Concrete issue 050 04 October 1995

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ONE HUNDRED and seventy five students have joined the Union's Rent Strike so far... surpassing the total take-up figure for 1992's action In the space of a week. Then just under 120 campus residents joined a similar protest against rent rises of five and a half per cent. Now, following last week's quorate UGM, many more have pledged their support against hikes of between five and fourteen per cent. Said Union Welfare Officer, Esther Jillett, "We've had people coming up at the rate of 50 r ·• or 60 a day over the last three days and I can see it picking up by the end of the week. "At the end of Monday we had 175 people < joining, which I think considering that a lot of people are still waiting for their local authority to give them their grants, is really good going." UEA chiefs are playing down the issue at this stage, claiming that a rent strike is very unlikely to bring about any change in rent levels. "I'm disappointed that students have voted for a rent strike", said Director of Residences, Jenny Grant, "I'd rather do things by continuing the dialogue with the Students Union. "I can honestly say that an enormous amount of time went into setting this year's rent levels, and if I'd had any room to manoeuvre in the available quite quickly. I don't think that it's budget, then I would have used it", she added. true that UEA has got no money - it might not "My hands are tied - I don't have a choice have much in the Residences Account, but with th.e options available." they' ve got millions in reserves." But Esther countered these claims, stating, Jenny Grant insists however, that no more "It is quite clear that whether Jenny Grant has money is available to her department. been told from above that her hands are tied or 'There was a very clear objective to keep the not, the University does have money, and that majority of rents as low as possible which was no-ones' hands are tied as much as they think balanced against increases for Nelson Court and they are. Constable Terrace. "Obviously, she is tied by the burden of the 'The objective was to be fair- we don't think economic mismanagement of recent years, we' re charging too much. This year's rents still which has caused them great problems with represent good value for money." the Residences Account, but if the University • Action against the rent rises continues on were more imaginative, were more interested in Monday October 9 with a mass rally in The looking at ways of providing a proper service Square with guest speakers and the suomission to students, not just in residences but in catering of a petition. as well, they'd find that money becomes

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Left: opposite numbers Esther Jillett (far left) and Jenny Grant

Shelter to holdma s lobby

NUS want toM-Power

students

SHELTER. the national campaign for homele.s s people, is targeting students to support its m a s lobby f Parliament in protest against Govemmentcutbacks. wriresH /enNei/1. The protest int nds to per uade the Govern men no drop pl ans which are being viewed as a potential threat peoto the ·afety net f r home! ple. h Iter want to pre nt the dismantling oflegislation pioneered in 1977 whi h has helped necrrl) 5 million l'l meless fami lic: find per·

THE RENT STRIKE was officially given the go-ahead when students overwhelmingly voted for its implementation at the first UGM of this academic year. The meeting, which lasted fm almost two hours last Monday even in g, was attended by around 650 students - the bigge t UGM turnout in re en t hi tory. The la t time a UGM had rea hed quoracy was back in ebruary , when the urvival of the Waterfront was at take. Then, 91 showed their .intei-

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By ----, Caroline Jenkinson Two admentments to the original m tion were made b)· the ociali tWorkersStudentSoci ty(SWSS): ftr tly , that th Bxe an all willing student.s try to encourage their fell w tudent t join th t.ri e, and se ondly, that m n y h uld be withheld until the niver ity reduced rent to 1994 le els. Th fir t amendment was ac dropped cepted but the econd b a vote of 200- 170 In t after heated debate oo. both id The final vote, which cam h rtly b fore 9pm. turned ouuo b unanim u . Union Welfare Officer Esther Jill Ll, wa d Li.ghted with th meetutcome. ing and i ' lt ' ab ltely n l,qsh.e aid. It mandates th w we ha e been d ing -aod will conti nue to do - in demanding a better deal for students . ·1 feel really po itive th I we can go n w to the University ' administrator and ensure that they cann t get away with the daylight robbery the eexccssive rent rises are."

ac ommodation,such as Norfi lk T. rra ce (above), by 5 per ent at Univ rsiry Village, and by a whopping 13.67 per cent in showpiece en-suite residences Contable T. rrace and Nelson Court (pictured, ri ht). Registry bosses say they had "no room to manoeuvre" when setting the above levels.

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THE NUS are to play a key role in a national campaign designed to bring young people back to the ballot box, writes HanTUJh Ma/colm. Over 2.5 million people failed to register to vote in the last General Election, and in a bid to decrease this statistic, the NUS i collaborating with other youth organisations to create "M-Power", a huge concert featuring top bands. "Politics affects everybodys life, from the introduction of student loans and cut to benefits, through to the poll tax and the introduction of market. rents", said Jim Mwphy , NUS President. "U more young people registered to vote it would put pres ure on the politicians to recognise our influence." The concert will be held in the Royal Pesti val Hall on November 3, and various other events will be held up and d wn the country baclced by 1 PM. •To register your vote. pick up a form fiom the Union's Welfare Advioe Unit or contact Norwich City Council.

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Durham Uni's student paper, Palatinate, has been criticised for its use oflewd stories andphotos about student life. But it's all true though, isn't it?

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Concrete. Wednesday, October 4, 1995

Greenpeace

to liold talk at UEA ENV IRONM ENTAL ac ti on group Greenpeace arrive at UEA to present a public lecture on French nuclear testing today (October 4). Organised by the Norwich Greenpeace Support Group, the talk aims to provide an opportunity for those interested to find out more about the "unecessary" nuclear testing being carried out at Muroroa Atoll by the French Government. The main part of their presentation will be given by Dave Enever, captain of the Rainbow Warrior n when it was stormed by French commandos in July this year. Mr En ever will be recounting some of the exploits of the of the ship and its crew during their first attempts to stop the testing. using new and exciting video footage. He will be joined by Bruce Kent, the former chairman of CND and Jo Melzalc, Regional Manager for Greenpeace UK. Opportunities will also be available to visit an exhibition in thefoyerofLTI which includes posters on key environmental issues and a demonstration of Greenpeace on the World Wide Web. eoreenpeace's public meeting starts in LTl at 7.30pm. Admission £2. Children under 8 are admitted free.

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Mon Tue

2 Oct 3 Oct 4 Oct 5 Oct 6 Oct 7 Oct 9 Oct 10 Oct 11 Oct 12 Oct 13 Oct 14 Oct 16 Oct 17 Oct 18 Oct 19 Oct 20 Oct 21 Oct 23 Oct 24 Oct 25 Oct 26 Oct 27 Oct 28 Oct 29 Oct 30 Oct

A Tft'rRD year UEA postgraducate has been 'redited for his hared disc very of a ne pecies of bird,

writ~ Alison Meakins.

LIVING away from home for the first time can be a daunting if not panic-inspiring experience, and who neds the added threat of cart>on-monixide- never mind food - poisoning hanging over their heads, writes A/ex McCormick. That's the warning from British Gas, whose statistics illustrate the dangers produced by faulty gas appliances facing students, precisely because it is, for many, the first time living away from home.. Although the Gas Safety Regulations passed fn 1994 require that land ords annually check paperwork and appliances, it is vital that students do see a copy of the landlord' s gas safety record, which should verify that all is in order. There are danger signs which

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can be identified by students themselves, such as staining on the outer cases of appliances. In such cases, a CORGI (The Council for Registered Gas Installers) registered gas engineer shouldbeoontactedimmediately. •For further information, call 01784874436or01784874014.

Concret ·s facing competition from six other entrants in the. Student New paper of the Y'ear category including Leeds Student, Uni versal Po$t (Sunderland Unir ity) and Gair Rh}>tld (Ciirdi ff Uni vet ity). Said Concrete 's editor, Niall Hampton, "Malci ng the l lls t~e\'e n of the competition i ~ the- best news ccoold have had, seeing a it's what we've wanted to achieve over the ~as ~ few years. "The judges have noted the. standard 6f ervice lheshorilisted papers have made to lhei~ tudent communities, which is something we feel Concrt; fe has alway:

ADAM GETS ACADEMIC UNION Academic Officer,Adam Bowden, has just announced the holding of open surgeries within schoo l ~ for academic ~;~robl em s . Starting dn three to four weeks he will be visiting two or three scliools of study per week, spend, ing at lea t two hou(S at each chool. "If anyone has any problems, please get in contact with me'', he said.

'But UEA's good news doesn't end there as the judges put Bucket of rrongues in the last eight of Student Magazine of the Ycar. "We onl y ente red on the offc han.ce a nd to reac h th e shortlist in the magazine!s fi r. tr year is aS' much as we could have, expected", $aid co-editor, :rames Tanser 't.JEA's student media is no st(a nget to the co mpetirion though, for Li vewire 945 grabbed the broadca t gong in !993.

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This excitin find ca.me 19 light in an Ethiopian National Park, the> _i te of a wildlife survey carried out by students five years ago. The ' Nct:hisar Nightjar' was discovered when Mar Telfer and his team of Cam . ridge Unive ity undergraduates found theremains of a run-over bird. "All there was w~ this wing flap~ ping in the-wj nd'', hN ecalls. But this wasonlytfie beginning of an inves igation which has since r~ e 'led the new bird to be a previously unknown species. S ientists at th Nacional )ijstory Museum in London have confirmed Mr Telfer' s find as a real r~velation , something which Mark him elf has described as "the ultimate ambition for any birdwatcher." Further research is expected to be carried ou but not by Mark, who ha inc moved onto grasshoppers.

[Xk}ooo Students at Warwick Uni have recently chosen to change tire name of their Mandela Bar to that of the DesL~Loung~

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to you A/an ... and Gary.

Concrete , Wednesday, October 4, 1995

·f .·EA 1· Accommodation Centre•s.room pllocation system .facing criticism STUDENTS are still hanging on to see if they will get a room on campus for this year... two weeks after they arrived back in Norwich.

th doors into the. common rooms ar n t I c ble. "There. is a: toilet but you have ro go to the Sports Centre for a shower or t use their lockers for valuables", aid CHB third year Garry. UBA's Directot of Re idences, Jenny Grant, voiced her c<;>ncerns for those caught in the clearing pr e s, but said, "I don't believe w can do anything about it. '·[f rhere's a problem with clearing, then ['d bke to know about it." She tated that the situation for returning third years having no priority in the clearing proce - as in previous years- was somethi ng that would be discussed during this ye<'r, adding that this was the "downside" of the University guaranteei ng accommodation to all freshers and foreign students. But fed up with the austere lifestyle and uncertainty of being allotted a room, a number of homeless tudents are now loolcing to rent houses off campus, although some have found there is a shortage of decent, available housing situated close to UEA. The continiuing uncertainty of the ituation provoked one student

....-- - B y - ---. Joanna Emsley

The potential resident are having to wait while th Ace rnmotlation Centre i informed daily by schools of any pro pe·c.tive fir L year students till in UCA I aring who have turned d.own thej r pi ace at UEA - which also guarantee them a room in Univer it aa m dation . Only then can the re ulting spare rooms b allocatetl to tho on the waiting, list. Some econd and third year h:rvo been wa iting since September 18 to be allotted rooms, meanwhile living in ' ridicu lous' conditions and being expected to tudy and attend lectures. Acct>mmodation Office Manager, Lawrence Daly, said that between I0 and 20 room s be om available on a daily basi s, but conceded that theclearingproce it elf is rather slow. He was relu tant however, to reveal the size of the shortli t. And now, in the econd week of the semester, some student are still waiting to be housed on campn .

Said ne EtJR third year, ''Why c n't the Accom.modat.l n Office

e.he · earlierto eeiftheroom are ingtobcocoupied rn t [n te d · f lc.a lng u hangin n. They could organise it all bettet.'" Maoyhomclcssstudcnt arefaced with th aggravation of having no roper torage space, washing or ccmki ngJacilities, and ha ve hail to buy their meals from campus catering outlets. Five second year students ven qua hed into a single Suffolk'Terrac roomforten dayswhilewaiting for~ m of their own. "God knows whalJS going to happen if I've got an e. say lO do' 1, said one. Although Mr Daly has organised emergen y accommodation for ten student - a common room in Nelon ourt- those staying there have branded it inadeq uate. Two rooms have been divided into male and female areas. with privacy pro ided by a blank t, but

lnsid the emergency accommodation provided in Nelson Court to ay, "The system is totally di sorg-anised - I know they have to

hold rooms , but the clearing system i at fault."

• Additional reporting by Ali on Lives fey and Joanne Poiler.

Students "living like refugees" j.Allan Report by ~ Jones DLD YOUR Mum ever u e to say

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" Finish or dioo er there's p pie tarv-ing who' d eat th t in Africa"? he did. Well, she'd probaWy say somet hing imilar to anyone omplalnlng ab ut the eme:rgen y a eo mm daUon in the common room at Nel on Court, provided free by tb univer it f r returning st u· den finding them elve in the un en iable position of being homele.. The twenty or so sun-lounger and m.t ell any of blankets spread ut n lh floor are ur ly more appealing than a plot in cardboard city. Apart from the oomplet lack of priva y, there arenoadequat washing fauilities, no cooking facilities and no p.rovi ion for se uring th srude.nts' po se ions. Said Garry, CHE 3, «Mo t ofu have come with the bare mini mu m so when we find omewhere we'll ha ve to pie up all our to ff from home. It Sa bi srre ful not having your textbook , dictionari es, labeo tor whatever when you' re at the beginn ing of your most important year at universi ty." De pite the austere lifes tyle, the unne essary expense of eating out and the. added ex pen ~e of "getting pissed to relieve the b· redom", the number ne grievance of the IS students housed in Nel on Court's common room, mainly male who arrived on September 18 for the first day of accommodation clear-

ing, i the absence of any priority ystem for thlrd years returning fr m a year abroad. "Mo tofu inherewereinFrance of Germany until a couple of weeks ago ut we ' re still lower on the waiting lisr than many returning third years who've had the w'hole

year to find houses. But the only dec nt houses left are mi les out", said Richard (HIS ) . Some year abroad students were doubly di advantaged by an administrative blunder which saw the letters informi ng them of an' accommodatio n clearance ballot" landi ng on their parents' doormats and not theirs. "The letters were dated March 24th and were to be returned by April

1 ', explained Darren (EUR3). " My name didn ' t ge.t pot in the ballot and as automatically put at the bottom of the third year waiting list. There wouldn t be 350 third yeaf on the list if they'd spent the money on building simple accommodation for tudents and not luxury accommodation for the conference trade." De pite all the aggravation and slres which conldea ilyhavebeen avoided with a much more efficient and fairer system of room allocation" the few nights in UEA'semergcncy accommodation created an awareness among the affected tudent of the real plight of Britain's army of homele , and an insight into some of th e problems they face. "Even if I was offered a room in here in Nelson Court , at fifty pounds a week l' d have to turn it down" , said Richard (6UR3}. "Sitt ing in here's really depressing. There' s nowhere to wa h , no music, nowhere to hang your clothe - there s nowhere to even hang yourself."

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Concrete, Wednesday, October 4, 1995

THE UNION have announced details for a round of important forthcoming elections. .....---By--~

Positions on School Boards, Studen Forum and the Urtion 'Executivearetodue be filledoverthenext two weeks, and Union Academic Officer, Adam Bowden is keen for students to get involved. "If you hear see. or experience something you don't likeorwish to change then Students Forum, your School Boards or the Union Executive art; the means to make-change happen", he said. Three positions are vacant on this year's Union Executive: G! mmunity and International iaison Officer, Oversea Office ,(a nonvoting posit,ion and Sports Officer. Nominations for the,se posts open on October 5 and close on October 12. culminating with the elections on October 19 in Union House. Delegates to Students Forum, th • . highest-ranking deci ion making body in the Union after the Executive, will be elecfed on 06iober 19. Nominations open on October 9 and close on Oclobe.c 13. In addit~on, nominations for School Board representatives open

A field. Somewhere in Somerset. Sometime after summer solstice. Multicoloured flags flap on wooden poles. Grubby hippies stumble out of stinking pittoilets. The sound of tabla drums drifts down from the Sacred Space. Amidst the smell of frying vegeburgers (and the aforementioned toilets) we send Tristan Roddis outto see what sort of internet connectivity he can find at last year's Glastonbury Festival. .. Between his garbled accountofevents,andthe more coherent Web pages provided by RainbowNet Cultural Technologies, Hype managed to piece together the following: After many wrong turns, many close escapes from didgeridoo-wielding maniacs, and one too many herbal cigarettes, Tristan, our least competent reporter, managed to find the RainbowNet Cybercafe. lt was located in the Green Futures field, just opposite a large, pyramidal tent onto which trippy graphics were being projected. Freaky. Inside, the caf_ tent was stacked with networked PCs. ltturned out thatthey had got BTto lay a high-capacity ISDN telephone line into the middle of the Festival. They then hooked themselves up to it, so as to achieve full intemet access. Visitors could explore World-Wide Web, read

TriE om.Y EDUJffiil kTri B.llll1-·,n DB50lE5i:EflL_E newsgroups and communicate with others via Internet Relay Chat. All the equipment was low power consumption, and run from batteries recharged from a small wind-turbine attached to the tent. Apparently, this set-up meant that they were forced to leave gaps between communication sessions, but at least they were self sufficient, and had impeccable eco-credentials. Plans to harness solar, biomass and other renewable energy sources are also underway. Based in Oxford, Rainbow Net Cultural Technologies are a loose coalition of people from around the country, many of whom were recruited via the net itself, and who are dedicated to promoting access to, and interest in, the intemet. Glastonbury '95 was their first large-scale project, with over thirty-five people were involved in the scheme. Formed from a group of cyberactivists working in the fields of human rights, peaceandsocialjustice, they now provide information technology services and training to individuals and groups around the UK. Visit Hype's Web pages for a link to their manifesto for global change ... ISDN lines and high-tech equipmentdon'tcomecheap,

and this year's operation was very expensive, especially since attempts at getting sponsorship failed, and it was left to a group of individuals to stump up the cash. However. as ACT themselves point out, the cost of getting connected is falling rapidly, and 'f nothing else, the cybercafe in the Green Fields demonstrated just how much can be done with what is, at the end of the day, small technology. Muddy fields. Renewable energysources Small-scale, inter1inked machines, drawing on the resources of an unmoderated global communications system. Stuff the corporate glitz of Windows '95 and Microsoft's overpriced network, this is what the future of computing should look like. •As well as providing links to RainbowNet Cultural Technology and other Glastonbury Festival pages, Hype will be including, as an extra-special bonus to the first million readers to express an interest, a page full of links to interesting things that have been hooked up to the intemet from around the world, from coffee machines to synchrotron sources. •Hype's Website can be reached as follows : Click on Netscape or Mosaic on one of the university computers, then go: UEA Welcome~UEA 111formatiorH6tu~

TV, Radio and Publications~ Hype. Email us at su.hype@uea.ac.uk.

Staff Reporter on October 9 and close on October 13, with tht;election to be held on October 19 in Onion House. School Boards- meet twice per tenn, or three tim Rtr semester and nominations are open to one representative , per year including tgraduate - although tlfis may vary. Detll1ls on the electiQns for the Sc)Jool of Nursing and Midwife!Y school board have ye~ to be confinned. Said Adam., "Standing on your School Board JS 1m rtant, bCcau. e you can influence,the decisions made in your schoql tha lnOoence you directly.'' •Nomination form 's nnd further details on a11 posift'ons are availab/~ frqm Adt'Jm Bb.wden in rh Acadetnie Offi e, Up$Wirs in Union H6use. PhOne 01~03 5925tJ9 Qr e-mail him inrernall:» attheJoll wing addre"Ss: su.aead@uea.ac. uk

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AssociatiOR GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY!! The President and the committee of the GSA would like to congratulate the Concreteteam for reaching their 50th edition!! To celebrate, the GSA is offering a major mystery prize to the member who buys the 50th pint of GOLDEN ALE (produced by Scotts of Lowestoft and available from the Grad Bar). Counting starts after the publication of this edition!! I

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES A veritable shower of opportunities has appeared since the end of the long summer drought. These include:ASSOCIATEMEMBERSHIPSI-yourchancetobecome ... amember!TheREDCAADSissued to Associate Members last year are no longer valid. New cards are being issued to those applying (ilthey pass our rigorous vetting procedure!!). Applications are limited and as usual are going quickly. We estimate that by mid-October our supply will be exhausted. Applications can be obtained at the desk in the bar... no 25% rise here: subscription fixed at £3!

GRAD BAR VOLUNTEERS!

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Your chance to become ... a bar star! The new rota for volunteers is just about complete. We are still able to fit in a few more, especially at lunchtime and offers to help are welcome. Leave your name behind the bar when you next call in!

GSA COMMITTEE POSITIONS Your chance to become ... beautified! An interim committee has been standing in to help the three remaining elected officers, and have been doing a damn fine job I Elections for new Officers will take place in November... it could be you!?

ASSISTANT TO THE BAR MANAGER Applications are invited for the position of assistant to the bar manager. This position involves flexible hours not exceeding six per week to help in the management and cellar work in the Clubroom under the direction of the Bar-Manager and Vice-President. Candidates must be able to demonstrate a commitment to the aims and ideals of the GSA and its members. Previous experience will be desirable but not essential since training will be provided in association with our Brewers Scottish Courage Limited. A small salary accompanies this position (details on application). Applications in writing to: The Secretary, Graduate Students' Association, Union House. Closing Date: 12th October. lnterviews will take place in the week commencing 15th October for approval at the AGM in November. THE GRAD BAR IS NOW OPEN AGAIN ATLUNCHTIMES 12-2PM MONDAY TO FRIDAY (INCLUDING THE SALE OF ROLLS ON BEHALF OF SASSAF)

This section is written and paid for by the Graduate Students Association

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Concrete, Wednesday, October 4, 1995

DISABLED access to Union House has been slammed In a report published last month.

A walk on ·the wild side SCULPTOR Stephen V.in ·is set t change the laud cape of the UEAcampu withhi 5pie.c an sarari 111rite~ Helen rett. M~ Yince travel into endangeredenviron,menrswh r hl! l,ikes ulptural tocarry urmuchofhi work on location in an endeavour to attra 1 ·support for fh em•ironment 1

He h s

fhopc that through the culptures t.h vi wer wi 11 be brought clqser tO tho e endangered en vir nmenc ." Th culpture saf.ari include 'WMCome Fir t',aproce i n of d-an ing pe-ople and endao~retl specie~ as well as several pieces reated peciai!y fw the A pr entari n. Mr Vin s xhibitibn is al EA fr m .now until 1artuary

199 . Trail leaflet with encl d , ·aiJabL at inf rma-

THE annual Volunteer Fayre was held in the LCR last w eek, writes Khushwant Sachdave. Run by th llnion WeJfare Unit under th au pi e of R t:ruit srodent!cmploymcnt opponunit:ies, the aim f the ayre V.t I untap the vasi resources_ of tudent v Juotary help. 1 attra ted b th l _aI nd global voluntary organi ·at ion including Greenpt:.i!Ce, Oxfam, Mind and

hatterbox as well a Student ommun:it Ac.tion. However, LucieSmithfield from the charity NANSA claimed that LI-te eNcnt was held mo c rl to be abLe t max:imi e recruitment opportunities. "Many . tudent aren' t aware of the1r timefable~and howmurh rime they have free'', ~he said. 'The !lu'bli.cit}J for theFayr als:o need to be improved if we want' to re ruit m re volunteer .'

Best foot forward.. , CAMPUS dance society Salads are celebrati ng a double helping of good news. For the Ballroom a nd Latin Dancing Society have just been appointed to the national executive of the Student Dancing Association and are to hostthe SDA's National Finals at the Norwich Sports Village next March. This will be the biggest dancing event ever held in the city of Norwich to date . Th is year, the society have

taken on two new teach ers for a different approach to ballroom dancing , wh ich has now been recognised as a sport by the lntemational Olympic Committee and Sports Council. 'We'regoingtobeabigsociety th is year, and are hosting the Snowball in the city just before Christmas" said Salads TreasurerTony Burton . "Anyone can come along on Sundays at 12pm in The Hive foyer and get involved - it's only £5to join."

Qommissiooed by the Student Onion an audit carried o b)l NORDAT (Norfolk Dhability AwJirencs Trainer identified a numbe~of deficiencie including the fOllowing problems for peopie with disilbili es: epoor access to Union House__bcau ·e of the main erltrance doors l;lciQg hea\!y and unw_it)i:!y •no cce s to the seatingmea in the> Bi)J Wilson ~m. e ·tage or the :dance floor in the LCR, ea J.ack of accessibl toHet facilitie and inadcquate~'gna e around the building. Alth'bug VH is man ged by th<: UniQ!I, responsibility !for the needs Of disab1ed people reSts wi.th the University, who own the premises. Yet the formation of the Special Needs Awareness Society as recently last Easter woul~ ee.m to sugge.st thaf these needs have and are bejog overlooked. aidSNAS hair J Hemington, "We are in a ituation at the moment where students with diSllbilities are being unintentionally discrimina~d against.1 hope SNAS' s w rk will change this." Union Internal Officer, Josh ldor-Robinson, ha di cu ed me con~ems highlighted by the NORDAT -udit with Lin.da Shep-

By Dawn Emery

herd. DeputyDe_anofStudents, who has agreed to IQOk into some aspects it raises. Despite signs appearing throughout Union House say).ng the Union u[UEA Students does not dis-crimie against anyone with regards to religion exliality gender, mce or tiisabili.ty the NORDA.'I' audi suggests howeveMhat the l.Jnivers.ity does not provide adequate facilities for those with disabilitie-s. Theaudit also cri ticise'S 'access to the ('oners Lodge The Pub and a Iacto of parking facilities for those with .disabilities near Unionllouse. Concluding their report, NORDA-T stated: "The entry to Union Rouse is a major a:cce~s black spot. Providing a fully accessible entry should be given the highest prilllrity. Finally, a woefully inadequate prqvision of accessible toilet is perhaps the most serious io,dication of a discriminatory environmeot." e Uuion has pledged to prioritise the report.

• If anyqne lws faced a problem whi h they would /i/..7!. SNAS tv help with attend their meeJing on October6 in the.Steve BlkoRoomat 5pm.

~000 Staff at the Bristol Unl branch of Nat West recently discovered four forged £20 notes. They noticed they all sported beards on (he Queen's head...

But

CA member Joe Brannao

a ntra ~ting view. "l.f the V olonteer Fay re wa held

(J1 red

Imer in the \erm, students w uld et l n their work,patroms and would be le . willing to offer help . he :rid. " Recruiting one Clr tw(il volunteer wh re willing to giv Qrganiations tl:!ec.ommittment they need I better than hav-ing ten students ign up wijo aren't a <deditated.' SCA, whl.c.h woruio conjun ti:On w ith G ro help harities and vol-

A cafe at Lancaster Uni was recently fumigated of 100cockroachesaweek. Said their catering spokesman: "Tflere is no problem he, e ... " Honest.

untnry organisations fared better in rer.ruiting tudent than. many of tne other organisations. Jo put~ their $u c.e s tl wn to stutlents bejog given a chance to get away from the campu e.nvironmentandge involved with tl,le.local community but till be wilh other Mu dents. He adde:(l, "Peopl~ living in the con:u:nuoity need praotical.help. You don't have lObe Mother Tere ·a to offer it. '

Oxfam still looking OXFAM officials have thanked stu dents who signed up with them at last week's Vo lunteer Fayre , but they are still keen for more students to step forward . Said OXFAM spokesperson, Susie Norbury, "The response we received from UEAstudents was bri lliant, and wi ll help alleviate some of our current staffing problems. "However, vacancies stil l exist in ou r three local shops." She added that OXFAM offer on-the-job training and access

to specialised training courses as well as providing valuable an d relevant work experience. "lfyouworkforOxfam, in tu m you'll be helping poor communities in their struggle against poverty, bringing hope to people driven from their homes by war, famine and disasters.· •For further information on OXFAM, please contact Susie Norburyon626007,orbycalling in at one of their local shops on Magdalen Street, Duke Street or St Giles Street.

Concrete, Wednesday, October 4, 1995

Revision pays off REVISION has proven a money-spinner for one EAS graduate, writes Adrian

Steel. ForMartyn Bedford, who graduated from the prestigious Creative Writing MA this summer, has won at least £250,000 in advances for his novel, 'Acts of Revision'. And although it was only finIShed earlier th1s year, Steven Sp1elberg and Glint Eastwood are said to be among the Hollywood producers anx1ous for film rights. The advances top those so far awarded for any other novel by a UEA Creative Writing graduate, trumping other succeses like Kazuo lshiguroand lan McEwan. Martyn, now leaving his job as a newspaper sub-editor to become a full-time writer, was ecstatic at the news, announced last

month. "lt's all been incredible. If I hadn't done the course, I doubt whether my novel would have been as good", he said. Professor Malcolm Brad bury, who retired as course leader at the end of last year, was delighted forMartyn . "He really has had the most remarkable kick off, but then he is a brilliant writer - even fshiguro and McEwan didn't start off like thar, he said. "But the quality of writing is alwayshighatUEA Wereallydo get the cream of the crop."

THE UNION'S bars took a whopping £43,858 during the first week of Undergraduation- an Increase of £11,000 on last year. The newly-refurbi hed Pub proved a great attraction for both new and e tablished students, pulling in just over half of all bu ines in the Union' s licen ed outlets and turning in an impre sive increase of £I ,700 on the night of the first LCR disco. Carol' s - formerly known as the Back Bar - was also a popular venue for drinkers, although The lliveactually awa lightdropin trade. Thi year' figure take into account the exten ion of the Union's hugely successful price cutting policy to other line -and a price freeze which sees many products retailing at 1994-5 prices. Finance Officer, John Holmes, attributed Undergraduation 's beer bonanza to the fact that Union bars appeal to tudents. "People like drinking in our bars", he aid. He added that many had preferred to drink in The Pub rather

I Caroli~:

Adlem

than go to The Hive or the LCR.

PRICES IN UNION BARS DUE TO a rogue spell-checker, we li tcd the prices of Guinness and Murphy's Irish Stout in Union ' ars incorrectly in our last i sue. Thearticleshouldhaveread: Guinnes £1 .60 per pint and Murphy's £1.50 per pint, and not the £1.20 as shown. Concrete apologises for any confusion this may have eau ed. We also quoted Union Finance Officer John Holmes as saying "If you know what's best, come and buy a pint" in our tory about the refurbi. hment of the Pub. Unfortunately, this houldhave read ru follows : "If you know what's best, you'll come and buy a pint of be t. " Sorry John.

• FREE b4 11 pm, £1 after Happy hour 12-1 Lager l • All other drinks £ . • £3 admission b4 10.30, £4 • DJs DANIELLE MONTAN (club OK) & JAMES ANTHONY . kY lunch)

yWEDNESDAY • Uplift student night •oorgeOU$

•

FRIDAY 13th OCTOBER •FAHRENHEIT• • £5 admission featuring MR Cof THE SHAMEN and PLINK PLONK records &LJO (r VI

FRE E R00MHIRE

to mla)

Conditions: £25 deposit, refundable iiBO or more people turn up. Bring your own DJ, all equipment supplied. Licensed until 2am (11 pm Sundays). Own catering allowed. Great for private parties, clubs and socials.

Special admissions rates anCI fr embership with UEA 1 NUS card - ring for details Manhattans Mem) Nightclub, 15 Dove Street, Norwich 01603 629060 R.O.A.R.

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Concrete, Wednesday, October 4, 1995

Concrete welcomes your letters on any subject. Whether it is something we've written about and you wish to take issue with, or you just simply want to make a point, we want to hear from you. Write to us (before 1pm on October 11 to have your letter included in the next issue) at the address below or via our postboxes in the foyer of Union House, marking ypufcorrespondence for the attention of the Editor, Niall Hampton. Anonymity will be respected but you must include your name and address in the first instance.

[ Listen ~·upJ · A record attendance at last week's UGM backed the call for the Rent Strike.

But what happens· next? To start with, 175 stndent are allieady on board meaning th::!t this year' strike ha alreatly got more than the last attempt in 1992. The feelings ex pre ed by students have been ones of frustration at the way the Univer ity is having little regard for their fina1,1cial welfare. bespite the initial concerns. ovei staging a rent trike, progress seems to be being made although fuere's till a long way to go. There ha been no indication so far of the Re~ try being willing to budge an inch and concede that students are being giv-en a_raw deal. Even lobbying by top local MPs seems tO have bad litfleeffect in convincing UEA tbattheirrenthikeswere just a littleovedhelevel of inflation at a time when student funding is bein undermined. Astalemare 'tuation could ea ily b reached in whJch nejtherthe Union or th e University can agree over the rents is oe. Despiteth Univer itybelngamulti-millionpoundorgamsati n, Hou lng Chief Jenny Grant clajms ''her h:tnd are t1ed." But thi resp nse i far from airlequare,just like many offered in the past... mo4ld mattresses ar tbe Village, break•ins at Mary Chapman Coun, premature bl ckclo ure at Fifer tane ... the list goes on. Given the responsibility that Registry bosses have, th-e.y should be able to run the aacounts without making a loss of £17,000 on conference and accounting errors of £88,000 in the residence accounts. All of this means a cut in services at the same time a rent rises of up to 13.67 per cent.

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The question is ... what's the Dame going to do?

Praise at last... Two weeks ago. Concrete and Bucket of Tongues were placed on the shortlist for the Guardian NUS Student Media awards in their respective categories. Three and a half years -or fifty issues -after its. launch Concrete has finally been recognised for what it is: a student new paper by students, for students. Our aim has always been to provide interesting and relevant stories for all student at UEA, reflected Jn urvey conducted on campus, the last of which stated that 98 per cent o.ti UEA' s 7,500 students read the paper every fortnight. These concerns we((Heflected in the comments of the judges who pointed out that the shortlisred student newspapers were starting to achiev a better standard of serviceao their student communitie . After three and a half years of providing the above, it's refreshi1,1g that someone. beyond the confines of Norwich has finally noticed, putting content over style and format.

e write to you with vio lent disgust over the new refurbishment that the Unio_n Pub has just undergone. Very plush, one might. exclaim, however, where are the dartboards? Whar's wrong with darts? ft appears that the bar manage-

Thankyou!

ment does not respect the de. ires Qf minority groups, is there some politoal overtones linked to this? Jt seems that the bar has been changed from a dart-appreciating pub to 'fun-pub, disco, wine-bar bistro, cocktail, carvery'l Considering new dart boards

werepurchasedjustbeforetheend of the term, this popular social area of the pub has been destroyed! We would apl?reciate 3 new dartboards, chalk and adequate lighting. This would not only be in line with our own wishes but would

also be in line with imminent 1996 European rulings on Student Union Bars in Britain and neighbouring countries that respect our rights. Richard Harry (HIS2)

Ale.r Mason (MTH2) Colin ]ones (MTH2)

••••••••• ••• • • ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• it wouldn't be the real Smashey connection between Grant

Deadlines .... Dead on your feet .... •

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Why Smashie is, er...Nice

ve never tuned in to the ·new Radio Amber. But it all seems bit Smashey and Nicey, doesn't it? DLTandJimmySavile? Golden greats from the 60s and 70s. The age group being targetted has not been catered fQr since the sad demise of Radio Carolioe, the true

UI!A'S

Independent Student Newspapet' INCORPORATING

The event

Dead

worried~

PO Box 410, Norwich NR4 7TB Tel: (01603) 2.5 0558 Fax: (01603) 458553

independent, with perhaps the exception of Branson's crap waveband alternative. 1f he'd had the courage to name his condoms after his company tOQ, it might have been a laugh. Now we'll just have to content ourselves with something like "great mates mate"- and even then

and icey. Didn ' t Smashey murder Nicey? Who knows. University? Great days mate.

Tony Crush (HlS3)

as thoroughly confused by e letter that my friend's Dad ony Crush) wrote to you. "It was printed on Wednesday 20th September, on page 8. What did he mean when he said there was a

Mitchell, sea-gulls, c ull s and Americans? What a load of old rubbish! He also said that he overheard an old lady on a bus saying "they shoot the pigeons, you know!" Please tell him not to keep on writing silly letters, as my friend, his daughter, gets extremely embarassed. Yours (annoyingly), a very confused 11 year old.

Rebecca Watney

• Editor: Niall Hampton•Deputy Editor: Michele du Randt•Assistant Editor: Nik DavyeSport Editor: Jane Horner• Music Editor: Sa m RichardseScreen Editor: Matthew DoyleeSpecial Projects Editor:Caroline Adlem• Contributing Editors: Mark Austin, Peter Hart, Caroline Jenkinson• Editorial Contributors: John Spacey, Matt Stocks, Nicola Daley, Helen Job, Ann a Fudge, Uzzie Muller,lain Hollands, Helen Neill, Helen Lovett, Alex Mc'Connick, Hannah Malcolm, Adriarn Steel, Alison Meakins, Joanne Potter, Alison Livesley, Allan Jones, KhushwantSachdave, Katie Lane, Jo Emsley, James Lushey, Dawn Emery, James Phillips, Charles Gates, David Waiter, Stuart Dredge, Claire Sweeting, Joe Morris Jeremy Cousins, Elizabeth Seal, Uzz Page, Dominic Savage, Luc Baptiste, Joe Goaney, Dave Hall, Mark To bin, Andy Tyler, Scott Tompett, Helen Fee, Sally Rose, Christian Schou, Matthe'WFask'enePhotographers: Stephen Howard, Alessandra San toro, Robin Ban as, Matt French • Cartoonist: Ben Klopsch • Advertising Manager: Simon Mann• Production Manager: Stephen Howard• Special Thanks to: UH Stewards, Bonusprint, everyone at ECN, Sieve and everyone at MASS Computers• Super Special Technical Thanksto: Chrls Techie and Ben 'SYS' Techle • DTP Assistants: Niall Hampton , Michele du Randt, Nik Davy Jane Homer•concrele is published by the Umon of UEA Students. Opinions expressed are that of the Contributorancinot necessarily those of the Publisher or Editor. Use of the name'The Event' appears by arrangement with the copyright holders, Planet Zog Ltd. •No part of this newspaper maybe reproduced, secreted through the back door, stored In a tin of Gerber Pride dolphin-friendly tuna- a real nip at 29p- ortransmitted by any means electronic or hypnotic, concealed In a record bagorotherwise.ePrintedby EastemCounties Newspapers, Norwich. ©UUEAS, 1995.

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£5.00 £8.50 £5.00 £6.00 £6.50 £6.00 £6.50 £6.50 £6.00 £6.00

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£8.50 £7.00

£7.50 £6/£5 £7.00 £8.00

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£7.50 £10.00 £8.50 £9.00

http ://www.sys. uea. uk /whatson/ ~

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10 Concrete Wednescfay, October 4, 1995

a .paid , advertisement bY. your student union

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Your.all . ·. :,

• YES!- BIGG-EST UGM I.N YEARS - SOLD OUT L_ C RS .

until 1·.ao·a:m - BIGGEST _F ESHER'S WEEK EVER Concrete last week questioned the Union's servic.e to students a[te.r LCR admiSsion price w e r-aised by- SOp for the rll'St time since 1992.

Congratulations to Concrete (and Bucket of Tongues) for thefr shortlisting as Student Newspaper of the Year and Student Magazine of the Year. After three and a half years it's a well deserved award for the effort put into the newspaper. -· · But twelve months ago, the future of Concrete lay in the balance. The individuals who started the paper could no longer continue to support it - so in stepped the Union. In the last year, the Union has invested £16,000 into the production of Concrete with at least another £5,000 due over the next few months. With an Advertising Manager, layout designer and now a full-time editor, the paper has been given continued support and this has been recognised by the Guardian and the NUS. So once again, congratulations to both Concrete and Bucket of Tongues for their shortlisting -let's hope that one or both can also win the first prize. Well done all round.

In act yout Umoo ha b eo domg its be:st vcr tb um fllCJ t • ure that i rnouo i unque ti nab le. So what eg, ctly h y ur Union b n Uoing for you in Augu t I t y ur Union e;@ uti ye ha be:eu bu ·y· preparing or the new academic year and b.;J ve mad e many improyment and plan to make many more.

he..y ha Ve> Gave you you first ever .rc.nbrebate1fy11Ju lived m Uni re. deuces last' year Se Adam" in the Academic \Unit for mor-e info! Given y u a brand n w look Pub, Wi th increased seatin g apac ity. Slashed beer prices Increased the duration of the LCR IncreaSed hive and LCR bar hours ro. I am on TueSdays, l'hursday s and Saturday Secured the posi ti on of a Sab);Jatical editor of Concrete Created Recruit, a new student recruitment agency to fi nd you work! Created a new club ni ght, called Section 77, to go long into the morning. It Started last Sarurday with Megadog. Given you a new and better srudent TV seliVioe fn tr._oduced rbe sale of ·Spjrlt_s in ll)e Supermarket

By Staff Reporter

.___ _ _ _ ___. Finalised plans to reate a ne cat in ar in tlte. CR we' re sti ll II(Ui tjng (or th bair !) ,[nLorduced uJt film ree niugs every Wednesday in the. L :;R coming n. Lntroduoed a w co medy eveni ngs on Sunda% a t th aterfront And thanks to you, the large-st UGM in year , unani mous ly backing and calling for a rent strike. Now let's build it t getherJ We could go on ... ln adoition to this there are many plans till to be imp fi mented and finalised, whic h we" ll be as king you about soo. Furthermore, don' t forge t that we've also been offering you FR'EE academic advic e and welfa re services . There's The Pub, The Hive, Carol's, the LCR, the Waterfront, The Supeonarket, The Post Of(ice, The Papershop, The Travel Shop, The Books hop and Sports Shop. They are all provided fo r you by u , and remember, they are there for you to use.

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-------Concrete. Wednesday, October 4, 1995

nionGenetaiMeetlngonMondaySeptember25thvotedoverwhelmlnglyforarent strike, as pa'i1 ofthe campaign BQ8inst this year's exeessive rent rises. But what does it all mean? Here are your questions answered... • What doe sit mea_n by a ren strike? re tstrike means that tenants and licensees withhold their rent in order to lmpro'le their bar,gaioing power.

VES. The more people who join the re t strike the greater the negotiating strength o 1he

nion.

7. Can the University affect my grades if I go on rent strike? NO. Your academic grades are a measure of your academic performance. Your lecturer's will not know if you are part of the rent strike or not and would not compromise their academic judgement on any account. Many academics do recognise the difficulties facing students and are supportive. '·.

8. Can I loose my right to University Services?

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NO. The University cannot withdraw services such as heating, lighting and hot water in the present circumstances without being faced with criminal charges for harassment. lt is highly unlikely that the University would withdraw any other services as this would affect all students whether or not they are participating in the rent strike. ..

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3. Is my money safe. YES. Your money will be put into a properly constituted trust fund account.

9. Will I loose the discount offered to those who pay the year's rent all at once? l,.,a ' ' ,. " -,

YES. You can have yodr money returned to you or paid to the University on your behalf at any time you wish.

The discount is dependent on the University receiving the money within seven days. Paying the whole year's rent in one lump sum does not usually make sound economic sense. You may get more interest by investing the money in a high interest account than you save on the discount scheme.

5. Will I be fined?

10. Who do I make the cheque payable to?

4. Can I Withdraw my money if I want to?

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NO. If the University levies any fines the Union has undertaken to pay those fines on behalf of the students who join the rent strike.

·.': ·~.,.. 6. Can I be evicted?

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Cheques should be made payable to "The Union of UEA Students Rent Trust Fund" and paid into the Union Finance Of;fice upstairs in Union House. The office is open between 11 am and 3.30pm week days. ' ' ' .'

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NO. To evict, a landlord has to follow a strict legal process, the tenant/licensee can halt this process at any time by paying the rent. Remember it is not in the University's interests to evict students, quite apart from the horrendous publicity th fs would generate, the University cannot afford to loose the rental income.

11. What if I have more questions?

1. You and/or your parents can no( afford and should not have to pay this rent. Higher rents mean higher debt. The more people join the strike the more likely we will be to win. 'I,

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REAS0NS! ~ .." 1. Even if you , or your parents can afford the rents here, many of your friends, and loads of your fellow students can 't. Show your support for

1. Debt is the major contributor to students being unable to complete their degrees. YQy may be one of the students who has to drop out - or someone you know might. lt is not fair! You have worked hard to get here only to find you are being priced out of education. 2. You will be unable to study effectively if you are worrying about money I or

3. Higher education is becoming accessible only on the basis of ABILITY TO PAY - NOT ABILITY TO LEARN. UENs rent levels are pricing poorer students out of education . People over the years have fought to win our right to Education. Now our rights are being eroded from all directions . We have to make a stand .

1. The Unio11 has never made a stand like this: that is why you're being asked

it.

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The Advice Unit, upstairs in Union House will answer any questions you may have. The Advice Unit gives independent advice irrespective of Union policy. Students will be given objective advice and will not be pressurised by the Advice Unit staff under any circumstances.

THESE QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED WITH THE BENEFIT OF LEGAL ADVICE.

working long hours while trying to complete a course.

to pay high rents now. and your services have been cut. We must stop the University treating students as figures on a balance sheet. 2. You are being asl\ed to pay high rents because the University has mismanaged its accounts. That is not the fault of students and we should not have to pay for it. 3. Other Universities and Unions are watching what we do here - if we have a rent strike , they can feel more confident - to do the same.

The Union Exec say '7hank you!" to everyone who made the first U.G.M. of term such a success! The Attendance level was a record over recent years. Remember: it is your Union and you decide policy. We hope to see you at the next meeting, and the ones after - and if you didn' t make Monday's meeting, don't worry- the next one will be soon!

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Concrete, Wednesday, October 4th, 1995

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Features

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In the mouintains near the border with China, man and nature live in perfect harmony

ietnam is a country that for members of my generation has only ever existed within tfle realms of histories of American foreign policy and Hollywood movies portraying how soul-destroying it was for "our boys" out there .

sta irs from the plane , you could not help wondering what it would have been like to arrive 25 years ago. Of course, as is the beauty of travelling, everyone's experience is different, although the disparity between the arrival of people today and troops all those years ago could not be greater.

By the end of May th is year, the State Committee for Cooperat ion and Investment had issued a total of 386 investment licences for Ho Chi Minh c·ty alone, with total investment capital coming to over 4.5 billion dollars.

caused the deaths of over 600,000 troops and where more than four million civilians - ten per cent of the population -were either killed or injured. Landing at Saigon airport that still harbours bullet- ridden aircraft hangars, it was hard to know what to expect from a country now starting to open its borders to foreign bus inessmen and tourists ; where , as you descended the

eluding the rather ubiquitous 'Lonely Planet', were out of date, not so much due to lack of research but rather the rapidly changing nature of the tourist scene in Vietnam . Certainly the pace of the current trend towards development is one of the first impressions you gain upon venturing into Saigon. At every turn, large bilboards proclaim the virtues of products by the likes of

Sony, Sanyo, Raymond Weil and Daewoo. As we gazed across the Mekong River on our first night, the coconut trees on the other side were illuminated by the garish neon glare of further advertisements. To the right , the hulking shadows of half completed high-rise hotels cast theme c1 eow. The most expensive hotel in town is the newly completed New World International, where rooms go for up to 600 US dollars for a night. Inside, the expansive marble columns and staircase contrast starkly with the poverty that sits just outside the door. On the other side of the street, a family huddled together under a tarpaulin sheet, less for protection from the weather than protection from other people._ Prostitutes lounged on mopeds and against streetl ights (this being the only area of the city where there are any), waiting for the wallet of a wealthy patron of the hotel almost exclusively businessmen . Picking up a copy of the daily news bulletin , the 'Sai gon Newsreader', every story dealt with how wel l the economy was doing and recording the high level of investment that is now flooding into the country, although especially Ho Ch i Minh City.

Fortunately, it seems that the true nature of the situation is not lost on some writers at the news-sheet. One story covered the expansion of the Vietnamese shoe export trade into the European Union markets, and was delivered under the ironic headline of 'Shoes and Souls'.

tained in one of the camps set up by the North , and had only been released when he had signed a document 'confessing' that he had burnt down villages? stolen the livestock and raped the women . After spending a year in jail, he had emerged to find that all his property had been con-

a handsome profit, usually making 40 to 50 dollars a cfay. "You see these?" he enquired, lea ing over and pointing at his sunglasses. "Genuine Ray Ban Av1ators. One of my American friends gave them to me wnen he went as a leaving present. 27 years old, man." When the war ended, the authorities found out about Lanh's wartime activities and he also ended up in prison, emerging, like Pham, to find all his possessions confiscated . Since the country started opening up, he has made his money taking boat tlrips around the islands off the coast of Nha Trang. They are two of those who have come to benefit from the changes that are being implemented as foreign investment floods in and foreigners find it easier to enter the country. Pham's salary has shot up to US $1500 per annum , which is a healthy wage in a land where the average annual salary is in the region of us $150-200. When asked whether he still harboured any resentment against the North, Pham smiled ruefullr. "We have different ways of doing things," he declared, explaining that although North and South Vietnamese recog-

"We have different ways of doing tfi ings," he declared, explaining that although North and South Vietna r:n ese recognise each other as ~~ count ry men ~ they still do not see eye to eye. A Freudian slip resulting from faulty English, or a wry aside at what the consequences could be of investment with the outside world? By the end of May this year, the State Committee for Cooperation and Investment had issued a total of 386 investment licences for Ho Chi Minh City alone, with total investment capital coming to over 4.5 billion dollars. And this only accounts for 34 per cent of the total foreign investment recorded in the country so far this year. Sitting in a cafe one evening as the Saigon nightlife teemed around us , we spoke to a former commander in the South Vietnamese Air Force who recounted how when the war ended he had been de-

fiscated and for 15 years he had failed to get a job. lt was only in 1990 as the ruling regime started to open up to the outside world that he secured his present occupation as a guide showing tourists around the sights of Saigon and the surrounding area. His story is similar to that told by Lanh . Robbed of one arm after he fell from a coconut tree when he was ten , he nevertheless made many friendships with the occupying American soldiers during the war. He told us tha he had worked with them on the black market, using their ration coupons to bu electrical eqwpment which he had then sold in the local markets for

nise each other as countrymen, they still do not see eye to eye. "People from the North are still widely seen by Southern Vietnamese as rural farmers who don't know how to live in a city." A visit to the capital city of Hanoi in the north , 1700km from Saigon, adds little backup to this belief. Although heavily bombed by the South during the war, it has been almost completely rebuilt and there is little evidence of the damage caused . The official district of Ba Dinh is far more beautiful than Saiggn , which simply gives the impression of a disorganised sprawl that functions through some obtuse logic all its own. Hanoi, by contrast, still re-

--- ~~----------~--~---------------------------------------, Concrete, Wednesday, October 4th, 1995

Features tains much of its French colonial splendour, with wide tree-lined boulevards bisecting one another at regular intervals. In front of Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, all vehicles except bicycles are banned. The small sign declaring this fact is easily missable and results in the attempted

extraction of a pocket-lining US $10 fine by a beady-eyed official if a moped sets so much as a wheel in the forbidden area. Relenting goodhumouredly after informing us that it was US $20 for the Vietnamese, he bartered for a lighter instead. Practically every Vietnam-

ese man we met smoked, in contrast to the women, of whom we only came across two puffing away on the vari路 ous brands on sale on every street. On the bus from Vinh down to Hue, the full startling cost of the habit was made apparent. A packet of 20 Western

brand cigarettes such as Marlboro costs just over one dollar. Sitting next to us on the bus was a man who told us that he smoked ten a day and was on a salary of roughly 20 dollars a month. This meant that an overwhelming proportion of his wages disappeared on his

habit. Yet the people as a whole are remarkably hardy. lt was not uncommon to see old women who must have been in their seventies or eighties pulling sagging rickshaws laden to overflowing with newly-cast bricks. And their menfolk are equally active. One of the most memorable sights of the trip was wandering through the streets of Hanoi at five in the morning, having just arrived on the night train. Down every street men of all ages limbered up for the day on the pavement in front of their houses, clad still in their nightgear. Back-stretching, arm-waving, T'ai Chi and all manner of contortions gave the im路 pression of a city-wide aerobics class being directed at differing speeds and levels by an unseen instructor in the skies above. By six o'clock down at Hoan Kiem Lake in central Hanoi, the lakeside was bustling w1th T'ai Chi classes, joggers and games of shuttlecock and badminton. With admirable foresight, bilboards around every town wam against the dangers of AIDS, graphically illustrated with pictures of dripping syringes and hospital beds. These vye for space with

the ever-present ideological boards of the ruling Communist party. Against the gold on red colours of the national flag, the next generation are depicted. Young men in army uniform and girls dressed as nurses stare out and up at the sky, often with arms raised, pointing the way forward. You wonder what this future holds for a country at last emerging from a legacy of conflict that has embroiled every generation except the bright young children displayed on the bilboards. With diplomatic ties formally established last week in Hanoi between Vietnam and its former enemy the US, and the country recently welcomed into the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), it appears ready to establish 1tself once more on a global scale. The Communist leadership are now formally embracing the market economy. The people seem to be excited by the challenge, but you can't help feeling, from looking around at the likes of countries such as China and Singapore, that the sub-editor on the 'Saigon Newsreader' knows something they don't when he hints that souls as well as shoes may end up being exported.

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Features

• Concrete would like to thank every· body at Ritzy. Zoom and Peppennint Pari< for all their kind help with this feature

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t back issues to bring you the best (and sometimes the worst), highlights of your student newspaper. We hope you enjoy iU

Issue One From an office in EAS, our first issue was produced.

~~u~:~k~;ss

someone had to do it) and Polly fulfilled a further ambition when she swung her pants with Trevor and Simon. Our centre spread was a classic: we spent the day behind the scenes at 'The ·· "· ;;;;.; ' ;.;;:,,.,..,

··-a··o·-cre'e ·

We reported on a proposed £100,000 facelift to Union House which was supposed to turn the existing UH entrance foyer into an airport departure lounge style creation. Sadly, this didn't materialise as the recently completed toilet-shrinking exercise suggests... The Waterfront was due to reopen for three weeks for a series of one off events, and its future was beginning to look a little better. We also published our first feature on the triumphs and traumas of living out in Norwich.

Issue Fourteen

the front page headline, as we informed students of the switch to the semester system. Three and a half years later, many people are still asking the same question. The centre spread revealed how One FM had announced a brand new music festival would be he~ ~.-=-~-~ in the music backwater of NorwiCh. ~~~,!::~== ~ ' · Meanwhile, we

Issue Nineteen

political when he chaired a debate on campus and a porter was viciously attacked whilst apprehending a cycle thief. Concrete tested the condom's big sister, The Femidom, and suggested 10 alternative uses for those who can't get lucky.

We revealed how crime was on the increase in the city, with students falling victim to a number of attacks. More celebrity inte.rviews included film star Bridget Fonda and indie darlings, Shonen Knife.

Issue Twentv One UEA officials requested 'sensible behaviour' from finalists after the completion of three years slog, with a notice aiming to dissuade students from such activities such as the throwing of 'messy substances' .

Norwich's premier music venue, The Waterfront, closed down due to rising ·· ::....--.debts, but a rescue

.,-j""""".,....package put together by

._.,__.,.,..,-·

UEA's Student Union looked likely to secure its future. We investigated 'Green Card

our newly-launched colour entertainment and leisure guide, 'The Event'.

for equality by gay men.

Issue Thirty Three

Issue Twenty Five

Issue Thirty Six Our front page story told the tale of two Union Sabbs, a GSA bar and a lock-in. Elsewhere, we published the definitive Fresher's Guide to UEA and Norwich.

Issue Forty Three

Our front page story publicised the meeting that kept The Waterfront open. Students were given the final "''-::.:7.:'~-~say on whether the Union would continue to run the venue. ·Phil Clegg quit _'his sabb post as · :comms Officer, 'feeling confident ino longer working ' .with the rest of the ,'Exec. Peter Hart /joined pop duo China Black in 'Disneyland Paris on ;the eve of their new .single's release.

Former UEA Housing Chief, Roger Lloyd, said that he was under no moral obligation to provide security of any nature in student accommodation after a resident of Mary Chapman Court said she was too scared to go out alone after facing two attempted attacks on her outside the City accommodation.

Issue Twenty Nine Fifers Lane 0 and P block residents were told they had to leave their accommodation after a Uturn decision by UEA's accommodation bosses. Residents were told they could stay only to hear that friendships and belongings were to be turned upside down and that they were to

of necessary work to the rest of Union House, which will no'N begin in '95.

Issue Thirty Four We reported on the concessions that EUR gave to those students

The Law Ball finally got its 6 am go-ahead but defeated

1992:

three students launch a new, independent student newspaper on an overdraft. Its name is Concrete and its future is hard to predict.

1995: Concrete celebrates its fiftieth issue, having just undergone an office refit and been placed on the Guardian/NUS Awards shortlist for the 'Student Newspaper of the Year'. A campus survey has revealed that it is the most popular campus media, . with S}8 per cent of students saying that they regularly read the paper. The passing of time has seen many changes, but one thing remains the same. Concrete is a

students, for UEA students, with _ complete editorial independence. We've covered all sorts of issues, been all sorts of places, interviewed all sorts of people and had a damn good laugh along the way. No milestone wo"uld be complete without some form of look back at the

~ -~ ~ ~~~~re~ef,l:,_~ra~es .its _ golden ~i~on ~it~ ~he publ~cation of thi~, our:fiftieth_·issue. Car~~~~~-i~IJ~ins~l) J~kes a ·~,, -~ ~·' lbolfat~seme·itthe:flighlightt -and ·lewlights•otthe-:pastJtftn!e and .a.half years~ to see it~all that glittel~~-really'ls· gold... revealed that studerts are more likely to put cmdoms on their heads rather than where it counts and Arthur Miller suddenly became the author John Fowles when we miscaptioned a picture.

Issue Four Tragedy struck when a minibus carrying UEA Hockey players overturned on the way to a game. The then Union Finance Officer, Chris Hall, was rushed to intensive care and described to be in a "serious condition" at hospital. Our first rmjor 'cock-up' came when the words 'Gambling Feature Headline' was splashed across the page where an actual headline should have appeared. At least we didn't print 'Subheadline goes here' too.

Issue Five Norwich became a mecca for music during Sound City '92 in April, and our 1hen Editor, Polly Graham, got to meet her idol Billy Bragg. We also interviewed Norwich singer Cathy Dennis, DJ's Mark Goodier, Bruno Brookes and John Peel. UEA Rag took the opportunity to chain themselves to Carter (well,

Word'. Terry Christian revealed how he only did the job for the money and Barry from Brookside pinched Polly's bum.

Issue Six Our controversial cover story told of the tragic death of a UEA student. The University's radio station, Livewire 945, snapped up three awards at a student radio conference, confirming them as the number one student radio station. We looked back at past UEA publications and saw how nothing had really changed since 1966. Ruby Wax took time-out from her UK tour to talk to Concrete, but meanwhile, frustration was growing that UEA was still without an Astro-turf pitch after the old one disappeared beneath the foundations for Nelson Court.

Issue Eleven Major cock-up number two: two pairs of flares appeared on the page where ECN (our printers) should have reproduced a table from The Guardian.

Issue Thlneen One FM's Simoo Mayo got

Marriages' and the problems faced by people .....•.. ---···:·· who wanted --~:~-:~,....<_: ~'.'~··~ ' r!§:l~~

;·. .:~<f..~~·-

to marry loved ones who were without British citizenship. Norwich City's then manager, Mike Walker, (better known now as 'Judas' -b y some) told Concrete of his long term plans for the future, and his personal philosophy on how to run a small but successful football club.

petition organiser, Lynne Wright, vowed to fight on. On a more

...

------·

Tenants at the top-notch village were now up in arms over a health scare after damp in their rooms caused multi coloured mould to grow on their mattresses. Many complained of colds and illnesses which they claimed had been triggered off by foul fungi, and some demanded cash compensation from Registry bosses. Meanwhile, Hugh Dennis tried to explain the nation's fascination with 'Milky Milky' in an interview, but then told Concrete he thought it had all been a mistake anyway.

Issue Seventeen RAG week was proclaimed a .complete disaster with students claiming that they didn't even know that anything had been organised. Students tried their hands at sumo wrestling in a 'Live in the Hive' event but were spared any gratuitous exposure of flesh due to the large rubber sumo-suits which were worn by participants. Comedienne Jo Brand proved she was a big star in more ways than one in an exclusive interview with the lady of cakes and comedy..

Issue Thirty Eight

Issue TweldY Two Worlds Apart came to the new Virgin Megastore! Say no more....

Issue Twentv-Four A vote by UEA students overwhelmingly endorsed the Union's plan to re-open The Waterfront, and the Union Exec said the venue could be opened in the following three weeks for an initial six month trial period. A double feature on the history and expected future of the venue was printed in

be re-housed elsewhere on the site. This, our main story, was our first full colour front page.

Issue Thirty Lovestruck students inundated the Concrete offices with passionate pleas to such hunks as 'Fat Bloke', 'Snot Rag' and 'Mogwai' from campus babes such as 'Fluffy Bunny', 'Peartree', and 'Lamb Chop' .. . On the subject of love and relationships we investigated the age of consent debate and the fight

Issue Forty One With Finals over, Caroline Jenkinson suggested some pursuits to fill time which didn't include propping up the bar. On a national level, an investigation into the then · Criminal Justice Bill suggested that the country was at the mercy of the police and that we were all on the verge of a worrying '1984' scenerio. Blur returned to the LCR with a triumphant sell-out gig to publicise their new 'Parklife' album, an event which was, for many, the ideal end - of year celebration ......

affected by the grade fixing exercise. Meanwhile, catching up with The Throwing Muses for an inierview in London, and with "The Management", aka Hale and Pace.

Issue Forty Seven This issue main story focused on the University's proposal to considerably increase the cost of University accommodation in order to pay for their management errors. A selection of lager louts from the Union, Concrete and Livewire put bottled beers to the test, ending up with a verdict (and a couple of headaches...)

Issue Fortr Eight We covered the story where a daring duo scaled the Registry and replaced UEA's flag with a surprisingly different version with "Welcome to Disneyland" sprawled over a white flag.

Concrete's alternative view of campus life, X-CRETE, comically looked back on a year of trial and tribulations... And, just to even things up, we tackled a feature on the problems with pornography. Phew! What a scorching ihree and a half years! Well done to all the people who feverishly helped produce the paper last year we know you're all worth your weight in gold! And a final 'Good luck Concrete', in the Guardian NUS Student Media Awards later this month...

The 'Tenants vs Uni officials' argument continued with the declaration that legal action may be taken against the University over conditions at the £12 million village site. "Sewage smells" and "inadequate lighting and security" were added to the ever-increasing list of complaints from Village residents who hoped the 'powers that be' would act upon their demands. And plans to totally refit the LCR were revealed, which aimed to give UEA a top live gig venue but at the expenfiWm boff, Barry NQrman, never m/flieS the Screen section In The Event

Concrete, Wednesday, October 4, 1995

The I LXilliJ30 even _ .~ Live Review: THE POGUES The Waterfront September 27

©@

es, the legendary exponents Of Celtic punk folk are still touring! Performing songs from their new album 'Pogue Mahone' (Irish for Kiss My Arse) as well as some more familiar ditties. they did not disappoint the faithful. However. at first something did appear to be missing. Granted, ifs probably far easier to tour without a permanently pissed lead s1nger, but 'Sunny Side Of The Street' sans Shane McGowan seemed to be lacking more than just the alcohol. Having said that. energy levels soon picked up and the band had the crowd jigging to every song. The new single 'How Come· was received with as much rapture as the ultimate Pogue anthem ·Dirty Old Town'. Perhaps surprisingly. the most impressive effort was the slower 'I'll Love You Until The End' . 11 was beautiful, almost haunting. Overall, the Pogues proved that their gigs are far more than JUSt nostalgia. There's life in the old folksters yet.

Dominic Savage

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10 DIRE STRAITS- Love Over Gold Terrible album full of prog-AOR pompous overindulgence. Not really worthy of inclusion in any Top Ten, but we were desperate.

~~~~SS ROCH URTE~D§[s_ __________ , I I

PRINCE -The Gold Experience Must admit that I've not heard this album, but on recent showing (dare I say it}, the short regal one has been changing his name more often than he's been writing good songs.

8 GOLDIE - Inner City Life Self styled king of jungle calms down those hyperactive beats to create a nee-ambient soundscape. Watch out for those teeth!

'1 THE STRANGLERS - Golden Brown One Stranglers song not likely to be ripped off by Elastica cos of its complicated time signatures. Always makes me think of sultanas.

6 THE WONDER STUFF- Golden Green "She's golden but she's green,• sung Miles Hunt, and despite this inherent contradiction, sad indie kid 14 yearolds (i.e. me) bOught the record, the hair and the long-sleeved T-shirt. Ostensibly, the double-necked guitar is a helpful tool, allowing guitarists to make use of both 6-string and 12-string sounds without having to swap instruments. However, this benefit is far outweighed by the fact that employment of said guitar is liable to make you look like Richie f•..ing Sambora. The double-necked guitar is not an integral part of rock mythology. The Beatles didn't use one. The Stones didn't use one. The Sex Pistols didn't use one. The Smiths didn't use one. Level 42 used one. The truth is that you'd have to be a bit of a ponce to want a 12-string guitar in the fi rst place, let alone one of these unappealing mutant instruments, which in silhouette look scarily like the bagpipes. Thus, the double-necked guitar is largely the preserve of session musos and comes hand in hand with a ponytail, one of those brown suede jackets with lassies on , and a detached house near Chertsey.

5 NEILYOUNG-AfterTheGoldrush Folk-tinged lament from the man in plaid while he was still good and before he started hanging out with Pearl Jam (not that we're suggesting that these two things are related).

MANIC STREET PREACHERS - Gold Against The Soul Weakest LP by the Manics where they tried to go American radio rock on us. Still, contained some soaring good tunes and the lyrics remain a testament to Richey Edwards (come back!}.

PAVEMENT- Gold Soundz Effortlessly great pop tune from everyone's favourite lackadaisical rockers. You're the kind of girl llike, cos you're empty, and I'm empty.

SPANDAU BALLET- Gold Sweeping, majestic, new romantic masterpiece destined to be played on every TV station's coverage of every Olympics ever.

(with Richie Sambora second from nght)

L------------------------------~

THE STONE ROSES- Fool's Gold What can I say? Nine minutes fifty-three seconds of zeitgeist-conquering genius. Have you got a ticket?

Concrete, Wednesday, October 4, 1995

{PUll {PO{P AND NO IXCUSIS Peter Hartgets alithe goss on what•s hot and what•s dross in the world of pop Don'tcha just love this time of year? The sun's still out, you haven't had to put your heating on permanently {maybe in London, but irs freezing up here mate!Music Ed) ... and already the pop world is full of gossip over who's going to have the Christmas number one! Ifs already rumoured that there will be another huuuge Blur vs Oasis battle, as both bands release singles from their new albums. Meanwhile, Ireland's answer to Take That, those Boyzone lads, are to release 'Coming Home' from their smash album 'Said And Done' at the end of November. Whafs the betting Take That will also make a bid forthe this

declined a place in the race for the top last Chrimbly?

Cosmic Twins! When The Event went to see pop twins Gemini at an under18's gig in Bristol's Odyssey club the other week, we knew they were destined for chart success. Well, last week the first twins in pop since those Goss brothers hit the Top 40 at, er, number 401 Maybe ifs got something to do with the type of fans that Michael and David Smallwood attract. "I had a condom thrown at me with a girl's phone number on it," Michael told us after the gig.

PR Princess! Julia Carling has a special place in our hearts, especially now she's separated from

hubby Will. Cos here at Concrete and The Event, we've been dealing with Jules' oompany, Hands On PR, for years. Who can forget the great pop exclusives Julia has helped set up for us, including our 1993 interview with pop baldies, Right Said Fred?!!! You'll always be a Princess to us,Jules!

Gavles and boys! Finally, lads take note, as Michelle Gayle tells us she hasn't had a boyfriend for ages! In fact, the last time the former Eastenders star had one was more than two years ago! But don't pop down to lnterflora quite yet, as she doesn't really miss having one. "I'm having too much fun Michelle.

UveReview:

BIG COUNTRY UEALCR September 24

tremor of shock reverberates through the audience. Everyone stares in disbelief. lt can't really be true can it? No, Big Country haven't suddenly got good, the surprise is that I've actually turned up to watch them . You may well ask why. Well, I fancied a bit of exercise so I rode up here on my bike. Plus I get the chance to use my excellent Big Country/ Big C***ry joke. But that's coming later. Once inside the LCR , I have to wade through a sea of facial hair to reach the stage. The smell of fake

but it•s not clever... leather jackets is overpowering . I have to restrain myself from collapsing into helpless laughter at the sight of the unbelievably ostentatious drumkit. However children, we should not mock. lt isn't the bands' fault - Big Country started out before fashion was even invented. The entrance is ceremonious . Big Country play a guitar solo before they have even begun singing . The frontman finally reaches the chorus of the first song: "we're all part of God's great mistake." Not

us, mate, it's you who he buggered up over! The silly thing is, you feel that if the Scotsmen weren't so chestbeatingly overblown , they'd be almost listenable. The ecstatic punters in their 1987 European tour shirts like it just the way it is, though . Big Country play a song called 'Look Away' which I kind of recognise. Then they do a folk rock number and I am forced to leave, four songs in. lt is truly dismal stuff. Big Country? Big C***ry, more like.

Sam Richards

Sant Sntiths

Courage Best £1.2Q a pint

STRONGBOW. CIDER £1.25 ptnt

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Concrete.. Wednesday, October 4, 1995

The

11\ ~

e~rent ~uts~

SOUND OF

DA U

· •Luc Baptiste lends an ear to the latest dance and hip-hop sounds JUNIOR MAFIA: Conspiracy double-LP (Big Beat) NY rules supreme again with a production team including B.I.G., Daddy-0, Special Ed and the infamous DJ Clark Kent. Solid grooves with 'old' sounds being brought right up to date in style. Musically varied with interesting and

clever sampling - if you liked the producers in their day, check their influences on 'Back Stabbers' and 'Crazaay'. Heads will respect Special Ed's 'Oh My Lordz', reminiscent of the old Ultra's with a '90s flava. Plenty to choose from, party jams to slammin' hip-hop.

MASTA ACE INC: Sittin' On Chrome 12" (Delicious Vinyl) The latest from his third album of the same name, this track is musically sound with interesting samples - a 12" for the heads. If you don't mind the annoying Eazy-E sample and you like the 'new' Ace,

then buy this. Check the Pitkin Ave mix, but not one of Ace's best by a long shot. RUSSELL SIMMONS: 'The Show' Soundtrack doubleLP (Def Jam) Another solid double. Look out for Redman/Method Man, Kali Ranks, LL and Mary J for the best tracks

whilst Onyx, B.I.G., and T.C.Q. don't quite kick it, if only due to the high standards they set. With plenty for fans of the West Coast and the East, this varied collection should shift units. Beware of the annoying trend of laying down dialogue between tunes and you won't be disappointed. Whether the film is any good remains to be seen .

CASr All Change I LP

'Recently it's been easier to concentrate on the hype surrounding bands rather than what's really important: the songs. Liverpool four-piece Cast are one of those bands who are redressing the balance, and after two Top 25 smgles, their debut albom is here. Although most of the LP could be described as jangly guitar pop frontman John Power's songwriting lifts it abo e the het d. 'All Change' is full of elassic sixties harmonies and crammed with hooklines that lodge in your head and refuse to go away. Apart from the two excellent singles ( 'Rine Time' and 'Al right' ), there are numerous highlights. Try 'Promised Land"s awesomely catchy chorus and 'Back Of My Mind' with its swaggering Stones riff. The low point is 'Walkway' which sounds scarily like those Shadows LPs your Dad used to play. Overall, though, this is a great debut album from one of Britain 1s most promising bands. Stuart Dredge

•Cast play the Waterfront on Odober 25th.

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hether you like 'Fantasy' or not depends upon whether you like folky, instantly catchy, chorus heavy songs. If you do, you will, if you don't, you won't. Simple. lt starts off sounding a bit like The Pogues and finishes pretty much like, well, The Levellers. And that's the problem. 'Fantasy' is just like all the other Levellers songs you've heard and has nothing in particular to distinguish it. B-Side 'Sara's Beach' seems to be a vague attempt at pathos but is too cliche-laden to succeed. The third song, cover version 'Searchlights', is actually the best one. Recorded for the Bosnian aid 'Help' album it is a suitably eerie , solemn affair. However, this is an unnecessarily elongated version and you'd do better to seek out 'Help'. Elisabeth Seal

Gid!!l&aBI A 11011-1 c:.ow In HeeiS/I!P

he awkwardly-named Gretschen Hofner have found a gap in the indie market - a country/ glam fusion! And it's just as muddled as it sounds .. . This Belfast group fail to be half as sexually ambiguous as they boast; they simply try too hard. The garish cover of this EP features Dorothy's red slippers from 'The Wizard Of Oz', a slightly too obvious allusion to a gay icon. This, along with the annoying use of the 'Psycho' signature and a musical similarity to Urge Overkill, results in an overindulgence in film references. This mishmash of genres and intentions makes for a confusing and ultimately forgettable EP. Claire Sweeting

Concrete, Wednesday, October 4, 1995 21

IIOR'IIII!RN UPROAR IIOBeNOCIStef /7'

n case you hadn't heard, Northern Uproar are THE NEXT BIG THING for this week. They are a bunch of snotty kids from, er, the North with rock 'n' roll in their hearts and snot in their noses. Probably. This record starts off with those four chords - CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! - which, when used properly, cannot fail. However, it doesn't develop a great deal after that, revealing Northern Uproar to be nothing much other than the new China Drum. If I can be patronising for a moment, I'd like to say there's room for improvement and Mr. Major Record Company would be well advised to keep his cheque book in his back pocket for the time being. Sam Richards

RU111

1 Don't Know /7'V s debut singles go, Ruth pack a good punch with this shinyhappy indie offering. Written by siblings Ben and Matt Hales {who began writin9 songs fifteen years ago at the ages of six and eight), it offers energy ever only matched by The Wonder Stuff and Madness. Starting with a Smashing Pumpkinsesque (that tested my spellcheck - Music Ed) deep bass fade-in, it soon becomes apparent that the record was mixed by Alan Winstanley of Madness fame and that the Hales have a fondness for Elastica and Supergrass. Like most indie-pop, 'I Don't Know' will stick in your head, but if played on CD loop it will grate ... Still, this hummable ditty serves its purpose and if you're looking for a bit of feel-good Britpop to take your mind off lectures or Richey Manic, you could do worse. James A M Phi/lips

A new single from Ash! Wonderful news! After all, Ash are the masters behind the hits 'Kung Fu' and 'Girl From Mars'. So what next? 'Angel Interceptor', that's what. Those familiar with Ash will recognise the fast and furious style as soon as the guitars kick in. However, as the song progresses it becomes subdued. Ash sound formulaic rather than brazen and vivacious. The song does have certain qualities, I just feel that 'Angel Interceptor' lacks the fresh vitality that so typified their past singles. The final judgement will come with their debut album in the Charles Gates New Year.

••••••••••

lt could be Stone Temple Pilots, until, that is, the sweetvoiced vocalist of Scheer hits the scene and it feels like something fresher. Although the title track ('Sometimes') is reminiscent of something you hear 'sometimes', the EP as a whole hints at a future more interesting. Witness the lyrics: "So ... she trots into the garden/ To cut a cabbage leaf/ To make an apple pie." Hmm ... I'll be interested to hear their debut LP for sure. Watch for their 'secretive' five minute pause if you want to be truly excited. it's alright. James Lushey

-1

,..._ltl!aQ' Clllclren/7' Hmmm. Any band that names itself after Charles Manson (they had to replace the 'o') frankly must be populated by twats, and listening to this single only serves to confirm this. No, they are not "cloaked in mystery" as the PR bumph would have me believe they come from Chester for

Christ's sake! Apparently Mansen play "full on music with no compromise and no bullshit". Yeah, right. Try mediocre guitar rock with pretensions to stadium grandeur and an irritating yelp of a singer. So expect to hear it on the Evening Session soon . Joe Morris

•••••

••••

rying to keep up with the changing styles on this album is a little difficult. There is a feeling of claustrophobia because there are so many influences all fighting to be the one that's heard. However, there is a great deal of depth to the LP. For the majority of the album, there is an acoustic guitar strumming away in the background with the serious electric stuff over the top. For those of you who enjoy the rockier side of folk, this album might tickle your fancy. Oavld Hall

his is a record for people who still believe that Gary Glitter's hair is real and who listen to Slade when it's not actually Christmas. Yes, glam rock is back (hurrah!) and Heavy Stereo are here to prove it. Their debut single 'Sleep Freak' should have been a huge hit BUT YOU STINGY TWATS DIDN'T BUY IT! (ouch, that hurt! - Music Ed). So make up for it and buy two copies of this one. The title track has got loads of Bolanesque guitars and a great singalong tune, and the other two songs prove that there's more than one dimension to Gem's songwriting talent. OK, it's not very original, and the lyrics aren't exactly earth-shattering. So what? Listen to this and you won't care - you'll be too busy smiling. Oavld Waiter

ell, it's got a rockin' beat, but some sad bloke decided it was his duty to humanity to be a shouty MC-type all over the place. Not only that, but also an Orb-style singer chimes in whenever she gets the chance, stealing samples from famous jungle tracks. I got quite excited upon reading the title of track 4 - 'F*** The Nazis' - but it sounds like all the others. In fact I think they only have one song, the lazy buggers. All in all, it's a bit like Bob Marley getting on down at Ritzy's. On some sort of illegal drug. Probably. Anyway, according to the sleeve, Zion Train believe that frogs eat with their eyes. Best left well alone, unless you're on an illegal drug, of course. Llzz Page

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Concrete, Wednesday, October 4, 1995

If this action adventure sounds like your kind of film, and you think Steven Seagal is the best actor since Marlon Brando, or If you just want a free night out, then Concrete can help you out

• Matt Stocks checks out ·under Siege 2•, to see if it•s a runaway success or a dead-end flop OK, so hands up who remembers the fi rst one then? I seem to tem ember quite enjoying it, but I was about 15 - it must halfe been a hormone th ing. Bas ically there was ol' Steven Seagal with some muscles and some guns and a boat and a maniac with aspirations of world destruction and that girlie from Baywatch jumping out of a cake with her bits bouncing about all over the shop. Well hoo-bloody-ray there's a sequel and what' s more, the plot is only slightly more intricate that a 'Batfink; cartoon . Basically we have good 'ol Stevie with more muscles and some more guns and a TRAIN this time

UNDERSIEGE2{PG)

USA(1995)

Actioo11vlller Dir:GeoffMurphy

C8nnon·Prevlew0ct 24

and a maniac scientist who Intends to destroy the Pentagon (and probably the rest of the world for good measure) Got that? Apparently, Dane (Eric Bogosian) is a fantastic government scientist who was sacked by the CIA because they no longer wanted his incredibly dangerous Star-Wars nuclear satellite type thing . Well rather than queuing for his Giro , Dane goes tonto and tries to take over the world . Now, for some inexpUcable reason, he

decides that the command centre for his dastardly plan should be part of a train travelling at high speed through the Grand Canyon (well - he is mad). Luckily for all concerned , Casey Ryback (Steven Seagal) realises th<l:l care in the community has obviously failed for this chappie and proceeds to do some clever martial arts and shoot things and generally save the world As you may have guessed the plot takes a third class , Super saver seat leaving the effects and action to carry the film; so if that's the kind of thing you're into, you won 't be disappointed. Most of the action is shot on a

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I I

Thanks to those wonderfully generous people at Warner Brothers and the Cannon Cinema, Norwich, we have 100 tickets to give away for a special preview screening of 'Under Siege 2'.

moving train (specially built for the film) on location in the Grand Canyon and 'Under Siege 2' makes use of some amazing computer effects. As you would expect. Seagal does lots of well choreographed fighting and there is the obligatory org iastic finale wh ich really is quite fantastic . But wait!

. ....... .

What of that gtrlie from Baywatch? Sadly, there is no sign . Apparently, there is more of a 'family' element to this film with Casey being paternal to his niece (Katherine Heigl) but as she was the 16 year old in 'My Father The Hero' there is still someone for you saddos to dribble over.

The showing Is at the Cannon Cinema at 10.45pm on Tuesday October 24, and the tickets are for this screening only. The winning tickets will be allocated to the first hundred students to come up to the Concrete office, upstairs In Union House, with a copy of the current Issue. Good luck and have a great night out!

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 111 •

I I I I . I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

FORGETPARIS(12) USA(1995) Romantic Comedy Dir: Billy Crystal Odeon • nowshowfng

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arry met Sally and now Billy Crystal is back to tell us what happened next. In his new film 'Forget Paris' , Crystal fu lfils the roles of writer, producer, director and star. Wherein 'Harry met Safly' the plot revolved around the courtsh ip and eventual alliance of the main characters , 'Forget Paris' takes you higher, on to the next level - the continuing re lationsh ip an d subseque nt marriage . Crystal plays the part of

Mickey Gordon, a probasketball referee who, in deference to his father's wish to be buried alongside his deceased regimental buddies, is escorting the body to France. Not very amusing so far. Somewhere between the great US of A and gay Paris, however the coffin and its resident corpse are mislaid. In the confusion that ensues Mickey has the good fortune to meet Ellen (Debra Winger) , an American airline executive handling passenger problems of which Mickey has many. As the funeral proceeds, the film does not end but rather restarts , as the pair having

fallen in love beneath the Eiffel Tower, begin married life. 1t could be argued that this is Crystal at his best, as the comic hero of his own romantic comedy. The script is as always littered with sharp one-liners made all the better by their author's cool delivery. Debra Winger proves a good choice on the part of the director (writer, etc ... ) and is certainly not over the hill. In this you can't evade appreciating Crystal 's humour but as well as comic incidents the writer provides us with an entertaining insight into life after Paris. He/en Job

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.fl. 5 Concrete, Wednesday, October 4, 1995

magine a town where the local carpenter appeared to possess an unusually large number of coffins. Unless you were exceptionally slow-wilted you would rapidly put such a place at the very bottom of ~our holiday list, turn around and leave. Sharon Stone, however, elects to stay as she wants revenge on big, nas Gene Hackman for h s part in the death of he father, who was marshal of the town many years ago. Conveniently the annual gunslinging contest is about to take place. Hackman, an excellent gunfighter who now runs the town corruptly,

Dlr: Roger Donaldson Cannon- From Oct 13

ust when you thought it was safe to go to the cinema . Just when you'd been lulled into a safe sense of security by going to see 'The Bridges of Madison County' or 'Pochahontas' . Just when you thought you were standing alone atop a chain of life that would never be threatened ... until now! In 1974 a top top, top secret team of Americans scientists sent a message into outer space. A message which contained information about earth and the DNA sequences which make up the human cell. And they got a reply! The result of the experiment was a combination of human and alien DNA to produce a new species! The one thing no one counted on was that this new species would be alll incredibly beautiful 21 year old woman who wants to sleep with everyone (tunny how Hollywood worl(s, isn't

•

it!). Perhaps the local mall would be the best place to look for her! The film is full of tension, some pretty good scares and unpredictable twi-sts. Comparisons are bound to be made with the 'Alien' trilogy but Sil, the extraterrestrial, is slightly more surreal. In the 'Dr Frankenstein ' role is Ben Kingsley. Once Sil is on the loose it is his job to coordinate a master force to overcome her. In the cliched form this team includes the former marine

and killing machine Press Lennox (Michael Madsen), Dr Stephen Adren (Alfred ::., w o films which we Molina), the caring •J sadly ran out of anthropological expert Dan space for. If you Smithson (Forest Whitaker), thoaght the intemet was an empath who can detect other people's feelings (your just for SYS techies, then think again. Sandra guess is as good as mine!) and Dr Laura Baker, played Bullock stars in 'The Net', by Marg Helgenberger. a drama about what This is definitely one of happens when too much those films that everyone will info becomes available on go and see and say is bad, the net. Sandra's the girl in but secretly deep down trouble, as her identity everyone will enjoy! Nlcola Dsley gets deleted.

11iE QUICKANOlliE DEAD(15) USA (1995) Westem Dir: Sam Ralml Cannon - Now showing and uses the contest to eliminate any rivals. Tempting the foolish with a huge cash prize, Hackman always wins . This contest takes up the majority of the film, allowing the director to build up tension . This mainly involves beer glasses falling in slow motion and zooming in on gunfighter's faces . Okay the first time, but after that it was frankly hilarious. The obligatory love interest is Russell Crowe, playing

THENET(15) USA (1995) Thriller

Dlr: lrwln Wlnkler

@ ASSASINS (15) USA (1995) Action

Dlr; Richard Oonner Cannon -From Oct 6

Hackman's former partner who is forced to take part in the contest. Other notable roles are that of Hackman's son, played by Leonardo Dl Caprio, and gunfighter Lance Henriksen . Despite the fact that the = characters and situations are things you've probably seen before (the blind show shiner, the kindly old doe) and that every1hing except the way Stone's father died can be guessed long before it happens, the film rolls along nicely with enthusiasm and such a sense of fun that it's faults are easily forgotten. John Spacey

he other is about two contract killers - one a bloodthirsty rookie (Antonio Banderas), the other with his eye on retirement (Sly Stallone) duel it out over who's the best. 'Assasins' is the latest violent action thriller from Richard Lethal Weapon' Donner. 'Pocahontas' it ain't!

••• •

•i

THE RED SHOES (U) UK(1948) Ballet/Romance

Olr: Michaet Powell Cinema City - Oct 14 You know a film must be good when it keeps you hooked for over two hours despite having ballet as its subject matter and no car chases to speak of. Widely considered a masterpiece, and arguably the greatest creation of the writerdirector-producer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 'The Red Shoes' is the story of a young ballerina (Moira Shearer) and her rise to ~

fame under the guidance of a cruel, obsessive and manipulative ballet director (Anion Walbrook). Naturally, she then falls for a brilliant young composer (Marius Goring) and her life falls apart as she is tom between her love for him and her love of dancing. As the film moves towards its inevitable, but still shocking, climax the boundaries between life and art blur, leading to some of the best fantasy sequences ever filmed . No longer restricted by wartime economies, Powell told his designers "The war's over boys, shoot the works," and the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ . . -

production promptly ballooned to almost twice its original budget, giving poor old Arthur J Rank (snigger) a few problems. Yet the money is all up there on screen in glorious Technicolor; the lavish sets and costumes culminate in an audacious 17 minute ballet sequence which should by the law of averages be rubbish, but is actually rather wonderful in its own right as Powell packs the screen with images of both dreamlike beauty and nightmarish intensity. Wayne Sleep is nowhere to be seen. lain Hollands __.. ___.!..,_ ._:..__.....-

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24 Concrete, Wednesday, October 4, 1995

'hVent S3~[R?rn - · f

•In a tenuous attempt 'to celebrate Concrete's ci'olden Edition Matthew Doyle and Caroline Jenkinson choose ·their ·~9P ten 'gold' 'movies ...

lay~

'· Goldaa Of ' · GoldenAge Of Sl•h..... HUGU (1973) Busier Kealon (1975) Dlr: Gordon Hessler Dlr: Various · CAROLINE: A top Christmas-type film, usually put out by ITV under the banner of "classic family entertainment". One slight problem: the monsters. Ray Harryhausen s creations were capable of frightening the pants off any child with a ne ous disposition. There were lots of 'Sinbad' films but this has to be the best' one, simply because Tom Baker makes an excellent villain. Interesting fact number two· Carolina Munro, who plays the damsel lrl distress, ended up as a 'hostess' on that late-lamented quiz show '3 2 1'. A sad comedown.

The one and only golden king of the silver screen - Sean Cannery as James Bond

~~ Gold ~ush 119251 ~old Diggers ol 1933 Oar: Char11e Chaplin (1933) MATIHEW: What can you say about Charlie Chaplfn that hasn't been said before? Perhaps his finest hour in this, the film he wanted to be remembered for.

He plays a gold prospector trying to hold his own during the gold rush, where various adventures ensue. Some of his best visual gags are here: the house teetering on the precipice , the dance of the bread rolls, the boot he imagines turning into a turkey dinner. Chaplin is certainly one of the best British actors ever born, and there is always something to admire in h1s fi lms. 'The Gold Rush' is even in Barry Norman's book of 100 best films - so it must be good . CAROLINEc Just because Barry Norman likes ft doesn't make it the best thing since sliced bread Matt. '

Golden Rating:

effort to track it down at my local video club .

Golden Rating:

Dlr: MervvnLe Rov CAROLINE: A class film in all respects. For those 'who don't have a tendency to veg out on a weekday afternoon with Channel Four 'Gold Diggers of 1933' is a musical with spectacular Busby Berkeley choreographed routines . lt revolves around the standard "Let's put the show on ourselves/right here!" plot, with Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler providing the main poor-bloke-made good-falls-for-prettyshowgirl lurve interest. Most notable moment when Dick sings the immortal song 'Pettin' In The Park' to Ruby on stage. That's the closest you'll gef to sex. Interesting fact; they made 'Gold Diggers' films in 1935 and 1937 as well with roughly the same ca~t in roughly the same plot, paving the way for the countless sequel market of today. MATTHEW : I most confess, it had passed me by so far, but I shall make a specral

"oldllnger (1984} Dlr: GUJ HamiHon MATIHEW: Sean Cannery's second outing as James Bond , and probably his best. Somehow his post Bond incarnations haven't quite been as good. Still, Gurt Frobe is Auric Goldfinger, the man with the Midas touch . Assisted by Odd Job, he's a baddie bent on world domination (aren't they all?}. Bond has to stop him robbing Fort Knox and save the world , with his usual charm and ingenuity. Pussy Galore tries to tempt him from the straight and narrow, with her flying circus. This was when Bond films were being produced one a year and they were at their finest.

MATTHEW: Not quite as strong a kid's memory as rstar Wars', but the holidays weren't the same without a Sinbad movie. By the way, where do you get all these facts from Carolina?

Golden Rating: -~

'ManwniDe , lllden aun (1rl4J Dlr: IQ 11•111111 CAROLINE: James Bond has to be the character most associated with gold; there's 'Goldfinger', this movie, and the up and coming 'Goldeneye'. 'Golden Gun' isn't the best Bond movie, although the combination of Christopher Lee as Scaramanga with Herve Villechaize as his sidekick is a villainous partnership worth savouring. The bit where Roger Moore swallows the bullet in the belly dancer's belly button (try saying that after a few pints!) is moderately amusing.

CAROLINE: Pussy Galore, what a top name.

MATIHEW: Christopher Lee with three n(pples - bleughl 1 think I'll stick with the Hammer Horror, flicks thank you very m oh .

Golden Rating:

CAROLINE: OK, this is a bit of a cheat, because this is basically a film documentary made up of clips from Keaton's best works . But I'll include it anyway, 'cos in my opinion , Buster Keaton was the best thing about silent cinema. Anyone who's seen 'Sherlock Jr' or 'The General' will know what I'm on about. Interesting fact number three: this week actually mark:s the centenary of Keaton' s birth. MATIHEW: A true genius at work. 'The Navigator' and 'Cops' are my favourites, but anything with ol' Buster in is worth a look. Well, except that dodgy car ad.

Golden Rating:

On Golden Pond(... ) Dlr: M~rk RJdeU CAROLINE: A bit sentimental , but that was what made it such a big box-office hit. Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn play the couple who spend a holiday at their lakeside cottage with their daughter. Not surprisingly, it won three Academy Awards . Warmth, humanityJ it's all there, so if you fancy car chases, sex 'n' violence go rent out 'Blood Beast from Satan's Backyard' from your local dodgy video shop instead. MATIHEW: Er, not so sure about 'Blood Beast...'> but Katherine Hepburn is fab. If I had a vote in the 'Best Actress Ever' awards, she would certainly get mine.

Golden Rating:

~~~

e Golden Child (1986)

Dlr: Mlcbael Rltchle MATTH.EW: Probably the worst film Eddie Murphy ever made. Murphy plays a

~ocial

worker.. who has to f1nd the myst1cal 'golden child' to save the world. A load ot nonsense, which collapses due to Murphy not being allowed to do what he does best - comedy. CAROLINE: I'm not even sure he does comedy very well. to be quite honest.

Golden Rating:

GoldlaJalll (11MJ Dlr: Blgas Luna MATIHEW: Contemporary Spanish cinema is basically Pedro Almodovar and this chap Bigas Luna, who gave you 'Jamon, Jamon'. Javier Bardem stars as the super Spanish stud who tries to build a skyscraper to symbolise his virility (oo-er missus). Not as good as 'Jamon, Jamon' , which actually had something to say. Here Luna gets carried away with the number of bedroom scenes, and loses the plot along the way. CAROLINE: Hmm, whatever turns you on, Matt.

Golden Rating:

MATIHEW: This ranks alongside Robert Redford's 'Quiz Show' as Ollie Stone take a powerful, moving and revolutionary look at the unknown side of th is loveable daytime TV show. Steven Seagal plays Henry Kelly, in an example of somewhat surprising casting, but he manages to pull it off. The scene where the Swedish contestant is brutally murdered by a flying question card is particularly harrowing . CAROLINE: Oh, I completely agree. Kevin Costner gets my vote though, as the English contestant who can't get past the 'Four In A Row' round . (You're both fired - Ed}

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Concrete, Wednesday, October 4, 1995

I!Venl

video vie\N Barcelona (15)

little Women USA (1995 ) Period Drama Dir: G1lllan Armstrong Video- Out to buy

•

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K girls, leave off the eye make up - Little Women is soon to hit the video stores and this is a strictly mascara free film. The story follows the triumphs and tribulations of life in the March family. These range from saintly "marmies" (played by Susan Sarandon) and her devoted girls donating their Christmas dinner to the unfortunate poor, to feckless heroine, Jo's attempts to realise her ambition of becoming a writer. There are also some healthy helpings of both thwarted and realised romance and some seriously tearjerking moments as sickness strikes everyone's darling Beth. This latest

Hanna Barbera have been responsible for some of the best cartoons ever made. 'The Wacky Races' , 'The Perils of Penelope Pitstop' and most importantly of all, 'Scooby Doo'. But one programme that bears their name must surely go down in history as one of the weirdest things ever to hit the TV schedules. Namely, 'The Banana Splits'. Probably the second best group to come out of the sixties after the Velvet Underground, the Banana

May Alcott's book is one of those unusual adaptions which manages to combine being faithful to the book with translating well to film. The cast will also not disappoint you. Winona Ryder gives a more than fair performance as the fiery tomboy Jo despite fears that she was too feeble for the part, whilst the massively sexy Christian Bale throws in just enough sensitive machiscmo to keep

Splits were a psychedelic revelation. Fleego, Bingo, Drooper and Snork were a bit like the Monkees in that they had their own TV show, but lived a far more crazy lifestyle in a house that was clearly invented after a heavy drugs session. Moose heads with raspy voices wearing ties? Mailboxes and garbage cans that fought back? Wow, that's, like, such a good idea, man .... Buri(.d amongst all the surreal happenings, of

the hormones high. For many the March girls' story might be just a bit too saccharine sweet for their tastes; and there is very little in the film to balance out the overwhelming generosity, fortitude, kindness

course, were the cartoons 'The Arabian Nights' and 'The Three Musketeers', which were actually quite good, and some sort of 'drama' series called 'Danger Island' which starred some annoying girl who spent most of the time screaming "Leave my father alone!" Yeeess, don't give up the day job, luv. Most of the Banana Splits' songs have been lost in the haze of passing time, but one will forever stay in the memory - the theme tune. Altogether now - "One banana, two banana, three banana, four/Four bananas make a bunch and so do many more/Tra la la, la la la la/Tra la la, la la la la .. (That's quite enough of that, thank you - Screen Ed).

and general goodness of the characters . However, Little Women is the perfect antidote to the rising tide of violent films, and if you fancy a night in with a tub of Haagen Dazs and a box of tissues, this is the essential ingredient. Llzzie Muller

USA (1994) Comedy Dlr: Whit sttllrnan VIdeo· Out to rent

efore I saw the film I had already given it marks out of ten : very low marks. I thought the title "Barcelona" was boring and thus concluded; boring title , boring film. And if I explain the basic outline of the story; a young sales executive living in Barcelona who "reluctantly plays host to his cousin, a US navy lieutenant ", the theory of mind numbing tedium is easily reinforced. Except for one slight flaw in this plan, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. Whit Stallman's talent lies in his ability to derive humour from our neuroses (most often relationship related) by having his leading characters explore them in such a serious manner as to render them ridiculously funny. lt is of course obvious that Stillman is appealing to the more insecure members of the human race and that as with Woody Alien films, if you do not spend 75% of the day analysing life, the universe and everything

then this film will pass you by. 11 could therefore by argued that because the film does depend so much on this verbal thinking between its characters that the story itself becomes a series of set pieces with no other function than to provide somewhere else for the characters to talk. Spain being chosen as the background for the film because of its developing sexual liberation (so long repressed under the Franco regime) encouraging neverending discussions on the male and female perceptions of sex. Although I would say that visually the j" ...... I film is too unadventurous, '·I . . .i one might argue that it would have made a better play, the dialogue is so . cleverly written and some ·:~· ' od the characters attitudes ··1·' i and behaviour so bizarre, that for most of the time I 1;1. ' ... .•~ I· was so wrapped up in what was being said that I ' 'Ill·---· neglected to notice that in ! the end nothing really happens. I still think the title is boring, but I stand corrected in my belief that •,· the film would be boring also, its not.

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. .. Make Way For Lucia Theatre Royal ·.-;-~- : :· ·. : ·Tues Oct 10-Sat Oct · 14 -'~·· ·• '£4-£15 -'. -.~ ....

hose of you with reasonably long memories may recall a programme called 'Mapp and Lucia', which charted the running skirmishes between two socially ambitious Edwardian ladies. Or you may even have read the books by E F Benson, on which the TV series was based. Well now you can enjoy the exploits of Miss Emmerl ine Lucas and Miss Elizabeth Mapp on stage, as t_he Theatre Royal puts on the British premiere of 'Make Way For Lucia'. The play, written by John Van Druten, has lain unperformed for over forty years, and has never been professionally performed in Britain. Set in a small town on the south coast of England, the story begins when Miss Lucas (Lucia), accompanied by her friend Georgia Pilson, arrive in

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town . Relationships and trusted friendships are thrown into turmoil, as the pre-eminent position of Miss Mapp, self-styled Queen of Tilling, seems to be threatened by the new arrivals . The local art exhibition, a visiting Italian composer and a garden of strawberries end up as just some of the heavy weapons that are brandished in th is hilarious clash of the social Titans. Angela Thorne (pictured, right), who is probably best known for her roles in the comedy series 'To The Manor Born' and 'Three Up, Two Down' plays Lucia, with John Wells as Georgia and Marcia Warren as Lucia's sworn rival, Miss Mapp. Caroline Jenklnson

Jn <:lte Wing Table Manners · · · ·Maddermarket !FrJ. Sep$ ~9 -_Sat OctJ. ~.. . . · 1 £3 - £7 . - . ' '\ ~-.n.• . The No ich Players kick off the new season t the Maddermarket Theatre with 'Ta le Manners', the first play in Alan Ay kbourn's trilogy 'The Norm Conquests'. Set in t he dining room f a Victorian country house, 'Ta e Manners' describes the I arious goings-on over one weekend, in which Norman, a lusty assistant librarian, makes moves on businesswoman wife's sister who may or may not be seeing dozy local vet. Meanwhile, hv•..t.. ri,:AIIy overbearing and ..... ~rnt; .. Sarah and her docile ouau.. • •u Reg try to sort their lives is much confus_ i on and off of handles, reaching its with a classic dinner party . Ayckbourn combines an to make sharp social cotrnfl!tents with a talent for laugh-adialogue to make this play inment on whatever vlewlt.

To kic off this year's Literary Festiv I, American playwright Arthur Miller ill give a 50 minute Platform Perfo mance. Professor Chris Blgsb of EAS will put questions to Arthu Miller for 25 minutes. The rem ing time Is left open for ques ons from the audience. "Hea en knows what I will ask him," Profe sor Bigsby told me. A fair reply rom someone who has recen y completed a series with Miller or Radio 4. What the audience might sk is an unknown - "all part of the fu " His plays are award' Death of a Salesman'

(1949) won the Pulltter Prl~. 'Th Crucible' (1953) won the Donaldson Prize. 'Broken Glass' I this year 's m ce livi r M ·n r. olitlcs is n & anger-to Uer ether. His novel 'Foe s' (1945) face anti· semitism, his play 'Broken Gl ss' the Holocaust. He supports, and i sensitive to, moral and public sues. The characters he creates are wholly convincing. His writing bridges the public and private divt focusing on the relationship betwee family, individual and society. Infl uenced by " •.• life as I know it rather than •.. a theatrical imagination ..." his work is relevant and contemporary. 'The Crucible' is currently being filmed with Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder in starring roles. Established in 1989 UEA's Arthur Miller Centre has promoted American Studies sine that date. He has twice been honoured by UEA - as an honora Doctor of Letters and a Distingul Fellow. He will shortly be receivi an honorary degree from Oxford October 17 is Miller's 80th birth and a wonderful opportunity to him speak and ask him quest io • Jay Co

Crystal Balls Norwich Arts Centre Thurs Oct 12 £10/£7.50 cones You don't need a crystal ball to s that there is a treat in store for f ns of both opera and comedy when e Compact Opera bring their latest production, 'Crystal Balls' to NAC Follow real life Elizabethan magic an John Dee and con-man Edward Kelly as they tour the royal palac and dungeons of Europe. Their exploits read like an operatic version of 'Biackadder 11' as they ge Involved in raising the dead, talk. g to angels and even wife-swapp g in their quest to turn lead into g Caroline Je

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~ In the first of his regular book .:colunins, Christian 'Schou takes a look at Adrian ECimondson's first novel ·s:;·

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Louis Marcfiesi THE GOBBLER: ANOVEL Adrian Edmondson Helneman, London .. £10

his is the column of your student newspaper where you get a chance to keeR up with the Jiterary wo;:l.d ins1 and outside campus . We will try to have at least one review of recent releases in this column every fortnight. Almost every genre, from sciJi to biographies is liable1to pop up, although the Editor has a depth felt antipathy towards textbooks in astrophysics, accountancy and similar subjects. In this edition we will start in a lighteJ category. Yes, you've got it right. Adrian Edmondson, alias

Eddie Hitler, alias Vyvyan (of 'The Young Ones'), the actor/comedian has actually written a nave). He may not claim the Nobel P ize for Literature for fh1s book, but ther1 again this is his first 1\0Ve and as you Freshers may feel rig t now, every beginning is hard. The book follows the rather hazy life of comedian Julian Mann who, although married with cn1ldren, lives a life o drinking and womani~ing .

His complete lac of conscience and extremely rude behaviour is not making things better. His career is going doWnwards and slowly old friends turn their back on him as job offers get less and less frequent.

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a good thing when you IJ_ave a £65 ,000 unpaid tax bill. Adding to the misery of tllis strange hero/anti-hero js a severely dist rbed woman (the psycfio-fan) , who tends to pop up for an autograph exactly when Julian IS least expecting it. lt may not be an original plot, but the book evolves from resembling a screenplay for a rcomic Strip Presen s .. .' production to actually in the end taking the form of a novel. This book will not change your life and Edmondson's writing needS- a bit more work to compare with his comedy sKills. But not bad for starters an definitely had a couple of good laughs now and then.

Next to

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My fair Lady (Ul Thurs Oct 5 - 2.30pm & 7.30pm Classic Oscar-winning musical, with Rex Harrison and the beautiful Audrey Hepburn

MGM CANNON Some or all of the films below will be showing over the fortnight. For exact listings and times, ring the cinema. Apollo 13 (PG) Tom 'Can I have another Oscar please?' Hanks is one of the astronauts trying not to get lost in space in this Moonshot disaster tale. Batman Forever (PG) Val Kilmer dons the rather sexy batsuil, and Chris O'Donnell joins him as Robin, to fight baddies Tom my Lee Jones and Jim Carrey. 11 all looks very nice, but the plot is naff. Come back nm Burton. The Bridges of Madison County (PG) Clint Eastwood and Mery[ Streep play a couple of star crossed lovers. Don't forget the !issues for this romantic drama.

Norfolk Country Life 1915-1989 (Ul Fri Oct 6 - 5.45pm & 8.15pm, and Sun Oct 15- 5pm & 7.30pm A celebration of life in rural Norfolk. presented in association with the East Anglian Film Archive to commemorate the centenary of the National Trust. Pulp Rction nal Fri Oct 6- llpm John Travolta and Uma Thurman gel up and dance to Taranlino's tune. Litt1e Women (Ul Sat Oct 7- 2.30pm Heartw'arming family entertainment with Susan Sarondon and Winona Ryder. Visions of Light (PGl Sat Oct 7 - 5.45pm Fascinating documentary on the role of the cinematographer, featuring interviews with some of ihe world's greatest cameramen.

Die Hard With A Vengeance nsl Bruce Willis is back as super cop John McCiane. This, time he's got Samuel L Jackson as a partner, andl Same Uke 11 Hot (PG) Sat Oct7- 8.15pm, and Sun Oct 8 • 7.30pm Jeremy Irons as the baddie. A blast. Billy Wilcfe s memorable comedy, starring Marilyn Monroe, will be shown in its original context, together The Quick and The Dead n5f Shazza Stone, Gene Hackman and Leonardo DiCaprio with authentic trailers, advertisements, newsreel and accompanying short. star in this revamped western. See page 22. •.

Walerworld n21 Dennis Hopper is the only one to come out with any credit in Kevin Costne(s wet fish~.. ! a film. A waste of money.

La Ronde (PG) Sun Oct 8 - 5pm French comedy, revolving around the sexual antics of turn-of-the-century Viennese society.

Assassins n5l Opens on Oct 6 Antonio Banderas and Sly Stallone play a couple of hitmen in this action thriller from Richard Donner.

La Belle et La Bete (PG) Mon Oct 9 - 5.45pm Jean Cocteau's poignant interpretation of a classic fairy tale.

Species n5l Opens on Oct 13 Natasha Henstridge is the alien who comes to earth to have her wicked way with a few humans. Special effects by H RGeiger.

John Beljeman's Norfolk (U) Mon Oct 9- 8.15pm A seldom-seen collection of documentaries about Norfolk. narrated by the poet. In association with the East Anglian Film Archive.

ODEON

The Madness of King George (PG) Tues Oct 10- 2.30pm, and Weds Oct 11 - 5.4Spm Sound film adaptation of Alan Bennetrs play. Nigel Hawthorne stars.

Some or all of the films below wilf be showing over the fortnight. For exact listings and times, ring the cinema. Forget Paris n21 Billy Crystal plays a professional basketball referee who meets his match in Debra Winger, an American i_n,Paris. While You Were Sleeping [PG) Sandra 'Speed' Bullock and Bill Pullman in this light, frothy, romantic comedy which is actually quite enjoyable. Braveheart n5l Mel Gibson goes into battle wearing a kill and sporting quite a plausible Scottish accent. A bit long at3 hours, but not bad overall. The Net n5l Opens on Oct 6 Another release with Sandra Bullock, this time in a tense thriller about what can go wrong when you spend too much time on the interne!. See page 23.

CINEMA CITY Clerks nal Wed Oct 4- 5.45pm & 8.15pm The entertaining lives and loves of two shop assistants.

Railways Archive Show (U) Tues OcllO - 6pm A selection of archive railway film, sure to delight all enthusiasts. Advertising on Film (PG) Tues Oct 10- 8.15pm A light-hearted view of cinema advertising . An Evening at Collins' Music Holl1932-48 (Ul Wed Oct 11- 8.15pm The national premiere of this authentic recreation of the music hall experience, using archive footage. Tom & Vivn5l Thurs Oct 12- 2.30pm & 5.45pm Willem Do foe and Miranda Richardson star as poet TS Eliot and his wife Vivienne. Ray Harryhausen's Animation Masterclass (Ul Thurs Oct 12 at 8.15pm The legendary Hollywood animator introduces clips from some of his films.

British Film Music of the 1940s !Ul Fri Oct 13 - 6pm Film historian Andrew Youdell will be discussing various film composers, accompanied by a film clips.

The Tales of Hoffman !Ul Fri Oct 13- 8.15pm Michael Powell's adaptation of the Offenbach opera .

conducted by Carl Davis. £3-£20.

Straw Dogs 8) Fri Oct 13- 11pm Dustin Hoffman discovers that Cornwall can be just as dangerous as East Coast America. Black Beauty !Ul Sat Oct 14 - 2.30pm Enjoyable adaptation of Anna Sewell's classic novel. Scott of the Antartic !Ul Sat Oct 14 - 5.45pm John Mills plays the doomed polar explorer, fated to be second to the South Pole. The Red Shoes (Ul Sat Ocl 14- 8.15pm A tragic tale of love and ballet. Michael Powell directs. When Night Is Falling n5l Man Octl6-Wed Oct 18- 5.45pm & 8.15pm (matinee on Tues at 2.30pm) A college lecturer is torn between a lesbian circus artiste and her long-term boyfrjend.

UEA - UNION FILMS Nell Thurs Oct 5 - 7pm Jodie Foster and Liam Neeson in a touching drama about a young woman's first en·counler with the outside world. Pret-a-Porter Fri0ct6-7pm Robert Altman's satirical look at the world of high fashion. A galaxy of famous faces includes Kim Basinger, Saphia Loren, Richard EGrant and Cher. Shallow Grave Tues Oct 10 - 7pm Three flatmates discover that disposing of dead bodies isn't exactly easy. Kerry Fox and Christopher Eccleslon star. Quiz Show Thurs Oct 12 - 7pm Ralph Fiennes thinks that he's played his cards right, but lands on a hot spot instead. Little Women Fri Oct 13 - 7pm Heartwarming family entertainment, with Susan Sarandon and Winona Ryder. The Life of Brian Tues Oct 17- 7pm Life's a laugh and death's a joke, ifs true ... A classic film not to be missed. Monty Python at its very best and most irreverent.

NORWICH ARTS CENTRE Reel Love Weds Oct 11 - 8pm The only film festival in the region which shows Super 8 as well as 16mm film . £3.

THEATRE ROYAL City Lights Sun Oct 15- 7.30pm This special screening of Chaplin's masterpiece will be accompanied live by the Philharmonic Orchestra,

THEATRE ROYAL Five Guys Named Moe Weds Oct 4-Sat Oct 7 - 7.30pm (matinees at 2.30pm on Weds & Sal) Banish those blues for good with the Moes. £3£19.50. Make Way For Lucia Tues Oct 10-Sat Oct 14- 7.. 30pm (matinees at2.30pm on Thurs & Sal) 'TWo socially ambitious ladies fight for supremacy, with hilarious consequences. £4-£15 . The Mikado Mon Oct16-Sat Oct 21 - 7.30pm (matinees at2.30pm on Weds & Sat) The D'Oyly Carte opera company present the limeless Gilbert and Sullivan musical. £3-£19.50..

NORWICH ARTS CENTRE Theatre In The Bar Weds0ct4 Quench your theatrical thirst with this cocktale of spirited comedy! FREE Crystal Balls Thurs Oct 12- 8pm A light-hearted chamber opera, about a failed alchemist. Presented by Compact Opera. £10/£7.50 cones.

MADDERMARKET Table Manners Weds Oct 4-Sal Oct 7 Alan Ayckbourn's sparkling comedy of warped surburban values. £3-£7.

NORWICH ARTS CENTRE Sykes and Nancy Thurs Oct 5 - 8pm Dickens' characters come to life in this highly entertaining comedy/mime show. Presented by Oddbodies. £6.50/£5.50 cones. TonyHawks Fri Oct 13- 8pm Expect everything, from stand-up to tricks with golf balls. £71£5 cones.

WATERFRONT Mal Welcome and Milton James Sun Oct 8th. £3.50/£3cones dr.

UEA LCR Pulp Fri Oct 6 Jarvis Cocker and friends prove they're anything but 'Common People'. SOLD OUT!

14 day listings in association with the Theatre Royal - (01603) 630000 for reservations .Tickets always available from £3 or £4

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.. Boo Radleys & Elect(afixion -. • Fri Oct13 Go on, stand at the fronf and shout "Wake Up!· at them .... £7. CarterUSM Sun Oct 15 A welcome return for the Pet Shop Boys of Punk. £7.SO.

Wednesdays- Mid-week party. £1 admission, Pints £1, spirits & mixers £1 .SO/ Fridays- Swing, soul, rap, reaggae. £1 admission b411pm Saturdays - The Big One £2 admission.

:m~E

lHE WATERFRONT

WATERFRONT

Friday Oct 6th - Milky Lunch Ricky Stone & Mark Wilkihson. £6/£Sconcs, 9pm-2am. Saturday Oct 7th - Meltdown lndie. Admission £3 .SO/ £3 cones. 9 -1 .30am Nick Heyward Sat bet 7 Ex Haircut 100 frontman launches his new career with a great new single The World'. £S. Jimmy Somerville Sat Oct 4 He's been around for years, but still sounds as good as ever. £8 .SO.

THEATRE ROYAL Dominic Klrwan • 1' Sun Oct 8 • 7.30pm f • ..:. • :The hugely popular lrisb singer. £3-£11 . ""~- 'i=. ,_

Art Garfunkel • • Mon Oct 9- 7.30pm One of only six chances to catch Paul Simon's other half in Britain. £S-£20.

NORWICH ARTS CENTRE Art Farmer with the Gill Alexander Trio ', .:~ • Fri 0ct 6 - 8pm Art Farmer is a jazz master at the peak of his powers. £9/£7 cones. 1

JohnnyMars SatOct 7 Rhythm and Blues from the man khown as the Jimi Hendrix of the harmonica, £71£5 cones. Ramon Valfe;o Orchestra Sat0ct14 Dance the night away with Ramon and his livel seven-piece salsa band . £7 .501£S.50 cones.

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TI:IE WILDE CLUB

Friday 13th Oct- First Ours first weekend bash. Extra Special DJS- £5 d~ Saturday 14th Oct- 80's night returns! Doors 9pm on, admission £3 .S0/£3

UEAX LCR Thursdays- The LCR! Be there. or miss out! Admission £2.SO- term passes available. 9pm-1 .30pm. Sat Oct 7- Section 77. Ministry of Sound. Admission £8.SO adv. 9 -L30am Saf Oct 14- Section 77. Jungle Club Night. Admission £8/£6.SO cones 9-1 .30

Monday Student Night Admission £2 with NUS/UEA card Tuesday - Fresh Admission £2, 10pm-2am. Wednesday- The Main Ingredient Admission £1, 9pm-2am.

9.30pm-2am, £5 .

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Friday- Club X-Press Admission£~. 9.30pm-2am. Saturday- Cow Club

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MANHATTANS We oesdays .!Uplifting house I garag Admission £1, 9pm-2am.

[he Wilde Club is at the. Norwich Arts CentreI Thurman + Wake + OVa head Tues Oct 10 £3,SOadV/£4dr

HYS ·'?· :;. Tuesdays/Wednesdays- Club night, Admission £1 all night 9pm-2am, Thursdays - Club night Adrnission £2 all night. 9pm-2am.

Mondays -Student Ni9ht. Admission SOp with any student ID B4 midnight. 9pm2am.

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Wednesdays- Student NighL Admission SOp with any student ID B4 midnight. 9pm2am. .,... I:

Fridays - Fast Trax. Admission £3 B4 10.30pm, £4 after. 9pm-2am. Saturdays- Furious Fun. Admission £4 B4 10.30pm, £S after. 9pm-2am.

PEPPERMINT PARK Mondays - Student Party £1 admission, £1 pints, spints & mixers £1.SO

Hys

621155 The loft 623559 Manhattans 629060 Peppermint Park 764192 Ritzy 621541 The Waterfront 632717 701635 Zoom Cannon 623312 Cinema City 622047 Ode on 621903 Maddermarket 620917 Norwich Arts Centre 660352 Theatre Royal 630000 UEA Union Ents 505401

Well done Concrete on 50 editions from the Theatre Royal I

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Concrete, Wednesday, October 4, 1995

Sport

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THERE you are at your aerobics class, jumping up and down and minding your own business. But do you l<now what could be happening to you underneath that old Tshirt of yours? The effects of prolonged exercise without adequate breast support

are undisputed. In recenl research, 80% of GPs sampled agreed that wearing-specialist support helps to prevent breast motion, in turn reducing stress on the ligaments and helping to delay long-term sagging of the breast. Yet of the I 0 mil ·on women in Britain who exercise at least ~e

'· .

Sally Gunnell, promotor of the campaign PHOTO COURTESY OF ATHLETICS WEEKLY

lhe sports bra is springing back into fashion thanks to a,new advertising campaign fronted by Saliy Gunnell times a week, ovet three-quarters of them do not wear a sports bra - and more than half of that number have never even considered it. This is mainly because the term 'sports bra' conjures up pictures of underwear that is 11nflattering, unfeminine and uncomfortable, and the image of them as vast expanses of heavy-duty elastic and stretch fabrjc ,has been hard to shrug off. However, tests conducted by the Department of Exercise and Health at Heriot Watt University illustrate the importance of this often-overlooked piece of clothing. Twenty women with varying bust and cup sizes ~ere-video_- taped running on a treadmill at several different speeds, firstly wearing no bra, then an ordinary bra, and lastly with a sports bra. A~ top speed (the equivalent of a fast run) and with no bra support, the breast movement was up to 8.5cm away from the control point on the body. This was reduced by 32% when an ordinary bra was worn, and a further 21% with the help of a sports bra. So ifi your breasts feel sore after exercising and you were not wearing a sports bra, now you kn w why! Recognising that many women would benefit from the use of a sports bra, lingerie manufacturers Berlei have teamed up with Olympic 400m hurdle champion Sally Gunnell to try and dispel the unfashio.oable image this item of underwear has earned. The Berlei. Shock Absorber Collection consists of four styles, graded by three different impact levels, depending on bust size and the type of sport the bra will be used for. Accordjng to the designers "the bras ~till manage to look sleek and sexy despitethe long list ofbounce-

,.A-Fleck -of

~· ~'happ·iness THE last two weeks have seen mixed results for Norwich City.

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A fortnight ago, lowly Torquay United were the visitors at Carrow' Road, and the third di vision out 1t were duly sent back to the south coast with the all-but-impos~ ble task of reversing a6-l deficit in the return match of the Coca Cola Cup second round tonight (Wednesday). Then the Canaries' fortunes were reversed last Saturday, and they were lucky to bring back even a point from their match against Grimsby Town. It was only in the dying seconds of the game that Ade

Last minure goal hero Ade Akinbiyi

Akinbiyi leveled the scoreline to a nearly-respectable 2-2. However, this was soon forgotten by tfie city fans after they heard the news they had been longing for since August. It was announced on Friday that Robert Fleck has made his Joan spell permanent, and that, for £650,000 (plus up to £150,000 extra, depending on promotion and appearances), Martin O'Neill has secured the return of Norwich's prod i'gal son, after an abscence of three years. Fleck admits to being overjoyed to be back in East Anglia after his nightmare spell with Chelsea, but in Saturday's match against league lead-

reducing features". It seems as if, at the minute, sports bras are still perceived as a relatively unimportant piece of equipment for exercising. But, through a national advertising campaign, Berlei are aiming to change women's attitudes towards this essential piece of sportswear, by increasing awareness of the damage that can be done by not investing in a reliable one. After all, as Sally Gunnell herself says, the only thing she wants to have hanging round her midriff are medals!

The new Berlei advertisement limited movement (though tradition has itthatthe goalkeeper stays near the goal...) Sounds easy enough ••• lt is, though as with all games, the more involved you get, the more complex and technical it can become. What about the pain factor? Just the odd bruise. Not too many people throw the ball at 150mph, and those that do (ie. the top blokes) wear full body protection.

Do you want to get fit, but don't know where to start? If so, then the Fitness File might give you a few hints. This week: Lacrosse

And (gulp) how much does that cost? Who knows? Who cares?l To start with, all you need is your-

OK, let's start with the obvious. Where does lt come from? Touted as 'the fastest game on two feet' (the ball can travel at up to 150mph), lacrosse started in the lroquois Red Indian tribe.

self and a bit of enthusiasm. Join the UEA Lacrosse club for £5, and they will supply you with everything else. So who can play? Anyone at UEA. Practices are mixed, though matches are played single-sex. So far their competition consists mostly of 5-a-side triendlies against local Notwich teams. Where do I go now? To the astroturt at 5pm on Thursday evenings. If you can't make it then, contact the UEA club through their pigeon hole or board in the Sports Centre. N/k Davy

And what exactly Is lt? A field game played by throwing a ball between the netted ~icks of the players, with the eventual aim of scoring goals in nets slightly smaller than hockey nets. There are 12 players per side, all of whom have un-

Jane Horner reports on·how the re-sig~ing of a former star is overshadowing league gloom

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ers Leicester City, he was unable to make much impression. Described by managerO'Neill as "one of those games anyone could have won", the match was fairly even throughout the 90 minutes, with both sides failing to ca_pitalise on their chances. Man~ of-the-match Andy Johnsonhad several shots saved by the opposition's goalkeeper, and the Norwich midfield was prevented from providing the forward with many clear-cut openings by determined Leicester defending. In the end, it was the visitors who

Saturday's ..Man-Of-The Match Andy Johnson

broke the deadlock, scoring through substitute Emil Heskey with only a

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few minutes to go, and leaving a despondentO'Neill with nothing to say except "we didn't deserve to be beaten today". Norwich City now slide to ninth in the table, but it is not all doom and gloom. Nineteen goals have been scored so far this season, which is almost half the total for the whole of last year, a statistic which can only be encouraging. If fan Crook can regain match fitness, and Ashley Ward recovers from the hamstring injury which has kept him out of the last few games, then it shouldn't be too long before the Canaries are back on the promotion trail again.

THIS year's Sports Mart was shrouded In confusion over the new sports Insurance policy adopted by the Union.

By Helen Fee

Anyone arriving at the Sports Centre hoping to join a club, was greeted by a queue extending most of the way down to Union House, but with no explanation regarding the reason for the hold up. Those who joined the long line of

bewildered students eventually discovered that it was for personal accident insurance, which had to be taken out by anyone wishing to join a sports club. This is the first year that any form of cover has been used at UEA,

THE future looks grim for Pacific Team Lotus, the locally based Grand Prlx team, writes Sally Rose. A new ruling for 1996 - "Any driver whose best practice lap exceeds I 07% of the pole position

time will not be allowed to take part in the race"- has worried Pacific, as the performance difference lies with the customer Ford EO engines, an area out of their control. Commercial Manager Mark Gallagher desc "bed the sudden an-

after the Union decided to partake in the insurance following the many accidents that have been reported recently in the press. But what were people paying their pound for? No information was given unless it was ifi ally asked for, therefore many were unsure about what the insurance actually covers. Many students, both new and

nouncement of the new rule as "having the goal-posts moved while you are playing the game". If it had been in place this year, there would only have been four starts for the team up to last weekend's European Grand Prix in Ger-

old, admitted to being baffled by the new scheme. In actual fact, the policy, developed through a partnership between BUSA and Endsleigh, covers expenses if serious injury occurs, such as taxi fares for anyone temporarily disabled, as well as an allowance during hospitalisation, and funeral expenses. Also covered are dental fees and

compensation for permanent disablement. However, the policy does not extend to physiotherapy or expenses incurred through minor injuries. Luckily, the bewilderment and the queuing did not affect the numbers who joined the sports clubs, despite many being turned away from club stalls because they did not

realise they needed to pay for their insurance before they could become members. The overall consensus from students asked. seems to be that the insurance is a good idea, but that more information should have been available, and it should have been better publicised, making everyone aware of the situation before Sports Mart actually took place.

many. a fact which could put off desperately-needed potential sponsors. Pacific's financial struggle is indicated by shareholder Bertrand Gachot stepping out of the number 16 car in favour of Giovanni

Lavaggi for four races, and now Jean-Denis Deletraz for the remainder of the season. The Formula One paddock was surprised that they even qualified for superlicences. Eyebrows were raised further by an injunction by Heini Mader in Belgium in August which. fora time. threatened Pacific's involvement in the Grand Prix. The dispute relates to the 1994 season, when Mader rebuilt their Ilmor V I 0 engines and the team then suffered 16 failures in eight races. A£100,000bill is unpaid because of 'defective workmanship' and. although the team now claims to be on the verge of a major new sponsorship deal (which has not yet materialised). Gallaghcr agreed that they have "reached a very cnucal point and obviously the adverse publicity around the Mader case doesn't help" In the races over this summer, Andrea Montermini has been doing a good job in the qualifying battle against the cars from the Italian

Fo:1i outfit. and Pacific recorded four successive finishes. Lavaggi acquitted himself well. but Deletraz remains questionable. His qualifying time for the Portuguese Grand Prix would only have given him 22nd on the grid of the supporting Formula 3000 race 1 Damon Hill commented, "let's just hope he breaks down early in the race" He needn't have worried- the 31 year old retired after 16laps with cramp. Pacific have been rumoured to be looking at Ford BTCC, F3000 or loo lndycarcampaigns as fall-backs for 1996 if they cannot raise a Formula One budget. Suggestions that the team ha\ e put down a deposit on a f-3000 Lola chassis amused one team member, who replied "right now we couldn't even put down the deposit on a Skoda 1" Therefore, it looks as if Montermini's performance in the• remaining 1995 races could be financially critical for the Thetford team· s future.

The New Chris Boardman? TBADS PIZZA Licensed Restaurant & Take -Away

UEA Cycling Club member Andy Tyler has been smashIng course records left, right and centre recently! After taking part in his first-ever

time trial last October, Andy has gone from strength to strength Over the summer, he took three course records, one by over 30 seconds, and is unbeaten in local club

events since April (Andy also rides for Breckland CC). Even in the more competitive 'open' events, against the 'big boys', he still managed to gain several second and third placings, although that first gold has 0 far eluded him. After that fiN hill-climb time trial. which Andy "only entered for a laugh", he made some drastic changes to his training. He has opted for shorter, more intense work-outs to build on his flat-out speed for the shorter distances, having spent the summer doing longer, steadier sessions. This. along with a more aerodynamic bike, and changes to his breathing pattern and pedal speed, marked the turning point in his season. and he was soon smashing his personal best times week after week. Possibly the highlight of the year was a top ten placing in the 50 mile BUSA time-trial championships, but Andy is looking forward to an even more successful winter. Hisbiggestambitionistodoasubfour hour time for 100 miles, his present best being 15 minutes outside this target. When asked about his impressive progress, Andy explained "Basically its been a very steep learning curve. A little change here and there can make you go just a fraction faster. "But if you can improve several little things. it adds up to a tangible figure, a serious improvement. That's my philosophy". He then added with a smile "I just hope I can keep finding things to improve'"

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f1fflE DELH'ERY TEL 615853 53 Earlham Road, Norwich NR2 3AD. Open every evening- Mon- Sat 5 -11pm, Sun 6 -10pm. Last orders 30 m Ins before closlng.Minlmum order for delivery £6. UEA deliveries to Porters Lodge, VIllage Site or Union House reception only.

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Concrete, Wednesday, October 4, 1995

WHILE everyone else was spending their summer relaxing on the beach, leading UEA cyclomanlac AndyTylerwas breaking time-trial course records on his bike. For the full s o , see page 31 .

.. ' . I

.• r----

By ----., Scott Tompsett

Tt looked like the problem had been solved when mature student John Vaughan stood and was voted in after a re-election, but he l;las now

·Of ce I

SPORTS MART was a success, matches have been arranged, and students on the ice-breaking pub crawls have already staggered round Norwich. Butonethingi missingfromthis sporting extravaganza - a Sports Officer. Thi latest hiccup follows in the wake of last year' s dilemma, when no-one tood for the post in the original Union Executive elections.

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decided to intercalate, leaving an important post vacant once again. Although everything has run smoothly so far, this is only because other people have taken on the duties usually as igned to the Sports Officer. Jo Ree on, from the sports centreoffice, was responsible for Sports Mart, and has dealt with the admin-

1,.

i trative side of things, whilst Finance Officer John Holme , who is already working flat out on the rent strike issue, has organi ed club finances. Obviously, this is not a satisfactory long-term solution, as the above named people have their own jobs to do. Also, along with the financial and administrative side of the job,

the Sports Officer is a member of the Union Executive, and attends all the Union meetings. If no-one is found to fill the post, then UEA' ports club couldfmd themselves with nobody to represent them and their position within both the Union and the University itself. Election for the post of Sports

•

Officer will take place on October 19, and nominations clo e on October 4. However, if no-one stands, it looksasifUEA's portsclubswillbe without a representative voice. lf anyone is interested in tanding for the post, or wants more information about what the job entails, contactAdam Bowden, the .Academic Officer.

The student and graduate landlord - housing 120 people. Well done Concrete on your 50th edition includi g 46 with the little house on the back!

he students' la dlord