. Mayo, whohasadegreeinthe History of Politics from Warwick University, said he was "slightly depressed after the
IBy Nigel Harding I last election" and eagerly accepted the offer to chair these meetings to show that "there are things that can be done and there are areas that people can get involved in" despite the opposition parties' lack of success in April. He explained, "I'm doing this because it's a way of using whatl'mgoodat, which is talking - and chairing meetings and injecting humour into the pomposity of politics. "It seemed the natural thing to do," he added. However, Mayo insisted that he remained impartial as chair saying: "My politicalopinionshaven'tcome Con~
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Concrete, Wednesday, November 11, 1992
Mayo-Days From Page 1 out in this meeting at all." But he added, "I am a political person" and admitted he would be in favour of a change of Government. When asked why he thought the Conservatives won a fourth term of office, despite opinion polls implying otherwise, Mayo suggested that people voted for self interest: "They said they were going to vote one way but when it came to the crunch, they were in the little booth and they thought: 'Actually, I'm going to vote for myself."' He also commented that "the system is producing the leaders that we 've got because the majority of people did not vote for a Conservative Government, nor have they done for decades." Simon Hughes MP believed that the tour was "an attempt to encourage people to think that things needn't just go on as they are and that we don't have to go on having Governments that most people don't want." He also said it was an attempt to make people consider the ways in which they can influence the political process, and stated: "that's why we 've come to university campuses like UEA" Hughes added that the Liberals were hopeful that the people who come to these meetings will think, "Yes, I'd better do more than I' m doing now." He said students were the hope for the future, "If anyone is going to respond, it should be students in colleges and universities and if people in universities like this don 't respond there may not be a lot of hope left for us." He continued to say that debt is unacceptable and promised to "legislate to change the present position at the fmt available opportunity." Hughes finished by stating: "I hope people will feel that there are some politicians with vision who are willing to put parties second and issues fmt and that it might be worth them doing that "Not eve~ybody in politics is rubbish."
The end of Inter-Rail ? ..
By Alex Reeve
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fNTER-RAIUNG, which gtves people under twenty-six almost unlimited travel across Europe 's railway network for £180 per month, is under threat. According to the Young European Movement, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal are set to withdraw from the scheme as ofJanuary I st 1993 . Ironically, this is the date when the borders throughout the European Community will be lifted with the completion of the single market. At a time when these countries are urging closer political and economic integration they are sabotaging the one method of allowing young people from all parts of Europe to mix with one another freely and share a sense of what it is to be a European. Italy, Portugal, Spain and France claim that the number of people inter-railing is considerably greater than the number of their own nationals using it to travel abroad. They feel their share of profits from inter-railing does not compensate for the inconvenience caused by the thousands of back-packers descending onto their railway network. This attitude ignores not only the great deal of pleasure involved in this system but also the tourist trade these young people bring with them. Very few UEA students, when asked, had heard ofthe threat to Inter-Rail. Many who had either enjoyed the experience or were looking forward to it expressed disappointment. Emily Hannah (EUR I), who spent August 1992 inter-railing remarked, "It' s terrible. I can 't believe it. Inter-railing provided me with a wide variety of friends across
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Europe and the UK whom I will undoubtedly continue tn correspond with and visit over the next few years." A representative of the Union Travel Shop said they had received no news about the threat to inter-rail. British Rail Intern~:tional also proved to be elusive on the subject. They claimed that they were unaware of any definite plans for change in 1993, although fare increases were likely. However, from I 994 the future of inter-rttil looks uncertain, but
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This week begins a regular column on the shows to listen out for on Livewire 945...
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they were not prepared to make a statement on the subject. The Young European Movement has written to the transpo~ ministers of the countries intending to withdraw, and to Karel Van Miert, EC Transport Commissioner to express their anger at this decision. The YEM urges that you do your part to save Inter-Rail. Write to: Sir Robert Reid, Chairman of the British Railway Board, Euston House, 24 Eversholt Street, Lona.n NW! I.
As a complete moron with absolutely no clue about anything "Alternative", I rather expected Mr. Stick to turn outto be a sad shoegazer playing all those Cure, Wonderstuff and Manic Street Preachers tracks that everyone seems to regard as the be-all and end-all of the genre. Both halves of Mr. Stick were quick in their derision, however: "Just to prove I'm not a shoegazer, I'm going to play some Chapterhouse now!" said one halt; looking every bit like Morrisey exhumed . Once over his indignation, Mr. Stick's other halt; sporting (with great originality) a faded, Metallica T-shirt, decided that it was time to educate me in the ways of the Alternative scene .... Their "electric therapy" makes a compromise between popular alternative and more obscure tracks -a list that includes Adorable, Mint400, Kill Laura, Cranes and, of course, The Smiths and Metallica! Mozza has a more philosophical interpretation of Alternative: "Alternative is all to do with attitude and credibility. It's about making a break with the usual pop aristocracy such as Queen and Eurythmics, who turn out the same old bland, blank tosh week after week." A case in point (that even l can relate to!) is Undercover' s cannibalising ofGerry Rafferty's "Baker Street" to a commercialised pulp. "He's on his soap box again is he?!", Metallica butts in cueing up a Warrior Soul track, "as a treat for the listeners." The programme is punctuated by an almost tongue in cheek string of witty badinage spanning everything from the latest releases to Moz:za's piles, but the lads obviously know what they're about and convey their wisdom with enthusiasm. So far they have had Metallica and Nirvana specials and interviews with Suede and Adorable. They've yet to have a Smiths special and Sugar and Sundays interviews are in the pipeline. In the end, "Mr. Stick's Electric Therapy" turns out to be, "a mix of friendly pop stuff and the more obscure" that actually make this programme quite listenable to. I left the studio, the sound of my Cure, "Friday, I'm in Love" request ringing in my ears. ••• FORTHCOMfNG INTERVIEWS ••• Look out for interviews with Dr. Phibes + House of Wax Equation, Rockingbirds, Jah Wobble, Therapy, The Farm and Galliano- the "Pulse" on Thursdays at ?pm.
This term's big event - The Livewire Disco - is taking place on Friday, week 6 inK-block, Fifers. Tickets £1 in advance from the Livewire office, upstairs in iJH, or £1.50 on door. Loads of booze- £1 a can. Be there for the best music scene you've seen!
Concrete, Wednesday, November 11, 1992
3
Owed cash becomes Victory for Union • • I I Increasing worry THE UNION has scored an important victory for those in Waveney Terrace, Mary Chapman Court and Orwell and Wolfson Close who were allocated 38-week licences but did not want them.
Photo : Rob Hardy
Report by Angus Bjarnason and Rupert Cox
------------------------on the usury upon customers DEBTTOb~hubKome
an increasing source of concern to the student population. This follows the increasing levels ofborrowing through the student loans scheme: an undergraduate connnencing study this year may be faced with repaying almost £2,000, excluding interest, after three years' borrowing. Allied to an apparently mounting debt burden are concerns regarding the motives and behaviour of the High Street
banks. Traditional fears over banks utilizing short-term debt as a means of ensnaring customers would still appear prevalent. Alan, EUR 2, felt that banks definitely used debts in this way, commenting, "The treatment I received when I was in debt was better than when I was in credit. " Distrust such as this has been amplified by recent public criticism regarding the behaviour of banks towards customers in debt. NatWest has recently been accused by consumer groups of imposing interest rates verging
struggling to repay overdrafts. In response to questions regardingNatWest's policy, Dick Williams, Regional Executive Director for Norfolk, claimed such criticism arose from generalising specific cases instead of studying the bank' s business interest. He claims arguments pertaining to customer entrapment as "intellectually sterile and failingtoaddress banks ' situations as commercial organisations. I may be trying to build a 20-30 year relationship. Ifl set out to deluge the student with debt to the point where the relationship explodes within two or three years, I would not be acting in a manner that is intellectually defensible." Students were viewed as NatWest' s " potentially most valuable customers" w ith a high investment being made in attracting their business. Particular concerns overpostgraduate loans, especially when used to consolidate short-term overdraft debt, were also put to Mr. Williams. Rather than facing swinging interest he claimed that students
entering such arrangements were subject to the same basic borrowing conditions as premium customers earning over £35 000 per annum. An example was cited where a student consolidating a£ 1200 overdraft and borrowing a further £ 1 800 would repay less than an ordinary borrower. Such discounting was presented as a reflection ofthe substantial investment banks are prepared to make in a potentially lucrative market. Questions over the rate oftake up and defaulting on postgraduate loans Mr. Williams was unable to provide any figures. There was no need to track default rates as students were, in his opinion, generally responsible borrowers. Attitudes such as those of Mark, MAP 2, that " it is trendy to be in debt" were viewed as being reflective of the acceptability of student debt rather than its desirability. Asked whether banks made borrowing too easy for students, Mr. Williams asked, "To what extent must I protect students from themselves?".
For women only Having arrived in the politically-correct 90s, could it be possible that there still exists in the UDiversity the last vestiges of..• sexism? "Of course,"says Shelley Wright,the National Union of Students Liaisons Officer.This does not imply full-scale discrimination but "both overt and covert sexism can be found everywhere,and UEA is no exception. There is still a lot to be done here, changing attitudes as well as physical details-for instance,the lighting and security arotmd some parts ofcampus are appalling." For these rea-
By Amir Muhammad sons the Union has designated November 25 (Wed Week 8) UEA Women' s Day. Another reason is that she feels "women's issues have been dead around here for a while." Thisisthethirdmajorwomanorientedevent in UEA this yearin February, the Women's Action Committee was set up, and Women's Day was celebrated in March. "Ideally, this campaign should reach out to every woman and man here," says Wright. The day' s agenda includes workshops on assertiveness train-
Report by Andy Woodard
The Union put a great deal of pressure on the University to rectify what Colin Browning, the Union Welfare Officer described as "an almighty cock-up". As a result students who were given 38-week licences in those blocks now have the option to change their licences. However, they face the prospect of having to move if they do not take up the option. Richard Hewison said, "It is wrong to force students to take a 38-week licence and I hope that the students who were inconvenienced by having received them
will take the option of a 30-week licence." The cost of the additional 8 weeks to the 200 students affected is approximately £260 for this year, consequently the cost to the University is in the region of £50,000. However,withonly60students likely to take up the option,the cost will be about£ 15 000, much of which may be recovered by letting the rooms. The University is in an awkward situation in that legally the residences' budget has to balance. It is illegal to use public money to fund residences. However, Hewison said that this was "no real problem for the University as money can be drawn from other areas or it can
be balanced next year." The Director ofAccomodation and Catering Services said at a meeting with the Union officers,"Generally there has been a fundamantal inequity in the allocation of 38-week licences. Wewereworkingonoutof-date figures which has been acknowledged." Senior members of the Accomodation Office were unavailable to answer further questions, but the Union are still far from happy. Colin Browning said, "It is the best of a bad job. Our main objective had to be to save that £260 for those who did not want to spend it, and we succeeded in that." He was, however, not pleased that students may lose their rooms.
Will he, won't he ? Wim THE resignation of Paul Harrison as Societies Officer at the end of Week Three we are now being thrown into another round of Union election fever. It is nunoured that the former Societies Officer will stand again, though with nominations not closing until Thursday Week Six we are unable to verify this. Harrison is being ambiguous
about the insinuations. Although he has not denied that he will stand again, nor has he committed himself. Paul said that his decision will be based upon whether he feels he can rely on Executive support or not. Another consideration is any opposition for the post he may have. With at least one other contender for the job, who, incidently, has a nominal amount
By Polly Knewstub
of Executive support, it will be interesting to guage Paul Harrisons response. The election will take place on Thursday Week Seven. Nominations opened on Thursday Week Five, and will close this Thursday. Further developments in the Paul Harrison "will he won' t he?'' saga will be reported in the next issue of Concrete.
FIVE STAR TAXJS NOR'rVICH
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ing and self~efence. The event will also include those outside UEA. "We will invite 5th and 6thFormerstotakepart. Plus we hope to get people from the London-based 'No Means No' organisation against date-rape;and speakers from the Women's Campaign in Norwich." She adds that the University authoritieshavebeenapproached for official backing but have yet to confirm anything. A new Women' s Officer will also be chosen on that day. The last person to hold that position,Kate Drake,resigned before the end of her term of office.
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No extra charge after Tidnight UEA to anywhere within the inner ring road:-----
UEA to Thorpe Rail Station: £3.50
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Concrete, Wednesday, November 11, 1992
Travel Grants Now Report by Sanjay Available Magecha upon the natureofthe trip and its usefulness to the student's degree. Only individual applications will be considered, so group ex pedition grants are excluded by the terms under which this trust awards the grants. If you are eligible and interested, applications should be made on official forms available from the School Club Official, Jacqui Spray (Rm 2.50, EAS, ext. 2282).
THE TIME has come the student's studies. If the grant is needed for to apply for this year's travel to a foreign country, Educational Travel then you should apply well in Grants. advance.
The grants are designed specifically for students to assist them in their studies in languages, Business Methods, and Social Services, by contributing towards the cost of any travel, residence or attendance costs in travelling to conferences, lectures or other educational courses that would broaden the scope of
However, it must be instructive or useful for the study of your degree. Applications for such grants will only be considered if supported by the student's Academic Advisor or by the Dean of the relevant school. The amount awarded for travel will obviously depend
PayphonePhantom Nigel Harding reports on the ghostly spiriting away of a payphone in Suffolk Terrace STRANGE things traditionally happen on Hallowe'en. This year was no exception as, during the Witching Hour, the payphone from Suffolk Terrace D Block mysteriously disappeared without trace. Ghostly figures were reported to be seen around the area at the time of the crime but these are
believed to have been drunks from a party in C Block wearing white make-up. No culprits have yet been identified but it is widely thought that the fateful phone is now languishing somewhere in the bottom of the lake. Police are looking for someone with great amounts of pocket change.
PHOTO: Rob Hardy
UNION TRAVEL SHOP
Are you travelling home for Christmas? If so make your flight I ferry reservations NOW. , Many dates in December are already full.'i ""'""~"
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MANY students have complained about the lack of recycling bins at UEA in recent weeks, but now the Union say they are preparing to rectify the problem. Currently,the only facilities lie in obscurity behind the Sports Centre. There are three banks : for bottles,cans and paper. But Jacqui Mackay, International Officer,agrees that more are needed nearer or in the schools, the resi-
dences a nd w ithin the Square, plus at Fifers and Mary Chaprnan Court.
Currently, the only facilities lie in obscurity behind the Sports Centre. There are three banks for bottles, cans and paper Jacquiasserts: "The Union's policy on the envirorunent needs revising. Students can
mandate the Executive to do it, or the Executive can do it themselves." Working on her own initiative, she hopes to further the stock of envirorunentally-friendly products, not only here but in the city as well. " At the moment, though," she says, " recycling is the priority. The Envirorunental Action Group, which will be represented at the next UGM on Monday Week 7, have offered to cover the expense oftaking the banks to their respective sites and back and, as long as students provide enough rubbish, the bins will be supplied free by companies .
March for the • environment Report By Sue McManus THE ENVIRONMENTAL Action Group is to march to Westminster on Thursday November 12 (Week 6).
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l Winter Special from Eurotrain I London to (_]:)a 7. i 1. onfy £39.95 ~duw
Report By Harry Stockdale
Environmental Action Group To March On Westminster On November 12
YOUR LOCAL AGENT FOR STUDENT/YOUTH TRAVEL
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In conjunction with the Norfolk and Suffolk Union, the EAG will be taking a coach to London, in the hope that their demonstration will advertise the fact that Britain is as guilty of deforestation as Brazil. Their aim is to introduce a forest charter proposing to restrict the import of timber products from primary/old growth forests and from forests in tribal regions unless extraction is carried
out in consultation with the local people. The EAG hopes a Parliamentary Select Cormnittee will examine the proposed forest policy and will look at the depletion ofBritish forests before focusing on those in developing countries. The replanting of new trees after forest clearance is an obvious aim of the group and the cancelling of international debt is one proposed by many similar
groups who hope that by easing the economic burden on the Third World, environmental matters will rise on the political agenda . The EAG presents a channel for people concerned about enviromnental issues to act directly in order to implement change. Anyone who is interested in the march can either sign up at the stall in UH or contact Mark Gordon, ENV 3 . (Tel 5 07406)
Concrete, Wednesday, November 11, 1992
5
Union caters for New defence weapon third year students against attack
By Julia Smith
By Sanjay Magecha A GRADUATE job fair is to be held in London on the 2nd and 3rd of December. The Student Union has organised return trips to the job fair, which is to take place in the Business Design Centre in Islington. Up to 23 Government employers are expected to be
present, in joint co-operation with the graduate fair. Also present will be the normal employers- all waiting to grab the students with the most potential.
COST Richard Hewison, the Communications Officer, expects the return trip to cost £4 per person and anticipates one coach going. He feels that in offering this return trip to the fair,
"The Union is finally cateringforthe section ofits membership that is usually neglected - namely the third years!" The London Graduate Job Fair, which is sponsored by The Guardian, usuallyattracts around5,000 students - all seeking work. The Union will have notices up regarding the return trip nearer the time. The fair has a special freephone number for students wanting more information: 0800 252183.
Help with university life THIS TERM the student counselling service is offering the following workshops/ courses. An "Introduction To Relaxation Skills" is designed to help participants become aware of the effects of stress on mind and body and show how relaxation can be used to deal with the stress on modem living. An Overseas Student Workshop gives all first year overseas students the opportunity to reflect on their experiences
at the university so far. This includes academic and social life and any other aspects it feels deserves comment. The discussion is preceded by wine (or soft drinks) and snacks so there is a limit on numbers. Apply now! There are two Assertiveness Workshops -one designed specifically for men, and one for women, providing an introduction to and practice in the skills and techniques ofassertive behaviour.
Assertiveness is a realistic alternative to aggressive and passive behaviour. Increasing it leads to a greater chance of your personal needs being met, and to having more confidence in yourself and others. For more details on any of these workshops contact the Student Counselling Service immediately as all the courses begin in the next few days . It is locatedabovethestreet, by the Careers Centre. Telephone no. ext. 2651.
Political Language Attacked
By Sue McManus
THE EMERGENCY General Meeting held last Tuesday in the LCR failed to be quorate, despite action by the Socialist Workers Student Society. Theyhadcollected350 signatures in favour of taking coaches from UEA to a London demonstration to protest " the expansion ofhigher education without new resources to meet educational needs" and at the frozen level of student grants at a "vastly inadequate rate". The meeting was charged with controversy as Richard Hewison,in his amendment, accused SWSS with acting solely to gain publicity for their group . He attacked the politically charged language of the motion, citing the following as
an example: " ... that united action by working people, who are directly and indirectly affected by cutbacks, is the only way to stop these Tory attacks ." Since the EGM needed about 50 more people to be quorate, no valid decisions were reached. However it was agreed that a discussion should take place regardless . Hewison chose to highlight the fact that the demo had been called by the London Area NUS and, if supported, the demo would undermine the work being done nationally by the whole NUS organisation. He likened the attempt to organise the demonstration by the London group as "trying to organise a national
demo from a UEA coffee bar." Hewison was repeatedly attacked for the third resolve in the amendment which proposed to "charge the costs of organising this event to the grant ofSWSS." This was seen as undemocratic and dangerous in that it would set a precedent for future events which might be deemed " unnecessary. " In the face of such opposition, Hewison withdrew the section of the amendment. There was clearly a sentiment that some sort of demo against education cuts was needed, but one that would be nationally organised. The motion to take a Union-backed party to London on November I 0 was defeated.
SUMMIT accesmodels, "there' s series have intrano need to search duced a new perfora switch .. . and sonal defender no need to apply alarm activated by constant pressure a pullcord. A press toactivate". Pawrelease from Sumered by a 9v batrnit claims that in tery, the Personal England and Defender Alarm Wales over 50 is designed to be women are indeavailable for use cently assaulted, in many situaand around 100 tions . Summit people are claims it is small muggedorrobbed and light enough every day. These to be worn on a shocking figures belt, a wristband may not even or carried in a showtherealityof handbag. Priced the situation, as at £19.99, it may many incidents go be a little too exunreported. Few pensivefortheavpeople carry any erage student effective protecbudget, particution when in polarly when comtentially dangerpared to the press ous and lone situbutton alarm sold ations. Students, L - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . . . ! - - - - l f o r only £1.00 both on the University Plain launched in response to this . It ~ I m The Information Centre and at Fifers Lane appear to be works on a similar principle to theLCR. UEAmaynothave taking a relaxed attitude to- a hand grenade, by pulling a a high record for crime of this wards their personal safety. cord to remove a pin. As with d compared to universities People walk alone or in small other designs, this activates an id cities such as Reading and numbers in relatively isolated ear-piercing 130 decibels. Bob ~anchester. But with the camplaces at night without any form Cattle, the Sales and Marketpus in Norwich now effectively of deterrent and protection. The ing Director of the company, ' ?pen to the public' , there is defender alarm has been claims that rather than similar potential for such attacks.
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Concrete, Wednesday, November 11, 1992
Features
The great pretenders Abba? Jimmy Hendrix? The Doors? No, you're not seeing things - but then you' re not seeing the real thing either. Simon Lau and Darren Fisher examine the phenomenon of retrospective groups Bjorn Again? Scottish Sex Pistols? T' Rexstasy?? As you may or may not have already deduced, these are names ofgroups generally known as "Tribute Bands". They' re also getting alarmingly popular in this country which can be shown by the fact that by the end of thi s term , three of these rock impersonators would have played at UEA. So, are these bands paying homage to their rock idols whilst at the same time making a bit of money on the side, or are they just a bunch of unoriginal musicians/actors wanting a safe entry into the music business? We spoke to Robert Reed, the man who was responsible for bringing Bjorn Again and The Doors over to Britain for the first time. Robert was previously mainly involved in managing what he calls "has been
acts", namely such luminaries as Dollar and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. He was soon brought to the attention of an Australian act, that of Bjorn Again, a highly entertaining loolalike and soundalike band of those now trendy Swedes, ABBA. With good foresight, Robert made it possible for Bj orn Again to tour Britain . Al o ng with Er as ur e ' s " ABBAes que " EP., Bjorn Again have helped in reminding (and introducing) the British public to all those hits thatABBA produced . Bjorn Again are now riding on the back of thi s re vi vat and, so far, are the most successful of these tribute bands, as shown by their Reading Festival appearance thi s year. Upon realising the average punter' s willingness to part witi1
their hard earned cash to watch impersonators ofbig name acts, he now promotes a fair number of tribute bands. There's The Royal Fan1ily (Queen), Jailbreak (Thin Lizzy with a " Phi! Lynott" covered in boot polish), Back inBlack(AC/ DC), and Doppleganger (U2). Many of these bands come from Australia, where it is very popular to imitate ori ginal bands. The reason be ing that hardly any real bands ever tour Australia so it' s better to watch the next best thing. "The great thing about these acts, when they come over to Britain, is that they' ve done the hard work before, they' ve already trod the boards for three years. It' s like a travelling Arts show, if you like. Why sit indoors when it's better to see it live?" So, why are they so popular here then, and what's their appeal? From what
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The Australian Doors
PHOTO: Craig Eason
we saw at The Doors concert, the bands are successful as they are simply a carbon copy of the original s . (The Jim Morrison soundalike even went as far as to imitate the American accent, even though everyone knew he was Australian). If the audience are willing to suspend disbelief for a few hours, ti1ey can listen to a legendary group, which would otherwise have been impossible. However, Robert puts it down to the obvious fact (well, it seemed obvious to him), ti1at the recesiion has influenced gig-goers " ... to want good entertainment". Another tribute to " the icons of Rock and Roll" playing at UEA is ti1e J imi I k ndrix 50th 1\.nni versarv Experience. Jimi would have been 50 on 27til No vember, if he had n' t choked on his own vomit. To celebrate his birthdav, a soundalike band has been put toge th e r that includes Randy I lans..:n, \\ ]10 is d..:scrib..:d in the press release as '" ...the shckest
thing since James Bond 's Aston spewed oil sticks", (honest, we did not make thi s up at all !), and also Noel Redding, the late Jimi ' s original bass player. Randy is an accomplished session guitarist, but is more well known as a Hendrix soundalike with, apparently, a strong following. During the last week of their British tour, Jimi 's father, AI Hendrix, is to make personal appearances at ti1eir gigs. " Randy plays just like 1-Iendrix. It'll be the closest thing you'll ever get to him, especially with Noel on stage. He'll bring you closer." But it must be extremely hard to recreate ti1e kind of perfornlance that Jimi gave v.hen you consider the stage presence Jimi had, as seen on tiwse old film recordings. But for ti1e price, it' s probablY better than get ting a CD of the greatist hits compi lation and listen ing to it at home. Or, as Robert states. " It keep s music alive,
takes the audience back and creates an atmosphere. We are living in a post modernist age . It's good for young people to look • back in time. " So why do the performers imitate the rock stars? Surely it can' t be for the money. These bands don 't sell records and t11ey 're highly unlikely to sell out Wembley Stadium in ti1e near future. It could be ti1e fact that they might become famous because, in a way, ti1ey are. But no one really cares who the performer' s real identity is. When their shelf life has expired, ti1ey'lljust fade away into obscurity, doing the mundane jobs ti1ey previously had. Jimi AKA Randy infonnatively sums it up as, "TI1e only reason I do ti1is act is ' cause he a in ' there" No? Rea lly? Robert Reed gives a clearer picture by saying, "People ha te rejection . If you play the Doors material, who's going to reject you?". Enough said.
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Concrete, Wednesday, November 11, 1992
7
Fight For Your Bedsit Rights Niall Hampson gives the inside story on bedsitting and dealing with landlords As a student living out in rented accomodation, have you ever been harassed by your landlord? Niall Hampton is here to tell yourwhatto do, and who to get in touch with, should you be threatened eviction. Harassment is usually the first instance of illegal eviction, which is, understandably, a criminal offence. Of the estimated 2,500 students living in houses in mu!tiple occupation (HM:O's) in Norwich, some have surely experienced certain kinds of harassment. Given the limited resources of students living in a!ready expensive accomodation, it is reassuring to fmd an organisation prepared to assist you in asserting your basic rights as a tenant. TheCampaignforBedsitRights (CBR) is a London-based federation of local and national (such as tenants associastudent unions and local authorities) campaigning for the rights of the 2.6 million people who live in HM:O' s throughout England and Wales, of which students make a significant
number. The CBR, funded by the Law Society, were particularly active in the recent enquiry into the Palmeira Avenue fire in Hove (April 1992), where students were among the fatalities. They organised an appeal to cover the costs of the bereaved families in the Inquest, which, on the recommendation of the coroner, returned a verdict of unlawful killing. The Coroner also wrote to the Secretary of State for the En vironment (Michael Howard MP), urging the government to review the law- a direct atfmnation on the CBR' s stand on the negligence of landlords in providing safe accomodation. The latest campaign from the CBR is their Harassment and lllegal Eviction Project, which in their own words, aims to: " ... improve protection for private tenants by campaigning for better local services and changes to the law and national policy to stamp out this ever present and distressingproblem(harassment
and illegal eviction].". Of particular interest in this project is their collaboration with the Law Society in the compilation of the Solicitors Referral List (SRL ), which aims to provide " a reliable list of solicitors who can help private tenants particularly with harassment and illegal eviction cases.". Of the estimated 2,500 students living in houses in multiple occupation in Norwich some have surely experienced certain kinds of harassment. The SRL, available from Spring 1993, will comprise of private practice solicitors, and is intended for tenants to be able to fmd the most effective legal representation in instances of harassment and illegal eviction. Concrete spoke to Nick Beacock at the CBR, who said that initial response to the SRL initiative was favourable : " .. .cards are coming back in tens and are being input into a database ... we will contact the solicitors concerned in January andsubjecttotheirapproval, the list will be ready for publication
by the end ofMarch 1993 ." However, the SRL forms just one initiative from the Harassment and lllegal Eviction Project, the full scope of which is explained in the CBR's leaflet "Sitting Target", of which the SU Welfare Office in UH has a copy. "Sitting Target" effectively defmes the terms 'harassment' and ' illegal eviction' in relation to the law. The leaflet clarifies the different forms of harassment, and claims that such harassment frequently leads to attempts of illegal eviction, which under the terms of The Protection From Eviction Act 1977, is a criminal offence. In addition, "Sitting Target" outlines the legal procedures that may be taken to act against unscrupulous landlords, andimportantly,howtogoabout claiming compensation - which is especially relevant to the vietims of illegal eviction. Non-legal procedures may also be taken by tenants themselves; the leaflet suggests keeping a detailed diary of harassment, communicating by letter with
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contentious issue amongst students. If this practice proves to be commonplace and causes significant problems, then the NUS and the CBR will campaign together to end it. Hpwever, until the SRL is availab~e, any students facing harassment or illegal eviction could r~d the "Sitting Target" leaflet (a ailable from the Welfare Offi in UH), or should consult Phi! Jew or Nick Beacock (Campaign Workers at the CBR) on (071) 377.{)027. Alternatively, their address is : Campaign for Bedsit Rights,? Whitechapel Ropd, London, El !DU.
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landlords and recommends tenants to join up and promote solidarity. The leaflet also lists the places that tenants may go to for help, such as their local council, the police, local advice agencies and solicitors. The SRL will be particularly effective in the selection of solicitors, who should become significantly easier to fmd, especially as the list is directed towards finding legal experts in the field of harassment and illegal eviction. A future initiative from the CBR is being undertaken in conjunction with the NUS, which will involve compiling data on the withholding of
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8
Concrete, Wednesday, November 11, 1992
Features
e alternative rubber wear Polly Graham looks at the latest contraceptive concept and tries her best to keep a straight face The newly conceived female condom, imaginitively named the "Femidom", has had a hard time in its infancy. It doesn' t seen to have captured the imagination of the love-making public. The "other rubber" has been marketed as the female alternative to it s well worn brother, the condom. Yet this rather odd edition to the contraceptive family is being faced with laughter, embarrassment and mystified looks. The Femidom has its advantages. It gives women control over the form of contraception they use. It can be put on bafore forep lay, whichmeansthatyoudon ' t loose impetus whilst searching for a
condom. It is also a good barrier against sexually transmitted diseases, such as AIDS. The female condom fits inside the woman, and is held in place by an inner rim which is placed at the top of the vagina and an outer ring which fi ts outside in the lip area . It is odourless, lubricated, doesn' t prevent sensation and apparently 96-99% safe . Unfortunately what seems to put people off this scientifical wonder is its size. The Femidom is somewhat larger than its male counterpart. In the words of a selection of UEA students: "It' s huge", "It's massive", "It's enormous" or "At last a condom that fits! "
Ten alternative uses for the Femidom 1. Useful carrier bag 7. Rubber Gloves
2. Bin liner 3. Water-bomb 4. Goldfish bowl 5. They blow up better than condoms 6. Golf ball holder
8. Use rings as trendy earrings 9. A rather small water bed 10. Use it to cook boil-in-the-bag fish
\, (you always get one). Men seemed more repulsed then the women: John, SOC 3, said " It looks like you'd be making love to a sock". Toby, EAS 3, said "It ' s so impractical, I' d need a demonstration." Josh,AHM3, was slightly moreopen-minded 'Tmsureit's no different from the male one, it ' s all rubber. " The females were far more mature and were willing to give it a chance. Heidi, Assistant Bar Manager, said: "Men have been doing it for years, why not women." Trine, a graduate, was concerned that "the blokes won't have any responsibility for contraception." Although Lisa, LAW 2, felt she "couldn't get passionate with that." Dr Viopapa Annondale, Senior Medical Officer for the Norwich Family Planning Clinic, says : "The main advantage of the Femidom, is that it's in the control of the woman. She can decide for herself if she wants to use contraception, and when. " She admitted, however, that the feedback from people who have used it is not great. " The main problem that has been identified, is the partner accepting or
(',id
I
0,
... -
......._ .&. PHOTO: Rob Hardy willing to try it. Because it looks funny, so they both need to have a sense of humour." A spokeswoman from Boots said that they were extremely happy with the sale of the Femidom, although would not give any figures. "Sales have exceeded our previous forecasts , long term sales will depend on women' s acceptance of it. It's early days yet, but we' re pleased to have it on our shelves." Priced at £3 .95 for a packet of
three, most students thought they were too expensive. They can be obtained from The Planning Family Clinic but will only issue it "for women who seriously want to use it as a method of contraception." In other words, not so you can fill it with water and lob it out ofNorfolk Terrace or put it on your head. TI1e information leaflet in the Femidom packet has a great suggestion for brightening up dull sex lives, "Once you feel corn-
for table about inserting Femidom, you can try using it with your partner. Some people who use it regularly like to take it in turns to insert it - as an intimate part of foreplay." Dr Annondale , is not ~· · • whether the Femidom will on, admitting that at the mom""' it's benefiting from a "novelty fac tor". "It' s an ocassional , perhaps a fun thing to try out if you 're going away for a dirty weekend."
.... And the 'alternative' societies Star Trek Society Star date 9 17352698l...etc. Suspicions about the Captain's Log, Spock'sears and William Shatner's hair were not eased upon discovering that UEA has its very own Star Trek Society. With nearly 100 members we started to suspect that many of our fellow students had been suffused with a mysterious inter-galactic vapour that had the devastating effect of obliterating our faculty for reason and replacing it with a penchant for watching a '60's Sci-Fi series set on a ship made from four paper plates stuck together. We were rather disappointed to discover that the Trekkies did not in fact hop aboard the Enterprise stationed in the bus turnaround- to head off for the final frontier every Tuesday evening. Rather they watch videos of the old series ("classic Trek" for those in the know) as well as the new ("Next Generation"). So, instead of destroying civilizations much more advanced than ours in order to save Spock 's dog, they are actually just vegging in front of their favourite TV programme with a group ofsimi-
Darren Fisher and Sue McManus continue their look at the more unusual clubs at the University
and grow at an uncontrollable rate. Not limited to juggling, other circus skills are also taught, such as unicycling, tumbling and acrobati.::s. Social events are also arranged top jugglers give talks, and last term a cabaret was put on, open to both members and non-members alike. They meet every lunchtime at the LCR,and according to Ken, whether you are a natural or not, the society can get anyone up to a basic degree of juggling competence, and from what we saw, this claim is not as outlandish as it may seem.
Yare Valley Morris larly "discerning" people. Who could want more- it could be fun and,dare we say it,even cosmic.
Juggling Society Ever wanted to learn how to juggle? No? While you may not want to add this rather original string to
your bow, or see how throwing oddshaped objects into the air and keeping them there can be beneficial to you in any way - there are at least l 03 people that would disagree with you. Believe it or not,that's how many members the Juggling Society picked up at the Societies Mart this year. Started in 1990 by Ken Farquar, a Chemistry postgraduate, with only 40 members, it has seemed to grow
On Wednesday evenings between eight and ten meet one of the oldest and most established societies of UEA. There is nothing remotely surprising about this fact except that the group are the "Yare Valley Morris Dancers" - a society that seems to be full of surprises. Unlike the jugglers, the society has been going on as long as the University itself, and looks as if it has no
intention of stopping. According to some of the members we spoke to, there are many different types of Morris Dancers, but they only perform the ones from the wolds and Welsh Borders (hence name).
The club is quite informal, with the more experienced dancers instructing the novices. At the moment there are about 50 members,the majority of whom are women. Besides the practises the club is quite active socially-having regular end-of-term and Christmas parties as well as attending the Intervarsity Folk Festival,which takes place in February every year. Pub crawls are also frequent. In addition to their regular performances in the quad,in the summer they perform at pubs all over Norwich (although it wasn 't indicated whether this was before or after the crawl!) With all the equipment needed,from the outside the club looks expensive, but apparently after you have laid out the £2 membership, all you need is a pair of cords, as all the equipment is made by the society itself. Good fun,but not for the shy.
' .' Concrete, Wednesday, November 11, 1992
9
Features
Happy Birthday to you! By Gill Fenwick
I'm a model - you know what I mean? Polly Graham reports from a Waterfront fashion show LastweekNorwicb'strendi-
display of how versatile leggings can be with a wacky travagant fashion show at jacketandapairofarmyboots. the Waterlront,provingthat Although strictly not for the there are alterskinny-legged. natives to the From the E:ulusi\ (' photos high street Blue Jeans Co h~ ( "n1ig Ea son stores we love we unexpectand Roh llanh to hate. All our edly had their old favourites autumn/winter were out in collection of force; PhilipBrowne, the Blue jeans. I personally couldn't Jean Co and Siren, including get excited over another pair the latest exclusive shops to ofSOls. springonto the cobbled streets Dogfish offered a tartan suit of Norwich. for the ~ore sombre or, for In fact Norwich's fashion the outrageous, a pair of victims never had it so good- CalvinK.lein briefs, complete Dogfish (formen),Catfish(for with detachable fig leaf. women) and Bazaar are now Enough said. the new fashion meccas for The Bazaar range emphaanyone with a bank account sized the length of the skirt as big as their ego. complete with drafty splits to The models in the show were make walking a possibility. friends of the organisers, a Cow print and leopard skins handful of professional mod- also graced the catwalk, along els and a scattering of UEA with Madonna-style lethal students of past LCR fash- bras, clothingnotforthefaintion show fame. hearted. The professionals could be Siren was far too middlespotted a mile off,they were aged, with their collection of the ones with the pouts big cocktail dresses that looked enough to trip over. as ifthey evolved from a bowl For the guys, Philip Browne of blancmange. put on a good show with their Overall the show lacked enMarlonBrando gear complete ergy, the choreography did with sexy leather trousers. little to promote the vastly Alternatively, for the new different ranges. man, they gave a wonderful The mood of the clothes was est shops organized an ex-
John Peel
Free champagne, non-stop DJs and live music from 8 pm to 1 am, plus the star attendance of Radio lFM 's John Peel, helped to celebrate the Waterfront,s 2nd birthday on Thurs October 2l. Anne-Louise Wirgman, Director of the Waterfront, was enthusiastic about the success of the last two years, as Norwich's first large live music venue. The Waterfront featured prominently in Sound City week in April of this year, and worked in conjunction with Radio One, National and local bands. Ms Wirgman explained that one of the Waterfront's main successes is its link with local Norwich bands. She is proud of 'le fact that they give local musicians a chance, as well as '-providing a venue for names as big as Carter USM, The Farm, Stare and EMF. FrontlineFM was geared to link with the 2nd Birthday party and was used to publicise it. The one-month radio station
One of the Waterfront's main successes is its link with Norwich bands. The director of the venue is proud of the fact that they give local musicians a chance featureslocalandamateurDJ's,andfeaturesaltemativemusic, not usually heard on national radio. During the anniversazy week, the Waterfront publicised its celebration by hosting local new bands - which have been set up within the last year. However, Ms Wirgman did ejq>lain that they only played if they were "very good as well as being new''. The Waterfront is linked with Gig Right UK, which is part - of the Musician's Union; they organise local bands and swap them between venues, giving new musicians a chance at fame and possibly fortune. John Peel, the celebrity guest of the evening, took to the decks for an hour and a halfbefore signing autographs, talking on Frontline FM, and last but not least, chatting to Concrete! He has been somehow involved with the Waterfront before it was built, due to him living in Ipswich and the fact that he is keen for new, young musicians to be given a chance. "It is a good venue, I wish there was something like this in Ipswich, there is a good feeling when I come to Norwich", he said. And for some reason only known to himself he thinks that Norwich is like being on the Continent! "Because there are still some parts of it not given up to Burger bars, it's cute". On from that, John felt he owed it to the Waterfront to turn
"It's a good venue, I wish there was something like this in Ipswich" Radio 1 DJ John Peel up because "I'm always sending down detachments of my family and friends, they are well treated, so I owe them a debt of gratitude". The night was a success, and enjoyed by all, especially the girl who received John Peel's autograph and promised to sleep , ¡". with it for everf â&#x20AC;˘
ignored, the models sulked down the catwalk (sometimes out of time) with little variety throughout the show. Lindsey Burton, one of the organisers, admitted there were a few hitches. She said,"They were obvious to me, but I don't think anyone else picked up on it. "The original idea was to bring a little bit oftheatrics to a fashion show and make it fun." Daniel Norton, another organiser, had enjoyed organising the show, stressing that he was amazed at the range of clothes thatcannowbebought in Norwich.
"I've been in London for the past year and I've come back to Norwich. I've seen all the split skirts, the tight T -shirts and all the stretch denim." He went on to admit that the prices were a bit steep for the average student. "Dogfish and Catfish are quite expensive but people are always willing to pay for clothes even in a recession. "Bazaar is quite reasonably priced for what they've got." Well if that's the case, pass me a lethal bra and fig leaf and I'll take up residence on the Catfish chaiselongue with the best of the fashion victims.
10
Concrete, Wednesday, November 11 , 1992
Concrete, Wednesday, November 11 , 1992
Special Feature
Special Feature
•
ear!
ID
know how h.amlful it really is until you try to stop! "Sort it out Jason, you could be a potential candidate for...The Trip Cadets!" TUFTY (18): "I was always anti-drugs, due to upbringing. I sawmybestfriendget- up during our GCSE's, this was made even worse because it was at the timeofZammo, on Grange Hill, and all the Heroin ads." lGGI: "You obviously changed, why was that?" "Well you realise that the media message drugs are bad - is all a load of crap! Anti-drugs ads did more to increase peoples awareness of drugs, the types, availability and whattheatfectswere, which only created greater curiosity rather than promote prevention."
Ebeneezertakes a trip to see the Dutch skunk for a cup of mushee tea. lggi tells the story... the mentality that lies behind drug use and abuse maybe drugs were not readily What is it that leads people Fellow students, what is it that availableorcommonlyusect your into drug use, then abuse folwe find so fascinating about drugs? H they are not, then lowed by addiction? Why do friends and associates may have all been anti-drugs and hence no students become "Hash Heads" why bother reading on? and neglect their priorities, not on~ ever tried any, the impact of If people aren't taking them, then they are talking about them. that they don't anyway, but why your parents' opinions and that do drugs play such a big role in of the media may have been reEver heard the conversation?: "I sponsible for previously fotming had some wicked Gear yester- our society? your own ideas on wbat drugs Is it because of the type of day. I was so fucked (wrecked) were, their affects and wby you people we are? Surely students that it was impossible to make should not do them. are from all sorts ofbackgrounds any of my lectures!" "Yeah? NowREALITY! UF.Amaybe and so one person must be differWhat was it - Red seal. Rocky, a long way from home. Gooeare ent from the next Or is it due to Soap? Youhaven't anylefthave the fact that a lot of us are expe- your buddies who were antiyou?" "Sure! Skin-Up." and a riencing our first real taste of drugs, in their place might be a lump of what seams to be OXO pill-popping ••E" or "Trip "Freedom" within a somewhat cube is tossed from pocket to Head". Your parents ain'1 with sheltered environment? Does Kingsize. R.izzla! I mean who this create greater confidence in ya. all you've got is your comsmokes a Kingsize Roll-up? Why do so many young people individuals who may then em- mon sense and a deep need to be in the Higher Education System bark on a crusade ofself-discov- accepted. So, wbat do you do indulge in smoking pot? Through ery and experimentation? Many wbcnsomeonepasscs youa"Jazz my research into this issue, it ofus will come to realise that we Woodbine''? .Ding-a-ling-aling, Alarm bells sound! The struck me that people of varying are now able to move into fields 1 backgrounds have admitted to of human experience previously blood rushes to your head- !!- •• Peer-group pressure ain't amyth taking drugs. Everyone takes outside our capacity. One of these being drugs. If after all, is it? It is at this point, drugs. Whetheryoudri.nk.smoke or neck the occasional asprin you have not been exposed to which we students will no doubt prescribed or otherwise, then you them before, maybe you should encounter, that many are bullied are taking drugs. However, get- ask yourself why? Could this be into their first real taste of illicit ting STONED implies the par: due to a number of factors, such drugs. IF you indulge, TIIEN you ticularusage ofa drug to create a as: the area in which you lived - want to stop and think, "What desired effect. 00
PHOTO: Rob Hardy
I "How do you kaow n eayou are beeomiJll
•dell"? kind of mentality do I haver' It is very likely that your first toke on a joint, being the most common first-time drug, as it is normally readily available, may seem over-rated. However, you could be hanging out with some serious Space Cadets and get to smoke some 55% THC Dutch Slrunk Weed. 'or try a cup of Psycadelic tea. In this case take a parachute!
responsible person and look after my body." IGGI: "Are you a keep-fit fanatic?" "Yes" but explained that he has not been very active since he arrived. "Before coming to·UEA. did you resolve not to try drugsT' "No, I had no pret.c:nsions and I thought I may find myself trying them". "Have you had the opportunity before?" "Yes, with my girlfriend and some friends, but I didn't have any because I felt I had to be responsible for every one else. ldon' tknowwhy". He went on to say hehadnothad the opportunity to try hard drugs and would hope never to do this '1t' s not just th'it they can harm you, I feel like a .,.. ·~ to myself' due to his self-re~v.!Ct. "If you were trying a drug far the first 00.
time,which~ulditbe?" "Prob
Anyway, getting back to you,r mentality, if you experimented with something and your first time wasn't so bad, you are probably likely to do it again. That is why, at this point, you NEED to think! Iknowalotofyoureading this will swear blind that you are never going to touch drugs, but in the 3 years you are here, you are bound to be exposed to them. What happens if you do try a drug?(doyatakeachute?) Many, whilst at University have trod the road of corruption and some would say, "If ya haven't, ya ain't lived! ". Well put it this way, if you do, you at least want to survive and get that degree. So where does the road to ruin lie? Lets ask some people. JASON (20): "I have never done any drugs, because I am a
11
ably hash, because as far as rm aware there aren't any bad effects, and it is less harmful that alcohol and cigarettes". "If you did hash and liked it, what would this mean?" "Not much, it depends on who I was with. It wouldn't concern me unless I started wanting it". "How would you know if you were becoming addicted?" "I don't know, but I would try to take a third party view, stand back and check the effect on my life". "What happens if you or your friends want toexperimentwithotherdrugs?" "There is only one person you can trust...yourself, and if you can't, then you are ~~ - ·.!" This is an example ofa potentially lethal mentality. Are individuals using drugs ever aware of the onset of addiction? Even when they are, is it possible to be objective about a habit that may seem physically harmless? Put it this way, you are not going to
Now I can remember friends getting all excited when, thanks to the media, 1heyfoundoutabout a wonderful new drug called Ecstacy or "E". The amount of them who, as a result, wa~.t and tried it, was astonishing! Tufty then goes on to say "I can' t understand why hash or weed (Canabis resin and Marijuana) are considered to be so bad by some people when tobacco and alcohot.are far more destructive drilgs." 'Ibis has actually been proved scientifically. However, whereas cancer and alcoholism are socially acceptable, smoking pot is not
j"Iliad to laelp ' friead 10 through eold turkey"! TUFTY: "There are only a few things that I haven' t tried, and there are certain substances which I wouldn' t try. Cocaine, Crack, Heroin, Ice - whatever that is, are all on the No, No list for me. I had to help a friend go throughColdTurkey. Its.- - . awful being physically addicted, I've seen it and that's why I'll never go too far". "Why did you start experimenting with different drugs?" "'t was mainly due to my own curiosity to seek another form of enjoyment as well as a lot of peer-group pressure. When you're at a party you look like a Twat if you turn down a spliffi" "What effect did your environment have on your use of drugs?" "Well when I got into the rave scene I started doing Speed (Amphetamines). This
was great because I could Headbang and dance continously for four to five hours. Rave music has only got one purpose as far as I can see." "Have you ever taken any halucagenics before?" "Oh yeah, I've done Acid and Magic Mushrooms. They're not my favourite though, you have to be confident in yourself and take them with good friends. You never know where they are going to take you, bec&use its a total mindtrip! "Lastly,howlonghave youbeendoiogdrugs?"''Istarted after my A-levels. This was be· cause I felt capable, grown up, in control and confident that I could handle taking drugs. There were enough ofmy friends doing them as well."
"I felt confident that I could handle taking drugs" 1 It seems that Tufty has silrvived so far! However mate, you only started after your A-levels, and the fact that you've done so many different types already, is a teeny bit worrying don't you think? If there is so much that you can choose from, you invariably will do them all. I was very fortunate to come across two very nice Dutch students - Meindert and Flossy. They both had some very interesting things to say, especially in relation to the mentality that surrounds drug use. Meindert(20): ''!have been to England numerous times, stayingfocperiodsofupto five weeks. ln.Englandit seems that the problem of drugs is largely hidden. Every time that J:ve been here I met lots of people using drugs, but unlike Hol1and, it was not openly discussed. The media doesn't~ to make a big separation between Hard and Soft drugs."
Flossy( IS): ''I think that it is important for people to understand that there is a clear separation in drug types. InHollandwe are taught about drugs in school. All drugs, including alcohol, tobbaco, glue and so on, are considered. We learn about how they are used, how they affect your body, whatitisliketoexperience them and what happens to you when you try to stop taking them. Junkies and reformed addicts are brought into lessons to share their experiences with students. There is no better way of relating the true nature of drugs toyoungpeoplethan to have real live examples to learn from. This allows people to be open about drugs rather than treating them as a taboo subject, which you often seem to do here in England. There is no better way of combating drug abuse than to create a proper understanding of them." What sensible stuff! How come we don't have this here? Maybe studentsshould lobby Parliament and get something done about it? Should there be a de-
gree in drug taking? After all, the way to avoid a problem is to understand it, though not in all cases ie the Government and the UKeconomy. Enough of my own political bias, let's get back to our Dutch fri~ds. Meindert speaks again on the difference between hard and soft drugs. "In Holland we recognise that hard drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, are physically addictive,while soft drugs, namely bash and marijuana, are onlymentallyaddictive. We have a policy in Holland whereby soft drugs are unoficially legal. This has many advantages : People taking them are not ostracised in our society. They (drugs) are controlled through certain outlets such as cafes and bars and arenotsoexpensive. Theirquality is regulated by these outlets. This avoids them being cut or mixed with potentially harmful substances, which, I understand, is not the case in England. You can grow your own marijuana rather than buy it, which allows you to control what you consume directly. However, you can get busted if you are carrying over 30 grammes (aprox. 1 ounce) on you."
"So wbat is the policy on hard drugs?'' "They are not seen as
acceptable. These drugs are illegal and as such are more expensive. However, we provide HealthCcn1resfocjunkies, when they can get drug advice, sterilised needles and less adictive substitutes, which are pure, unlike wbat they can buy on the streets."AtthispointFlossyadds that "the policy in Holland to deal with drugs works very well. We have less ofa drug problem than you do in England. However, with the constant introduction of new drugs, such as ecstasy, the old system may soon need some modification in reassessing its drug catergories. It is important to have a system that can tolerate drug use rather than to deny it. I think that in this country the system does not admit that it can't cope with drugs. That does not solve the problem of how to help people using them." " What do you think Meindert?" "Well it seems that people in the UK handle drugs in the wrong way, like their drinking. Pubs here are only open for a few hours, which means people drink too much too quickly." Flossy interupts, "'n Holland, we are just more relaxed, and that's not only due to the effects of drugs!" Meidert and Flossy both admited to using soft drugs. However, they also stated that they would not consider using such substances as speed or acid, which are two of the most common "next stage" experimental
PHOTO: Rob Hardy drugs, in the opinions of most of the people in my research. They implied that their use of drugs was purely for recreation purposes and as such they enjoyed them. Bothdeniedhavinganeed for drugs, stating that the poor quality, and huge expense ofsoft drugs in the UK, made littlesense in using them. (3.5g's of bash costs £5 in Amsterdam. In England the average price is £15) So, why do people who use soft drugs in this country pay so much? Ask yourself about their mentality and I think you will find the answer. Ifa pint of beer cost you £5, VW>uld you drink? Are there any real benefits to be had, or are people just paying through the nose to indulge in something that may be more a myth and hype than it is enjoy~ able? People should consider the relative costlbcnefit factors that are involved, when contemplating using any drug. I would say that my reasearch
If you feel that your understanding concerning drugs could do with further enlightenment, then information is available from "The Campaign To Legalise Canabis" office, which is based at 54c Peacock St, Norwich,NR311B. Sendastamped SAE for details. 1 have read someoftheir literature and found it most enlightening, and would . indeed recomend it to anyone
who wants to consider government policies concerning soft drugs. They are also forming a society within UEA, for people wanting to become active participators ofthis cause. Look out for the posters and trips to Amsterdam offers! In closing, I would like to say to all those students who do use drugs: ask yourself, 'Do I have a habit?' Ifyou thinkthatyoudon't,
then consider whether you can do without for 10 days. Would you still think that you haven't got a habit? If so, you'll soon find out when you try going without. lO days ain't long! Remember, drugs ARE dangerous, they control you, especially when you think that you are in control. Live long, enjoy life, but don't · be an addict.
Dtug~ are
D 81eroa, tlaey eoatrol you, especially wben you think you are in control has shown that the more you look at and analyse drugs, the less likely it is that you willgetfucked up by them. However, this does not just mean sitting around and thinking ofall the different highs that you could possibly immagine. A more constructive and research based aproach, relating to drugs, is needed by youngpeopletoday. Thiswecan use to protectourselves in a society where drugs are very much apparent. We need to have access to facts and genuine research material, rather than get forcefedhannfulmis-informationcreated by a sensationalist media and certain Government departm~.
£2.50 · AlWlThiE!
12
Concrete, Wednesday, November 11, 1992
Interview
"I sing into a tape recorder and see what happens" Josie Lawrence tells Darren Fisher about her experiences w.ith improvisation One of the most prestigious acts that is going to play at the recently re-vamped Theatre Royal is 'The ~omedy Store Players'a London based troupe most~ ognised for supplying a lot of the cast for the universally popular ' Whose Line is it Anyway?' series. For those of you not familiar with ' Whose Line' (where have you been for the last three years?) it is basically a show where four participants are put in different theatrical situations and are expected to improvise characters, songs or stories provided mainly by the audience. On the other hand, if you are familiar with the series you may have been impressed by the im• provisational and musical .talents of Josie Lawrence. She has been with the Comedy Store for 6 years, and her success has led to her getting her own comedy series, called simply, ' Josie'. On November 21, Josie and the gang (which includes both Paul Merton and Sandi Toksvig) play Norwich, on a greulling tour that began way back in June. Not only do they play a different city each night, but also have to be back in London twice a week for their regular slot in Leicester Square.
However those expecting simply a 'Whose Line' edition without Clive Anderson, may be in for a surprise. "It's completely unstructured", Josie told me, speaking from her hotel room in Newcastle, "the games are same, like emotions and Theatre styles, buttheaudienceparticipatemuch more - it is amazing what a good audience can do for a show". As the Players have been together as a unit for many years, they can take more risks with each other, which she feels leads to better comedy. This is in stark contrast to her experiences in television, whenoftenshehardly knew her fellow performers, "The fust time I ever met Mike McShane, was two hours before we recoreded the show!" One of the most memorable moments on the tour so far came in Leeds when she was asked to sing in a Charleston style about a "Strobe-lit Goldfish"! I asked her ifshe is paticuarly proud ofa · song on stage whether she writes it down afterwards-her response was understandable if unexpected; "I don't really, because after I've done the song I've forgotten it You always have to think two lines ahead. It is really weird watching the show afterwards,
it'slikeyou'renotwatchingyourself'. It has, however, helped her in composing songs fol' her new series, "I just sing into a taperecorder and see what happens". Aware that the audience is made up primarily of young people, Josie tries to keep up on all the latest song styles in case she is asked to perform one. The only style she doesn't like is rave - in that it's usually impossible to sing. She accounts for her popularity with yougsters because there is usually more than just an element of anarchism in her improvisation. Also judging by her fan mail, Josie is also a female role model to many. On the issue of sexism in comedy she feels, "It is much more intimidating for women to go into comedy, performing in smoky clubs, where most of men have just come back from the o.ffy". In fact there have been only two regular ' Whose Line' females since the show began- the other being Sandy Toksvig - a situation that producer Dan Pattersoniskeen to remedy;"The show needs new blood", says Josie, "Paul Merton's wife Caroline Quentin often guests with us in London, and may be
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! Calendars for Christmas l from your own photographs! J =j ~;.~=~Ml=!Jf_~=r:;..w:.M ~=tP-~=!!1-~:,M ....z-:~~~~~~\\ ~~ ~. ~.,. ~~. ~~ ... ~ ... ~~... .. ~- &
~ After the huge response to our 1992 Calendars, we have decided to ff.-: "fl repeat the opportunity for you to buy these again this year. !~
~·~ The calendars are availnble tn a choice offormats: the bnckground ~ :~ colours, which ca n be chosen to suit your individual photograph, are l'~ .u antique wlrite, pale grey a 71d cream. The size wiU be A3 (420m m n X
~:: 297mm). The cost is .£.3.50 each, complete with hanging tag a11d .ff.-:
:fj envelope.
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~~ Examples can be seen otltslde the photocopying hatch in the Registry
~14 and all enquiries can be directed to the Prin ting Unit on extension ~ ~ 2204 (prefix 59 if outside UEA). 1.}. ~
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To order yot4r calendar please fiU in the attach ed form and take or !'\.'\ ensr~re your p hotograph is & placed In a sealed envelope with your name and address clearly f!.\: marked on the outside and attach this to the order form.) ~)'\
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joining us soon". Asked ifshe will ever get tired of improvisation she admits; «J'm pretty tired of it already". Her future plans include not only a new series of 'Whose Line' being recorded after Christmas, but also a film, set in the Black Country called 'Walking the Tunnel'. She is also looking at various drama scripts for a Theatre tour. Surprisingly she is not anxious to stay in comedy; '1 was acting for seven years before the Comedy Store..the press like to pigeon hole you. ..I think that it is less easy to be typecast if you get known as a serious actress fust." She pointed out that this pigeon-holing often gets taken to outrageous extremes, "for a while I was known as Britain's most successful stand up comedienne-without ever having done stand up before!" At the time of going to press all tickets for the show were sold
The 'Whose Line' team out However due to the excessive demand, an extra show has been put on to take place after after the first performance.
There are some tickets still available,andanyoneinterested should contact the Theatre Royal direct.
Interview with William Golding by Marina Johnston Sir William Golding. author of'Lord into tribes and fighting, is it instincmissible" he .replies, then pauses oftheFlies' andwinneroftheNobel tive to him or is it simply habitual?'' and adds "ifyou read it first ...any Prize for Literature in 1983 visited If tribalism, or group mentality, storyexistsonmorethanooelevel UEA on November 2 to read an whichisquiteobviouslythegreatevil and so it is a fable. extract from his trilogy and answer iri the world. is habitual, then there's "Complexity and length is .n questions from the floor. some hope we can form a perfect that makes the difference". In person, Sir William is almost society. U: however, it's instinctive, 'Lord of the Flies' has a great exactly as I had imagined. He~ there's nothing we can do but hope impact on the majority of people semblesachild'simpressionofOod, for a change in the natlll'e of Man that read it, and there are a few with penetrating blue eyes and a him.self. Whichever is the case the scenes which imprint themselves very deep voice. He reflected on word 'hope' features. on your mind and remain there each of my questions before an· Nevertheless, the outlook is not long after you have forgotten the swering and his replies were direct rosy. "'LordoftheFiies' rises out of plotofthenovel. Goldingenvisand inspiring. Al· ..,.!-r-'~·- aged such a though ' Lordofthe scene, the last, Flies • is his bestbefore he began known work, to write-"Oneof Golding regards the first pictures 'The Inheritors' as I had in my mind his "best and perwas this little boy hapsonlycontribualmost crawling. tion". The novel like a pig. down tracks the destructhe beach and the tion of the last Naval Officer; ' group of an imagithis uniformel nary Neanderthal man who is serace known as 'peocure and adult ple' by'Mankind'. and this torThe ' people' are mented little boy not capable of coming towards thinking, of ab· . .__ _...._ _....,.... him" Tbesuccessof straction orofforming rational con- William Golding in 'Waters/ones' PHOTO: Craig Eason 'Lord of the nections but live by Flies' drew atinstinct. They will not kill other an objective view of 20th Century." tention to Golding's work: as a animals and have a faith in the Although it is not a deliberated expowhole and, in effect, won for him divine power and goodness of the sure ofthe Christian tenet ofOriginal the Nobel Prize. earth. Sin it does serve to demonstrate it At this point in the conversaIt is typical that they regard the "Afterall, the great problem in Histion he leans forward and coo· first of Man's arrows directed at tory is simply the oatlll'e of Man fides, in a semi-confessional tone, himself. What else would it be? We them as gifts. The theme of 'the "this is an awful admission to darkness of Man's heart' which make our History. We provide our make but I remember after I finruns through the novels seems to tribe with atom bombs. We even drop ished 'Lor<f ofthe Flies' ~read reflect profound pessimism. The them": ing it and saying to my wife, per· reality, however, is slightly differ'Lord of the Flies' is classified as a baps amusedly in order to show ent. children's book. But does Golding how .egotistical a person can be, "Really I have one question . believe the novel to be as powerful "that's going to win me the Nobel which I ask and know that I cannot and complete when read from the Prize". Surely this is the best posnaive point of view of a child as pure have an answer" Sir William exsible confirmation ofthe power of plains "and that is Man's inability positive thinking. fiction , without the symbolic under· to form a peaceful cooperative socitone of a fable? Cont on page 16 ety and his drive towards dividing "Any way of interpreting it is per-
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Concrete, Wednesday, November 11, 1992
13
•
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO•••
I
.•.WHAT'S ON WHERE
Theatre Royal re-opens (at 'ast!) Two-and-a-half ~· ears and £3.75 million later, the curtain rises again
I
When the Theatre Royal closed its doors for the last time more than two and a half years ago, many thought it was curtains for the top East Anglian venue. But they were wrong, as it was proved last week when Concrete toured the theatre to see how it has been totally refurbished at the cost of £3.75 million. The stage has been enlarged, more seats have been added, disabled access has been improved, the dressing ·ooms have been redesigned, d computer booking system has been installed - and these are just some of the many major alterations which have taken place. There were stages, though, when the whole future of the theatre looked in doubt. A public appeal collapsed in 1990, and the theatre's then General Manager, Richard Condon resigned after 18 years with the venue. It was not until January of last year that a new fundraising trust was set up for the theatre, and it is now openingearlierthanoriginally planned. It will now provide some top-class acts (including Jack Dee and The Comedy Store Players) before the first major production at the theatre: the Christmas pantomime. As we toured the theatre, Chief Executive, Peter Wilson, explained how the designers had gone for "Boldness rather than anonymity." And they certainly have - en-
Report by Peter Hart, photos by Craig Eason tering the Press Bar (above the foyer area) you could be excusedforthinkingyou were inUEA'sveryown 'Hive' bar - the reproduction of the jade green is almost identical. Butdon'tletthatputyouoff - for as Peter Wilson said: "Each area has a different atmosphere and a different flavour," thank goodness for that! The new auditorium is certainly a major improvement the dirty red walls and threadbare red seats have been scrapped. They are replaced by royal blue seats, and colours of gold, red and cream. What's more, the theatre actually boasts seats which are comfortable - and there is an extra nine centimetres leg room between rows! It must be a sign of the times that the designers have been thoughtful about such small details - whereas in the
past we have always been forced to put up with 1930' s concepts of comfort, which did nothing to persuade the not so ardent theatre goer that seeing a show was actually a nice experience. What must also be a sign of the times are the notices prominently displayed in the auditorium, which state: "No smoking - switch off Alarm Watches and Mobile Phones." And then there's the new no smoking ' Norfolk' bar which contains a cigarette machine... There are cases, though, where the designers have been especially thoughtful. Disabled access to the theatre has been vastly improved: no longer do wheelchair users have to enter the theatre through side entrances cluttered with rubbish. Now it's straight into the main foyer, with a specially-designed lower counter at the box office and a platform lift into the stalls bar. Although Peter Wilson says
S T U D EONDAy 7P"l' to 11pm oPENS M
ENTRY ONLY
£2.00
Peter Wilson in the circle of the Theatre Royal
WIN ...WIN...WIN...WIN ...WIN ...WIN...WIN ...WIN ...
Way\vard Girls and Wicked Women! To coincide with Cinema City's special showing of 'Wayward Girls and Wicked Women,'- a series ofanimated films made by women, Concrete are giving you a chance to win the video editions. To keep in with the women in film theme, all you have to do to
disabledaccessisnotyetavailable to the seats in the circle, he guarantees half-price places in the stalls for those who have to remain in their wheelchairs. It appears that everyone has been thought of: all that remains now is for you to see what you think of the new theatre when you visit. Although no student discounts are offered, circle seats for performances are cheap and although they are slightly more cramped, the view of the stage is still reasonable. Arts-wise, the reopening of the Theatre Royal is one of the best things to happen to Norwich for a fair while- "Oh no it isn't... .. oh yes it is!"
win is name the female star of 'Silence of the Lambs', who has recently made her directorial debut with 'Little Man Tate'. The first three names out of the hat will each win a volume of the series. Mark your entries; 'Wicked Women' Competition, giving your name, school and
year, and simply post them in one of the Concrete postboxes located around campus. Winners names will be posted outside the stewards's cabin in UH at 12.30 on Monday. The usual Concrete rules apply, and the Arts Editor's decision is final .
'-SKATE HIRE
50p BURTON ROAD BUSINESS PARK, SPAR ROAD,
NORWICH. TEL: (0603) 403220 A few minutes walk from Fifers lane
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Concrete, Wednesday, November 11 , 1992
!concrete(
Film
UEA, Lecture Theatre One/ Two 7pm. Admissions £1.75 (6-7pm UH Foyer) November Tue I 0: Night On Earth Thu 12: Batman Returns Fri 13 : Shining Through Tue 17: Mambo Kings Thu I 9: Cape Fear Fri 20: The Butcher's Wife Tue 24: Autobus
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WIN... WIN ... WIN ... WIN Tickets and long-sleeve t-shirts To coincide with the general release of the latest Robert Red ford movie Sneakers, Concrete and the Cannon Cinema, Norwich have got together to give away some great prizes. 3 pairs of tickets for the Friday showing, as well as 4\ong sleeve T -shirts are all up for grabs. To win, all you have to do is rearrange the anagrams below to reveal the names of four of the stars.
I FORT RED BORDER
2 I ROT DISNEY PIE 3 SLY KEN BEGIN
4 OR VIX RIPE HEN
Answers should be written on a piece of paper addressed along with your name school and year, and headed ' Sneakers Competition ' . They can posted at any of the Concrete postboxes located on Campus, and the draw will take place at lunchtime on Thursday. The first four drawn will receive the T-shirts, and the next three will each receive a pair of tickets. The winners ' names \\~ll be posted outside the Porters' Cabin in Ul I by 3pm Thursday. Normal Concrete rules apply and the Arts Editor' s decision is fmal.
isL-~R-::-ev=:ie=w=~b~y=;G:;:e:o:r:g:e~Ki;;:n:g~~in~t=er:e:st-;(~es:::p~e=ci=a~ll,=·~P=o::-iti=e~r:::an=d~B~en
In the new age of information. it quite possible that a war in the future will be a war of information -whoever has it, wins . This is the premise of Robert Red ford 's new movie ''Sneakers", a high-tech political thriller with some comedy thrown in fo r good measure. Redford plays Martin Bishop, a computer prankster forced to go underground after transferring money from the Republican Party to the Black Panthers. He heads a group of misfit -i ncluding Sidney Poitier as an ex-CIA agent and River Phoenix as a corn-
puter-age delinquent - who form a team ofhigh-tech security experts These "Sneakers" are hired to penetrate systems to test th eir security . Under pressure from the National Security Agency, Red ford agrees to steal a decoder, which allows access into an y computer program in America. The theft leaves the team embroiled in a whirl of doublecrossers, sec ret agents and the criminal underworld. "Sneakers" features an impressive cast list, but it' s really only the supporting cast which arouse any
Last of the Unlawful Entry ,.
,
Mohicans Review by Mark Smith 'The Last of the Mohicans' transcends the pretty-pictures school of film making, stri\'ing for an extraordinary intimacy amidst the turmoil oflate 18th Century Ame rica. After the annoyingly stylish 'Thief and 'Manhunter', Michael Mann portrays a stunningly visual wilderness which, however, never overshadows th e characterisation. Whi le changing much of the novel, he has retained the natural essence of lames Fenimore Cooper' s original. He directs with great pace, particu larly during thcbeautifullychoreographed battle sequences and during the exhilarating finale . The performances serve the piece well . While Daniel Day Lewis, as 1-!awkeye th e adopted son of the Mohican Chingshgook, is called to do little more than dash through the glades and look darned hand-
some he does bring valuable subtleties to his character and to the central love affair with an English major' s daughter, Cora (Madeleine Stowe). The performance of the film, though , belongs to lohdi May as AI ice, Cora · s younger sister. She brings a wide-eyed innocence to her role which quickly turns into fatal confusion as the stream-lined manners and traditions that she is used to crumble around her. Although the film might have been even better with much less dial og ue, the speech that does exist is barely audible due to the omnipresent score and the constant background noise. The few lines that are detectable are some rather poo r one-liners from Day Lewis which would be more suitable to a lames Bond movie. Nevertheless, Mohicans is both vast in scope and also se nsitive to characterisation. At times the direction is almost poetic; and whilst some parts are mere action movie cliches, other parts are unusual and surprising.
Director - Jonathan Kaplan Starring - Kurt Russell, Ray Lictta, Madeleioe Stowe Cert 18. 111 m ins Currently showing at th e Odeon, Norwich Despite the rumours , "Unlawful Entry", really doesn ' t have much to do with the Rodney King case of Police brutality. What it is, however, is an exhilarating thriller. Afier the burglaryoftheir affiuent L.A. home, Michael and Karen Carr(Russell and Stowe) call their friendly neighbourhood bobby (Liotta) Spurred on by an obsessive desire for Karen, he slowly but surely, worms his way into their lives, threatening both Russel! ' s career and his marriage. Altl10ugh this is a fairly standard plot, the performances are impressive. Liotta proves, yet again, thathe' scomered the fruit-
cake market (Something Wild and Goodfellas). From t11e corners of hi s wry smile to the tip ofhis steel capped boot, he is every inch the psycho. There ' s the usual bout of is-heor-isn ' t-he a complete ltmatic, but because Liotta is so convincingly " nice" when his state of mind is questioned, I found myself feeling guilty for not giving him , the benefit of the doubtl As a man trapped in a spiralling nightmare, defeated at every turn, Russell is excellent , and Stowe gives a quality performance as t11c beleaguered \\~fe . Despite t11e fonnulaic design of recent thrillers(Cape Fear, Ricochet, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle), this film is directed \\~!11 such contemporary style that you leave the cinema white knuckled and quivering , having been gripped from start to finish .
Kingsleyasan unintentionally comic adversary with a dodgy accent). Unfortunately. too much screen time is devoted to Red ford. leaving you wondering how the Sundance Kid ever got so wrinkled! From the makers of the superior ·'War Games", this could have been an engaging political thriller, combining the technology of the '90s with a burst of liberal idealism . Instead, despite a plethora of antiRepublican jokes and many "right on·· references to the end of the cold war and Greenpcace, it ends up promising far more than it delivers.
UEA Films Preview
Batman Returns A lot has been said about the sexual overtones of Michelle Pfeiffer licking Michael Keaton's Batmask, whilst straddled over his pelvis, wearing a rubber catsuit (plus ~· hip). But... there 's more to the mm than that. Batman Returns captures the essential comic book atmosphere of the Batman myth. There are all the elements of the incredulous, vital to the fantasy world of Gotham City. The vague origins of a plot become incidental as they disintegrate into the insane world of freaks and psychological nutcases. This is the essence of Darmy DeVito ' s role as the Penguin , whose sinister character loses all credibility with the truly comical scenes of rocket propelled penguins invading the streets of Gotham. The integral aspects of ' spcctacle ' and ' perfonnance' over ' story' (narrative consistency) arc exploited \\ith the circusreject Red Triangle Gang , against whom Batman performs his heroics. The contrived one-liners at inappropriate moments of dramatic tension are of benefit to the unreal characters- especially Christopher Walken who is excellent as the stereotype powermad tycoon. Tim Burton is a genius.
Previewed by J Taylor
ODEON - Tel 0426 932450 Adm. £3.80, or £2.50 stu. weekdays (not last sbow)
UP TO AND INCLUDING THU 12 NOVEMBER Screen 1: Unlawful Entry( 18) 1:40 3:50 6:00 8:15 Screen 2 : Bitter Moon (18) 2:15 5:00 7:45 California Man (PG) Sat/Sun only I :05 3:00 Screen 3: Beauty And The Best (U) I :30 3:45 6 :00 8:05
CANNON - Tel 623312 Adm. £3.40
UP TO AND INCLUDING
THU 12 NOVEMBER Screen I : The Last Of The Mohicans(l2) 2:30 5:45 8:30 Screen 2: Boomerang (IS) 2 :30 5:40 8:25 1492 Week (not Thu) 1:25 4 :40 7:55 Buffy The Vampire Slayer (12) Sat/Sun 2 :20 Screen 3: Housesitter(PG) I :30 6: 15 Sun 6: IS Patriot Games (15) 3:30 8:25
CINEMA CITY - Tel : 622047 Adm £2.50 Stdts, £3.50 Fri late NOVEMBER Wed 11 : Johrmy Suede (15) 5.45, Wayward Girls and Wicked Women (18) 8.15 Thu 12: Without you I'm Nothing ( 18) 2.30. 5.45, 8. 15 Fri I~ : The Manchurian Candidate ( 15) 5.45, Without You I'm Nothing 8.15 Sat 14: Asterix and the Big Fight (U) 2 .30, Without You I'm Nothing (I 8) 5.45, 8. I 5 Sun 15: Loot(l8)5 .00, Death of a Salesman (PG) 7.30 Mon 16 to Sat 21: As You Like It (U) 5.45, 8.1S (matinees on Tue & Thu, 2.30) Sat 21 : The Magic Riddle (U) 2.30 Sun 22 : To Be Or Not To Be (PG) 5.00, The Entertainer (PG) 7.30 Mon 23 to Wed 25: Waterland( 15)5.45, 8.15 (matinee Tue, 2 .30)
NOVERRE - Tel 630128
Phone for prices
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. -- -· - .. . - ·MUSIC Latest Releases ... LISTINGS ••
SHONEN KNIFE: "Riding on the Rocket" 12" (August Records)
Music Get your tickets now!
GET YOUR ticket for GALLIANO now ! ON the 20th November a better night in the fme city of Norwich could not be found. The collective genius ofGalliano promise anirrisistable mix ofacid · poetry and the opportunity dance the night away. Taking their name from founder member Rob Gallagher (who was renamed Galliano by D.J Gilles Peterson ), other members include ex- Style Council keyboard player Mick Tal bot and Young Disciple Marco. Their first LP "In Pusuit Of The 13th Note" showed an unsuspecting nation just how great they were and through constant touring and playing live Galliano built up a reputation as a brilliant group of musicians and writers.
The second LP "A Joyful Noise Unto The Creator'' offered more of the same and now Galliano arrive at UEA very soon. So get your earth boots on get that ticket! SPEAR OF DESTINY were formed in 1982 by lead singer Kirk Brandon and bassist Stan Stammers. Born from the band Theatre of Hate, Spear of Destiny were an immediate success as was their debut LP "Grapes of Wrath". Plenty of health problems have dogged singer Brandon, but two more LPs proved his staying power and after three sell out gigs at the Marquee in 1991 Spear of Destiny are back. Don't miss your chance on Friday 13th (!) to check out this unique and powerful band.
Adorable & support j Norwich Arts Centre, November 3j Bemg named after a dull and dated computer game is not going to do you any favours Some the Hedgehog would g1ve you slightly more credibility, but not much. But Horace Goes Sk.iingdon 't take themselves senously,JUSt the1r mus1c. and their material, although heavily US-mfluenced (they even wear baseball caps and sh1rts, and sing with amajordrawl)shows that they're likely to take some risks in this clique-inhabited city. Unlike Diversion . DO\\ n the front, some lads discover it's hard to mosh when there are only four of you in the pit, losing themselves m the oblivion-soaked guitars that can be D1version. But mostly it's very "safe'', vying for a space in the School ofNorwich, to join the Honey Buzzards, the Badgers, the Bardots, Dig, Twelfth Century Drawing Machine and countless others sounding as though they belong in the mid-1980s or on Sarah Records It's been so long since a city band exposed its soul to an audience it's worrying. Thankfully Strangelove aren't from Norwich, they're from Bnstol. and have deservedly stramed to get some good press Their singer has been called a bohem1an Brett Anderson and the new Nick Cave but tomght he looks like he's borrowing from Pulp's wardrobe and Shaun McGowan' s drinks-cabinet. Sober he isn t but the energy hits hard and continues into the night with an impromptu acoustic set in the bar. Adorable are out to convince us that they deserve our attention after being dropped from the darlings-of-the-press status. So they probably didn ' t warrant the hyperbole when they got it, but they want it back. Tracks like "I'll Be Your Saint" and the excellent ·'IJomeboy' should have drawn a bigger crowd, and it doesn 't help that while the NAC's in financial diflicullles this city's youth would rather h1re a video than see a First Dl\'lsiOn md1e band playing as if at the stroke of midnight the) '11 revert into the bonng, apathetic, blank generatiOn that infests this city. Adorable aren't from Norwich either. Reviewed by Ed Meikle
Jamie Putnam looks at the latest from Shonen Knife and Adorable
Shonen Knife seem to be neckand-neck with the current Abba revival on the student-o-meter in terms of sheer kitsch at the moment. Abba, however, were brilliant songwriters, while Shonen Knife certainly aren't. So, proudly brought to you by Concrete, the paper of all papers, is a DIY guide on "How to be Shonen Knife" in the safety of your own bedroom. (You may need an adult to help you).
1. Steal a riff from an old Ramones album. 2. Write gobbledygook lyrics about marshmallows, asparagus, fluffy kittens and industrial cleaning agents. 3. Add a sing-a-long chorus that sounds like a Tibetian drinking song (uka-boo, uka-boo, everybody uka-boo ). 4. Become best mates with Kurt Cobain from Nirvana. 5. Release records on a credible indie label, the novelty of which wears off after ten seconds. 6. Dress up like mutant cheerleaders (see photo).
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WATERFRONT - Tel 766266 November Wed 11· The Rockingbirds
li (£4 adv, £450 door) 7 30pm
1
Thu 12: Jah Wobble (£6 adv, £7 door) 7:30pm Mon 16: Chumbawamba (£4 adv, £5 door) 7:30pm Thu l9:ShonenKnife(£4adv, £5 door) 7:30pm Mon23: Therapy?(£4adv,£5 door) 7:30pm Sun 29: Omar and support 7:00pm Mon 30: That Petrol Emotion (£5 adv, £6 door) 7:30pm
UEA November
Fri l3:SpearofDestiny(£7.50 adv) Sat 14: Dr Feelgood(£7 adv) Wed IS:TheFann(£6.50-tv) ADORABLE:
"Homeboy"
12" (Creation Records) "Homeboy" is quite a stonking track. The loopy basslineis vaguely Pixies and Piotr's unstable vocals are quite wonderful with some nice floaty guitar lines coming in at sporadic intervals. Where this song really kicks the roverbial ass is in the chorus
however, with Piotrquite unstably yelping"You're so beautiful" like Jack Nicholson with Semtex stuffed in his ears and the guitar crashing around like a tidal wave. Not bad at all. The B-sides are pretty forgettable-"Palot" is a moderate-paced guitarthingybob, and "Contented Eye", thebctterofthetwo,isquite mellow, so on the wholethis record ets about 72 on the cla
Fri 20: Galtiano (£6.50 adv))
Sat 28:Ned'sAtomicDust~ (£8.SO adv) NAC -Tel. 6683Sl Nowanbcr
Sat 14: Joenna Bormt and Michael Dussek (£.4) 7.30pm
Frontline
lOO FM Programme Details WEDNESDAY NOV 11 lam - 4pm: Dale Martyn 4am- 6am: Jan Mathiesen 6am - 9am: Peter Hart 9am- noon· Mark Brenner noon- 3pm: Steve Clarke and
Bod 3pm - 6pm: Jon Fry 6pm - 8pm: Connected with DavctFrancis and Chris James 8pm - l Opm: Ed Meikle IOpm - I am: Steve Jackson
THURSDAY NOV 12 Iam - 3am: Steph 3am - 6am: James J 6am - 9am: Chris Barson 9am - noon: Mark Brenner noon - 3pm: Nick Applin 3pm - 6pm: Matt Nagy 6pm - 8pm: Connected with Julie and Simon 8pm- IOpm: Nick Stuart !Opm - midmght: Katja
Lasseur FRIDAY NOV 13 midnight- 2am: WildLife 2am- 6am: tbc 6am - 9am: Chris Barson 9am - noon: Mark Brenner noon • 3pm: Nick Applin 3pm - 6pm: James J 6pm - &pm: Connected with Jon Baker 8pm- l Opm: Planet Noisebox IOpm - midnight: Jon Fry
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Concrete , Wed nesday , Nove mber 11, 1992
lconcrete l
Where there's Much Ado a will (cont.) About Nothing
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The most obvious question to ask a distinguished author is from where he draws his inspiration. Closely bound to this is the question of inspiration itself Does it suddenly strike or is it the result of an accumulation of observations and ideas? Golding describes creativity as "a different mode of experience from any other kind of experience," and reflects "the most extraordinary thing about making" (he deliberately avoids the word 'creating') "is that it is not _ entirely Discovery. It jumps into your mind or is there suddenly when there was nothing there before". The idea of .. something new being there right in the centre of your mind which may be the germ of a novel; may be the whole novel; may be a short story" is the essential mystery of creativity. Golding di sc usses this further in the essay " Belief and Creativ~ ity" which is part of "A Moving Target". He considers that the first four novels before 'Lord of the Flies' were merely"other people's books" . He has said in the past that he was always thinking to himself from the last novel he had read, oh, so that's how you should write a novel, and that consequently his novels were imitations of other people's work. The settings of the first 3 novels are all unique; an uninhibited desert island in ' Lord oft he Flies'; a prehistoric era in 'The Inheritors ' and a rock in the middle of the Atlantic in ' Pincher Martin ' . I wondered whether this uniqueness was deliberate in order to give the work a wholly distinctive quality and break away from imitation in 3 great strides. Sir William explains that he secs the emergence of these novels as happening in 2 stages. First come the ideas, "which are bubbling up all the time, especially while you 're young, then you realise that one is different and decide to write it- but it may not come deliberately from the desire to be different". In reply to the question of whether the bubbling spring of ideas has ever been blocked Sir William answers in the affirmative. He humorously puts forward a twelve year writer 's block as the reason for the lack of novels between 1967 and 1979. Luckily such a block does not prevail at the moment. There may also be more novels to come. ''I cannot see a point at which I will not desire to have an :>thcr book to create" he says, "but I think there may come a time when I have no more books to create and I shall just be stuck in a kind of eternal writer 's block.'" Let's hope thi s is not the case. After all, the saying goes: 'Where there' a will, there's a way,' or in this case, Where there's a Will, there's a way!'
Maddermarket T heatre Review by Paul Gra inge A jiving priest is not the most immediate of Shakespearean images, but in the Norwich Players· interpretation of " Much Ado About Nothing" it is one of the most memorable. In a vibrant and cheel..-y production, the Players update this light hearted comedy so as to set it in the roaring nineteen twenties. Although purists may object, the theme of post war life is certainly brought closer to our experience in such a tran sposition . Essentially, " Much Ado" concerns the new sense oflife following war, the focus with the romance ofClaudio and Hero, and the antagonistic love of Beatricc and Bcnedick. Written mostly in prose, the play is very accessible, but such modernising makes it even more so. One cannot help but compare it to the comedy of " Blackadder" in many instances. That is not to say that Ben El ton has become the new Bard. Rather, it shows that Shakespeare's' humour is timeless and this fact is fully appreciated by the ever-consistent Norwich players. There were few weak performances in the cast and any first night nerves that may have appeared were fully compensated by the enthusiasm of Dogberry and Benedick. As is usua l, both costume and scenery were exemplary. Flappers and soldiers came to life on stage and the elegance of the garden
It's a kind of magic! Peter Zenner, mind-reader and hypnotist, is coming to UEA on November 18 to perform his show in front of the kind of audience he prefers - young, uninhibited and willing to participate. He has already visited UEA about ten times in the past and is confident that his show, like his previous ones, will be a sell-out. Zenner became a professional ' Psychic Entertainer' in 1978 and has been performing at hotels, nightclubs, restaurants, dinner-parties and large venues such as UEA ever since. l-Ie claims to have been fascinated by magic and conjuring since he was fourteen and subsequently developed his interest into a ' two-hour show of mystery and laughter' . He also does palm-reading and Tarot card reading for more informal occasions. He was not available to speak to us at the time appointed for our interview as he was caught in a traffic jam on the motorway.
setting made it feel like watching Shakespeare performed on someone' s patio. Although three hours long, the performance is rarely tiresome and even those who might feel they haven 't the stamina should remain just to see the play's conclusion . With dancing and singing , it vividly captured the decadence of the twenties and in this way, the end, as well as the play as a whole, fully deserved the comment of the octogenarian sitting next to me when she said" wasn 't that fun ?"
Book review- the latest Graphic Novel from Alan Moore
Interview by Marina J ohnston I crossed out the question on whether hi s powers of premonition were useful in evel)·day life and took a more cynical stance. I approached him expecting an outlandish, spiritual figure , anxious to convince me ofhis powers of telepathy. instead he was straightforward, business-like and professional. But was he authentic? He makes predictions, describes personal articles while securely blindfolded and ' projects thoughts' into the minds of his volunteers, but is this really a result of psychic powers? He replies to such questioning: " as an entertainer I reserve the right to use any method to achieve the desired effect", which could be interpreted as " no". Although Zenner promi ses ' good, clean, fun ', hypnotism does have connotations of psychological risk .
Norwich Arts Centre - Tel 660352 November Weds I 1 & Thurs 12: One Way Pe ndulurn (Theatre)(£3)
The Waterfront - Tel766l66 Zenner assures that there is no danger involved. Inhibitions and reservations do break down under hypnosi s, so tl1at volunteers are prepared to travel back to the age of five, as well as ' row a boat and boogy down at an imaginary disco ' in frontoftheirfriends-at least it's your rowing technique and not your deepest, darkest secrets that are being laid bare. But Zenner adds, to counter any delusions surrounding hypnosis , that it is unlikely you would agree to do anything against the ethics or morals you uphold in a normal, conscious state whilst in an hypnotic trance. !le also promises the opportunity to be hypnoti sed to everyone who is willing to try it. Zenner has a reputation for really impressing his audience so my advice is, on Wednesday 18th November - Relax .. . push all other thoughts to the back of your mind ... and wander dO\m to LTl at 8:00pm for an evening of intrigue. Tickets: £3 .75 in adv. from the Finance Office.
j})flJ[f{~
CHIN E S E
1. C ha liu hsi ao chi
£.1.5 0
(st1r fried ch1cken with bamboo shoots)
(stir fried pork with bea n sprouts)
£.1.60
By Matthew Broersma to his childhood home of Sheffield and finally into the land of his own memory, the relationship between the boy and him self becomes stranger and more menacing, giving new and ominous significance to the events in his life he had thought dead and buried. Moore gives full play to his gift for visual narrative, with a few sequences that are genuinely haunting, and artist Oscar Zaratc does the mood of the story justice with his exaggeration of form and often garish colour schemes. The characterisation is somewhat bland and, despite Moo re·s narrative cleverness and Zarate 's ~isua l innovation, the climactic fin al scene is not as effective as it should be Still, the book IS highly recommended for anyo ne who can afford the £8.99 cover price.
Peta Lily in BEG I - a new play directed by David Glass £4 (£3 cone.) ?pm
Maddermark.et Theatre Tel6l0917 Nov27- ~5 : DonJuan
Tbe Arthur Miller Centre: A Literary Festival of Distinguished Authon at UEA Nov 16: MargaretDrabble and Michael Holroyd N ov 25 : Julian Bames N ov 30: Antonia Byatt A ll lectures are in L-T I a t 7pm, tickets a t the door (£ 3, or U students). Wltih et~f7Y effort is m 11th to msur• tit• accutacy of IUtU..s, clld Ulaib
E V E NING
~~~QJJ
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A Small Killing Through all Alan Moore's work, from his stories in 2000 A. D. in the early 80's right up to his latest effort, 'A Small Killing', (Victor Gollancz Graphics, £8.99) a ten sion has existed between his adult oriented subject matter and genre-forms superheroes, fantasy , horror - that, ordinarily, are meant for adolescents. In the past couple of years he has turned his prodigious talents toward less genre-oriented material, but kept his fascination for the ex1.reme and the grotesque; A Small Killing is hi s furthest step so far into the domain of real , ordinary life. The main character here is Timothy Hole, a successful New York adverti si ng executive with a strange problem : he's being followed by a small boy. a boy whom he believes wants to kill him. As he travels from New York City
LISTINGS
Available from 6p.m.-1 0p.m.
Concrete, Wednesday, November 11, 1992
17
rabba (week6,Autumn Term, 1992)
The official line on what's happening in your Union
AGM IN The Mandates QUORACY From General SHOCK It came as a pleasant surprise to many of the seasoned observers of Union affairs when on Monday last week the Annual General Meeting was quorate, the second General Meeting of the year to be so. This now means that this year has achieved as many quorate ordinary General Meetings as the last three years put together. The reasons for this? the fact that students in are far more willing to get involved with the Union this year than last or that the executive has its act together more? Or rnayby that the first General Meeting appeared to do things or was vaguely amusing? Whatever the reason, the meeting miraculously stayed quorate all the way through the
agenda whilst passing policy on Union Finances, fighting against having to pay to join the Union, Miner+sDispute, lobbyingagaist the destruction ofthe RainForest, support for the Greek Socialists and ending with a discussion on the Union+s Community Initiative. The strangest thing of all about the meeting was the fact that despite the end of the happy hour at the bar and seemingly indifferent to the free tickets to Peppermint Part, people stayed to the bitter end. Could it possibly be that after all that has been said about student apathy that people actually do want to listen to and take part in debates such as these. Hopefully week 7 will prove so. 7.30pm,LCRmondayWeek7for the next one.
ELECTION WS! Anyone out there fancy taking responsibility for the interests and affairs of clubs and societies? The positionofExecutiveOfficer(Societies), as you may already know is currently vacant. Ifyou have a few hours to spare in your timetable and feel capable of undertaking such a task, then put your name forward by Thursday Week 6. Just go to the House Manager+s Office, upstairs in UH and fill in a nomination form, put it into the ballot box, and the Election will take place on Thursday Week 7. The post involves handling day-to-day enquiries by people in Societies or wanting to form Societies about how to
go about things. It also involves being responsible for handling the applications the Union receives from outside people wanting to join the Union and hence Societies. As well as this, you get a vote on the executive committee (meets every Monday lunchtime, upstairs in UH) as well as on Student+s Forum (meets 4 - 6 times a term). The job is not just restricted to clubs & societies though, it also means you can bring any item under the sun up for discussion at the executive and take responsibility for some ofthe Unions Campaigns on if you so wish. Best ofluck to all those who are interested!
action next tenn. Atthetimeofwriting, we arestillawaitingtheresultsofthe calling ofthe Emergency Student Affairs Committee which will discuss the rent freeze, but work is being done on the financial side of the Union+s proposals. The other mandate was to communicate to the University the view that we would not tolerate interference from the Registry in the material that the Union puts
pRoBLe.M~
youR
DECISIONS BY
EXECUTIVE FORUM
outWehaverespondedtothisby drawing up a document to take to UniversitySenateforbiddingthe Registry to take similar action in the future. Currently, we are engaged in lobbying members of Senateonthisissue. Weareinsisting that the vote is by secret ballot, wehopetowinandaresureto get enough votes to make it decidedly uncomfortable for the Registry.
WitH
couR~e.?
Attack Alarms
Available from the Stewards office in Union House at a subsidised cost ofÂŁ 1 each
The forum has not met since the last Pravda, however the executive has been exceedingly busy discussing such items as Publicity for General Meetings and how best to go about fulfilling the mandates of GM+s and Fonun. As well as this the executive has had a number of -extra+ ~tings . One of these was a super long session to discuss the minutes of the meetings of the 4 full-timers over the summer (and me tell you that was interest. !). The others were to appoint t porarydelegatestoNUSArea Council and to decide strategy for the rent strike. The executive has also taken a decision to keep its banking with NatWest. We offered tenders last term to other banks and were especially hopeful the co-operative bank would prove interested in opening a branch on the Plain. However, that was not forthcoming, so we chose to stick with NatWest. The exec also discussed the use of the Conference Room. As this is probably the -nicest+ of the bookablerooms, the executive were concerned to see some Societies block-booking it for, in one case, every weekend during term. In an attempt to enable all Societies to have fair access to the Conference Room, we decided to limit block bookings to I hour a week on weekdays or 3 hours at weekends. As well as this we have discussed and agreed to organise representatives to: The Media Conference; Third World First Conference; LGB Conference and International Students Conference. Also, wemadeadecisionto print -recycled - please recycle+ on all Union publicity and to print up a new Societies Pack giving information on various aspects of Union procedure/bureaucracy and how to cope with it!
~
Then make an appointment to see Nicola Sainsbury, the union's Academic Officer. Nicola will be available every Thursday afternoon without appointment to deal with your queries.
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_____.
RECENT
Meeting 1 The year+s first General Meeting resulted in 2 basic mandates for the Executive. The first ofthese concerning the execution ofthe rent strike. Following from this, the Union put out publicity which resulted in over I 00 people joining the rent strike, with many more promises of support from those who had not been in receipt oftheirgrantyetorthose\\hohad their grant paid for them in advance by parents and will join in
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Pravda is written and compiled entirely by the Students Union. It appears here by commercial arrangement with Concrete '
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Concrete , Wednesday , November 11 , 1992
Ill
concrete il .0603 250558
University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ Publisher: Stephen Ho ward Editor: Peter Hart News & Features Editor: Gill Fenwick Arts Editor: Darren Fisher Sports Editors: Katherine Mahoney & Clare Gemmel Chief Reporter: Polly Graham Picture Editor: Craig Eason Staff Photographer: Rob Hardy Advertising: Simon Mann Distribution: John Barton Layout Assistants: Phil Scott, c_hris Jones, Paul Coslett Proof Readers : Ruth Wilson, Rebecca Saraceno, Ruth Austin, David Hatton, AmirThilagadurai, GeorginaKing Typists: Andy Woodard, Amir Thilagadurai, MarinaJohnston, Niall Hampton, Paul Felton, Ruth Austin Photographers: Iggy, Keith Whitmore, Mark Turner, Harry Stockdale, Forrest Wentworth, Malcom Forbes-Cable Contributon: Niall Hampton, Iggy, Sue McManus, Julian Taylor, M Smith, JamiePutnam, Matthew Broersma, Paul Grainge, Ed Meikle, Georgina King, MarinaJohnston, AlexReeve, Stephen UzzeU, Julia Smith, Nick Wilsden, Sanjay Magecha, Andy Woodard, Polly Knewstub, ArnirThilagadurai, Harry Stockdale, Nigel Harding, Kelly Carter, J Goodwin, Paul Lynes, T Hi er, Tara Hoke, Liz Rice, Ian Nundy
Many thanks to Technical Advisors: Neil Barnden, Mike Salmon, Peter Roberts, Dave Cartwright Thanks to: Union House stewards
Concrete is published independently at UEA. Opinions expressed are those of the contributor and not necessarily those of the Publisher or Editor (C) 1992 Printed by Eastern Counties Newspapers, Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich
concrete classifieds To plac• a fr•• classlfl•d ad In Concr•l• Ill/In lh• form Nlow, and post HIn any oflh• Concr•l• classlfl•d box•s around UEA. Th•y ar• sllual•d at lh• Sl•wards Cabin In Union HouSII, In lh• Concr•l• Offlc•, allh• Unlv•rslly Post Room, and allh• Porl•rs lodg• at FH•rs lan•. Your ad will normally app•ar In lh• n•xllssu• aHhough w• r•SIIrv•lh• rlghllo am.nd or r•fuSII any ad. You r•maln p•rsonal/y r•sponslbl• for any ad you plac•.
fu.-~ale Levl SOl's colour blue, waist 361nch, leg 321nch , newandunwom ,Box 131 Photos .from UEA events a lways availab le a t rea sonable p rices . Contact Rob at the Concrete offlee. Erasure very rare DJ only limited edition 12 Inch : 'Who Needs Love ' and ' Ship of Fo ols ' remlxes , special sleeve, excellent mixes by Orb . £30ornear offer. Box 132 For Sale : Rocky Horror party photos taken by Concrete photogra pher. Reasonable rates . Blackma il a possibility. Contact Rob via Concrete . Five speed racing bike for sale . Hardly used £50 or near offer. Contact Darren Fisher on 660402 or pigeonhole EAS 2. Cartoons and Caricatures £.5. Pencil portraits £ 10Watercolour portraits £25. All done from good quality photos - perfect Christmas gift. See Gory at Union House stewards office . Encyclodadla of Western Philosophy a nd Philosophers for sale, paperbac k, only £3.50. Contact Peter Hart EAS 2 IBM compatible PC w ith dot matrix printer, colour monitor, lots of programmes, needs adjustment, hence price only
£195. Would suit expert, possibly to resell for profit . Computer for sale : IBM compatible w ith colour monitor, and both sizes of disk drive . Word processing and database software Included - and some g ames. Can demonstate working on campus , a nd provide any training / assistanc e neede d . Only£1 95. Contact Norwich 592370. Binoculars: Tasco 8 x 40 rubber coated body fully coated lenses, Includes carrying case . £25orvery near offer. See Steve Sadd , security steward.
wanted We' re looking for a good but not too serious singer and bassist to sing own materia and classic covers music . eg Doors, Stones etc . Contact Andy Woodward EUR 1 or Howard Parker CHE 1. Wanted cheap motorcycle , MOTfallure, blow up, crashed , anything cons idered (except 125's) . Contact Rob Hardy EUR 3.
.-uum r-ent Room available for sublet next term . £30 per week, female only. Really nice three b edroom house In Denblgh Road . If Interested telephone 613420. Ask for Ge orgie .
Room exchange wanted from Fifers Lane to the Plain. Contact Son Truong Room Z2 .07 now. Don 't miss t his excellent opportunity.
events Llvewlre disco - Rfers Lane K Block lOpm till late, Friday Week 6. Be there .
pe.-~unal Happy Birthday Mo gwal. Tall attractive debonair zany clever happening SYS student wishes to meet lithe long legged willowy brunette sex kitten . Box 133 Attractive EAS first year female needs Interesting friends! Write to me now. Box 134 Jullane - Thanks for not leading me on. Love Darren . Second year female needs attention and evenings out w ith innocent first year males . Box 135. De spe ratel y se e kin g Mark t he shark. I saw you a t Rocky Horror last week and want to see more of you . Get In touch! With b ig sloppy ones C . Smith Want to get your own back? Too shy to ask . Place an advert here for free I
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1t you want your name and odctess to appea makell pat olthe message. 11 however you do not wish your name or odctessto appear you may use a lree box number. Your ad will be allocated a number by us and replies will be lorwarded to you 10 days atter pubUcal1on olthe paper (any lurther replies will be lorwarded as they are received). To reply to a box number advertisement address your reply to the box number and send IIIo 'Box Numbers, Concrete, UEA', Norwich' or lake IIIo the University post room , or the Concrete omce In Union House.
Letters Thanks - but whoops! Just a note to thank you for the article you did about Nightline in the latest edition. However, you printed our phone! ine number as 503 304. It is in fact 503 504. I thank you for your time. Brian Goldsmith, Nightline
Journey to War When I read your article "Journey to War", my face alternated between white and red. White because my rage that something like this is printed in this colllltry and red because I felt shame for every Bosnian and Croat who may read it. What do you think a five-yearold child, who was bombed out; a 14-year-old girl,who was raped for the umpteenth time by soldiers-from whichever side; or an oldman, whohadjusthadbothhis legs amputated after being hit by a shell splinter would feel byreading your text and, in addition, seeing the (non-annotated) photo of a self-satisfied soldier ' * . , mocking cartoon drawn 1 ~ wall in the backgrolllld? Well, Dubrovnik is not Dresden. First and foremost, the shells were "only" anti-personnel as you expressed in the article. And the hlllldreds ofthousands ofcasualties (Dubrovnik is only ONE city!) are not a great loss, are they? I have friends in Sarajevo who were so naive as to go back as late as February. The lasttime I could call them was in late J\Ule. But we could not talk seriously because they could only cry. In the backgrolllld one could hear the Serb shells exploding. And something else. In November I 989 I was conscripted into the East German armv · Berlin. Thank God we hat war! But we were not far from it in the weeks before the Wall fell. If you would like to hear about it, I am quite willing to tell you what war is like. But please, arrogant yollllg aspiring writer or not, don't ever write about your holiday jobs again. Stick to the Costa del Sol, it will probably do us all good. Gunnar Arnold, EUR-V/S
In reply to your letter, Concrete would like to point oul that the lack ofa caption underneath the photograph was because the author ofthe article (pictured) had asked not to be captioned Concrete shuwedEdyour letter, he suggested a caption: "EdwardHassall, terrified, 1500 metresfrom serb lines". Ifthe article made you angry, it was probably because it was written from apersonal point of view, andwesuggestyoumeetup withEdtodiscusstheeventsand experiences that hefelt unable to express in the article.
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Match Reports And Results Men's Football 1st vs Queen Mary's Our fint home fixture of the UAU' s saw us entertain Queen Mary's College, London.
Following a tough encounter in last year's competition, a similar match was anticipated this time around. It was important to get back to winning ways following last week' s 54 defeat by Middlesex. This UEA accomplished with a certain amount of style. Queen Mary' s showed little resistance faced with some bright, attacking play. The successive waves of attack eventually paid~ff, by starting what became a flood of goals. The first was a superb strike from Paul Hodgeson who broke
frommidfieldontoaCarl Warner through ball, before side-footing an immaculate lob over the keeper's head from the edge of the area. The second came soon after when defender Randy McDonnelly calmly side-footed home his first goal for the club. Five minutes later came the chance of a third goal after a powerful 25 yard free-kick was finger tipped over the goal. From the resulting corner Nundy won the header and as the ball went goalwards it fell to Nick Hoslcyns who applied the cheekiest of finishes, flicking the ball "John
Bames-like" between his legs and into the net. At half-time it was 3-0 to UEA and they were soon to add to this, with Tom Finlayson stealing the show in the second half, with a well taken hat-trick. Paul Hodgesonrounded offthe scoring with his second following an accurate flick~n from Hoskins. He shrugged off two challenges before ramming the ball home. The back four looked solid once again in what was an excellent all-round team performance with debutante Keeper Anthony Ebutt, having to make only one real save following a mistake by Powell. Final score : UEA 7 Queen Mary' s 0.
ssex Women Beaten 5- 1 had a cracking start to their season last Sunday, with a 5 - 1 victory over Esselt University.
However, UEA demonstrated quite decisively which team was on top during the second half. Two more goals from Kathryn Jones completed her hat trick. Whilst a thundering penalty from Vicki Bamford provided the coup de grace. The game was enjoyed by all supporters (and two horses in a nearby field) who had turned up to
watch. Apart from a UEA player attempting to take a corner from her own end, and an Essex girl who took a ' roll in' rather than a 'throw in', very few other holes could be picked in the game that was played. The only other holes to be picked were those found in the UEA kit! (Navy and pale blue would be nice, hint, hint!) By Lir. Rice
Badminton Off To A Slow Start
By John Barton
This fu:ture was a new additiontotheUAU schedule. When it emerged that 15,000 people attended the recently renamed Middlesex Univenity the badminton team among othen realised it was going to be a tough day.
This it proved to be, apart from facing good opposition the so far relatively untested team had to contend with a glass roof, freezing cold con<Ji.tions and drift of the shuttle, rendering visibility very poor.
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Concrete, Wednesday, November 11, 1992
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Accidents will happen! by Katharine Mahoney Although words such as Insurance, Codes of Practice and Legal positions inspire instant boredom, they are now recognised as being vital to make sport safer.
Sporting accidents have increased over recent years and this in turn has led to more cases ending up in court. Whereas twenty years ago, if there was a clash on the rugby pitch and somebody got injured it would be put down to part of the game. Nowadays it could end up with someone being sued in court. This means that universities and polytechnics have to reduce their liability. One positive way of doing this is to draw up a code of practice for everyone to follow. AtUFA,theUnionandthePhysical Recreation officers have drawn up a safety manual. This deals with amoungst others, aspects of sport and the law, trip records, insurance and fU"St aid. While at first it may seem like just more paperwork for people to do, it does have a legitimate and
important role. For instance, say there was an accident whilst a club was on a trip and there was no record of who had gone. It would be virtually impossible for the University to quicldy help the Rescue services. The need for a record of those going on a trip has already been recognised at UEA and it is being implemented at the moment. Its value has been further recognised since the hockey crash last year. Another major area to be dealt with is that of insurance.At present, not all UEA clubs provide their members with insurance. All the equipment is insured by the Union because they buy it, but some people are playing sport uninsured. Insurance is very important, especially in the so called dangerous sports. It may be worth looking into personal accident insurance if clubs do not provide it for you. However the safety manual, though good in intention may raise problems for clubs who do not have qualified instructors. lt may recom-
mend that those students who instruct others have to have a mini'1mm level of qualification. This poses a problem, as it takes time and money to train as an instructor. Yet if the worse happened ., !fd somebody was injured playing ~rt, then the instructor at that e may be liable. So the qualifiesfor instructing seems like a ible precaution. It was Keith Nicholls who first qroposed the code of practice to tpe Union and it looks as if the Union will accept it. John Holmes, the Union repre~ntative for Sport commented, ''The Union fully backs any moves to make sport as safe as can be." _ Although the code of practice at first glance looks like it will just create more hassles for clubs, it cannot be ignored. It should not be forgotten that at the end of the day, sport can be dangerous and any measures taken to make sport at UEA safer should be welcomed.
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Lacrosse - A Dying Sport?
The UEA women's football team
Minutes after play had begun, suspect defending resulted in a penalty for UEA. Hopes of a first goal for defender Liz Rice were dashed, when the ball hit the crossbar. However Rice gained glory only moments later by following in a superb cross from striker Kathryn Jones. A second well deserved goal was hammered in by Jones, which amply demonstrated her footballing skills. Skills which continually left the Essex defence in tatters. stepped up their attack the final stages of the first half; and finally managed to break through a solid defence led by captain Nikki Shipley, to clinch one goal.
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On top of this it was a challenge to keep warm. The exterior of the sports centre looked like a barn and unfortunately appearances did not deceive. ln addition, there was not sufficient time to complete the match. The results stand but conceal the unfortunate conditions the team had to endure. The men's 1st team conceded the last two games to suffer a 72 defeat. The men' s 2nd team won 54 after the last game was won on default due to the lack of
time. The women fought valiantly in a close match but eventually lost 54. Overall this should not affect the qualification for the knockout stages. The team has only been tested this once and many pairings still need time to settle down. Some squad members felt the conditions gave the home side a considerable advantage and were a little disappointed at the apparent lack of efficient organisation on the part of Middlesex.
Tara Hoke looks into the possibililty of Lacrosse becoming a sport of the past i' Norwich. The sport of Lacrosse and its playen are ftghting an uphill battle for recognition in the Norwich area. The game of Lacrosse has its
roots in an old American Indian game. This game was discovered by French settlers and developed into the sport as we know it. Lacrosse was first introduced to Great Britain in 1876, and from there, it grew to become a common pastime in universities and sports clubs throughout the nation. Butdespiteitsfairlywidespread exhibition, lacrosse has still failed to achieve a real interest here in Norwich. Maggie Andrews, chairman of the Norwich Lacrosse Club, feels that the majority of people do not evenknowwhatlacrosseis. "I've had many people who watched our team play and asked me what we were doing," she says. ln fact , she adds, the sport is so little known that "years ago, when I used to carry my lacrosse stick about, I got various comments from people asking me if I was going butterfly catching!" The Norwich Lacrosse Club
itself is suffering from this lack of interest. The team is struggling both to make ends meet and to attract new players, as well as to find other teams with whom to compete. "At the moment," Maggie says, ''I'm relying on old members of Norwich High School, where I used to go, to rally round and come up with teams for us to play." This same lack of popularity has been plaguing the UEA Lacrosse team as well. The club has to question from year to year whether or not it will attract sufficient interest, and indeed, this year the lacrosse club barely managed to gain enough members to fill the 12-player team. Helena Christensen, a second year EUR student and President of the UEA Lacrosse Club, explains that this question presents an even bigger problem : that of scheduling matches. Without the promise of a solid support each year, the club is unable to schedule matches in advance. Yet, without a set schedule ofmatches for the team to play, the club is unlikely to attract solid support.
''It is really a vicious circle," Helena says. So far the UEA J..acrosseteamhasonlybeenable io arrange two matches; one of these has been against Maggie i\fldrews ' Norwich Lacrosse tlub. However the problems of the UEA teamdonotend there. Many pfthe members who signed up to play for the club are American, ~d many of these are here for nly the Autumn Term. When January rolls around, Helena says, the team will again have to "re-evaluate" whether or not it will be able to continue. But the lack of support here is not characteristic ofthe nation as a whole, as Helena explains, ''In Hertfordshire, where I went to high school, lacrosse was really big. We often played up to 5 games a week. In other areas, they play loads of games too." So why has lacrosse gained so little support here in Norwich? No one seems to know. Teams such as the Norwich Lacrosse Club and our own UEA Club are fighting to see that the fast-paced and exciting sport of Lacrosse lives on in this area.
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concre e s Norfolk's Fastest Hero
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Jim Goodwin talked to Martin Brundle about the motor-racing stars past and present The impression I received from talking to Brundle's press officer and mana ger was of a talented d rivers career tainted with bad luck. Martin Brundle is an internationally known racing driver, who has driven all-over the world and competed alongside some of the biggest names in motor-racing. !le started his career in Norfolk. acountywhich itself has strong links with the motor-raci ng community. Florn in King's Lynn on June I st 1959 (and _ now where he ana his family live) Brundle took to motor sport in an era when Colin Chapman 's Racing Team "Lotus" ru led the roost. Lotus, situated just outside Norwich was the best as far as innovation was concerned. This in turn brought the late designer much success over 20 years and helped to put Norfolk
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on the map of motor-racing. It was here in Norfolk that Brundle's career started. He first became famous because of his battle with Ayrton Senna in the Formula 3 Championship of 1983 . However, Bru ndletooksecond place in this championship to Senna, and while Senna headed off to Toleman and then Lotus in 1985, Brundle could only manage a place with the ailing Tyrell team. Thus disillusioned with the sport Brundle "retired" in 1988 and took a sabbatical with the Jaguar works team. It was through the capable leadership of Tom Wallcinshaw that Brundle managed what he himself calls, "one of the greatest achievements of my career." He was refering to his first place at Le Mans in 1991. Brundle went on to add that, "to do it in a British car in front
of so many British fans on French soil made it that much more worthwhile." In 1992, things started to look brighter for Brundle. Wallcinshaw defected to the Benetton-Ford team and signed Brundle as a replacement for Nelson Pique!. Brundle remembers, "When I heard that Tom (Wallcinshaw) had gone to Benetton at the end of 1991, I was hopeful that I could finally get the drive I really wanted at the time." But how did he feel about partnering a sensational and ambitious young German, Mich ael Schumacher? Brundle commented, "I knew it would be difficult, especially to qualify, but I felt that my experience on the track spoke for itself." Unfortunately bad luck hit again, Brundle failed to finish his first 6 races of the year. Brundle 's man-
Photos by Craig Eason First XV against London University- at last a home win !
Score 25 - 6
car vacated by Mansell for next season. There are whispers of the possibility that Brundle could be employed by Ron Dennis at Maclaren International to partner, the American Michael Andretti - however as no official comment has been made yet, this remains only a whasper on the grapevine. It is sad to note that Italian anterests were at heart when Brundle was sacked from Benetton (an Italian Company) so that they
could employ Patrese, a veteran Italian driver who had driven for the team before. This seems even more unfair when, as James Hunt noted, Brundle has driven more consistently and scored more points than Patrese since France this year . It would seem that Brundle ,, unfortunate victim of the sporting politics that have a wide and diverse influence over Formula One. As novelist Bob Judd aptly muses. "Money talks."
Saky- powerhorse of the pack !
Grand Prix - Fun Run by Harry Stockdale Well it had to be cold d idn ' t it! But n ot even t h e p rospect of our n e arly daily downpours pu t off the 300 or so of us ra ring to run for ou r teams. Skimpily clad in old school rugby shirts, football shirts, lacrosse shirts, tracks uits and the """ like. W e congregated around the steps of the sports centre before being led off to the starting line, which happened to be the part of the g r assy fields between Waveney (and it' s build ing site) and Suffolk Terrace. After a good ten minutes of standing around, coupled with the ritual intimidation by a few teams a gainst the rest of us. You know, the s tretching ofleg muscles, the j umping on the spot and the s lapping on the back with broa d smiles as if to say " 2 .5 mi les? Bah! " - someone ftred a capgun and we ran ....and ran. To those of you who are not ~ familiar with the procedures connected with a Fun Run, I shall
ager remarked that, "Brundle was going through something of a confi dence crisis at this time." Since June, things have been on the up for Brundle who has fi nished seven of his last eight races. His first ever podium finish came in France where driving his Benetton through, as Brundle says, "horrendous conditions in the torrential rain and with the car cutting out on left hand corners," he was rewarded with a well deserved third place. Brundle enthused, "I was delighted with that." He went on to repeat this performance in front of his home crowd, when he again came third in the British Grand-Prix this year. He said this was, "my favourite race all season." I concluded by aslcing what the future held for Brundle. Unsurprisingly, given the recent controversy, the Brundle camp were "unwilling to comment." However from recent media coverage, it seems as though firstly Brundle has lost his place at Benetton to Ricardo Patrese and secondly he is no longer being considered by Frank Williams (of Wilhams-Renault) to drive the
attempt to relate the information which I picked up on the 5 km track. The rules ? I Smile - its a Fun Run. 2 Try to miss the posts that are set up to stop competitors from cutting corners (I might add that the ftrst 50 of us piled into the ftrst two posts like a sloopy untrained rugby scrum of nine year olds.) 3 Do not tread on ducks. 4 Make it to the fmi shing line. 5 At the fmishing line, try to look as though it was a walk in the park, even though you may be all over the place, red-faced, sweaty and on the verge of a mental and physical breakdown - especially if you come in the last 50 ! Gene rally the rules were accepted and obeyed. None of the officials had to grapple with frenzied runners trying to take a short cut. This may have been because there were too few officials and consequently a few of us lost our way and following a slightly more hazardous route, ran down to the
marshes! (please notify the officials if any floaters are found cheats will not be tolerated). It has to be said though that between those who ran all the way and those who walked, there was a general exhausted feeling of accomplishment. R esults 1st - Veggie options 2nd - Silly Sods 3rd - The lock in The next event is Netball on Sunday 15th Novem ber .
Week6.
Shine a light The floodlights from the old practice area behind the Sports Centre, have been installed down at Colney Lane. They are adjacent to the pavillion and will be operational from November 9th.
THE STUDENTS' LANDLORD
Sorry! No houses avai lable at the moment!
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