Concrete issue 099 12 05 1999

Union reveals building_plans for LCR and Village

By OWEN THOMAS

UNION BOSSES have unveiled ambitious new plans to transform key parts of campus with a £700,000 spending spree spread over the next three years.

A new look for the LCR, better facil ities in th e V illage. and improvements to the Uni on's shops in the Street ha ve all been budgeted a~ part or the millennium upgrade.

Up to £150,000 may be spent we've budgeted such a large amount We may have to put up transforming the LCR , knocking a new building ," explained Neil. through dividing walls between But the first project to get off the Graduate Students Association (GSA) , NEXUS TV the ground will be changes to and the venue to create an upper The Street - which will place this summer. bar and balcony.

The Union is splashing out Capacity £100,000 on renovating its shops to improve the service to Union Finance Officer, Neil students.

Fox , revealed, "We want to "We want to extend the Post increase the capacity of the LCR , and it would be a good for Office so it is the same size as disabled students, because they the other outlets , so we can expand our range of could watch gigs from their seats.

"We could also have another merchandise and make the shop accessible," said Neil. bar up there," he added.

"We're also looking at ways of But the plans hang on finding a making the layout of the Paper new home for the GSA - which Shop better." could prove difficult - and the Union has been forced to Questions prepare an alternative , less Students have generally amibitious version of the balcony the plans, but welcomed plan.

Another key item on the questioned whether they were the best use of Union cash . shopping list is a £250,000 new "Maybe putting a balcony in social centre for students living in the LCR will bring back some the University Village. atmosphere, but it's not really a Pub and Shops priority ," said Barbara Sands (WAM3).

The Union want UEA bosses And Village residents are to hand over Earlham Lodge, currently used by the Staff concerned that they could end up Association , for conversion into a isolated if a social centre is built. "lt could end up really cliquey pub and shops.

"Earlham Lodge would be we 're already too divided from campus ," said Allwyn O'Dwyer ideal , but it is already used for {HIS 1). other purposes , which is why

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2 News

Concrete Wednesday, May 12, 1999

Television production chance FANCY PRODUCING a live magazine show, presenting a TV show or even writing the next award winning script?

The Television and Young People scheme is giving you a chance to do ail this at the Guardian Edinburgh InternationaJ Television Festival this summer.

The scheme fo r young peopl e passionate about television is offering J50 places at the festivaJ to 18-20 year oids across the UK. Ail you have to do is comple te an application form and answer four questions.

The winners will gel an all expenses paid trip to the festival , and experience five days of mastcrciasses , workshops. special events and screenings.

They will also get the chance to work in television, with g uests in previous years including Kate Aidie, Jimmy McGovem, and Chris Evans .

For an application form send an A5 SAE to: TVYP. Application Request. 24 Neal Street, London WC2H 9PS. All be

Union insists on greater control of annual bash

By NIKKI MALLETT

THE LAW Society has given in to Union demands for a bigger part in organising the Law Ball , after it emerged that organisers faced the prospect of crippling debts from the venture.

The S o ci ety"s co mmittee look the dec isi o n lo hand o ve r the purse strin gs a fter they rea lised that they wou ld have to pe rson ally bail out the soc iety to the tun e of up to £5 ,000 eac h if th e ba ll fail ed to be a success .

The Uni on will now take on liability fo r any iossc;,. but in rclllm they have taken o ver the bookin g of entena inmcnt and allracti o ns.

And th ey arc in s isting that th e soc iety will have to wa it to see how ticket sa le' go befo re ' lumping up th e cash to book ex tens ive amu se ments fo r the bail.

Confident La w Soc iety Pres id e nt. So phi ~ Mallhew,. isn' t happy that the ni on arc no w mo re c lo,e ly in vo lved . a lthou gh she is confide nt the Law Socie ty sti ll has the r111 al say o n plan s. ·'T hey wouldn' t let us go ahead with the ballun til thcy had sce nt he account ... she sa id .

Rubber stamp " I' m no t pl eased that the Union had to rubber stamp eve rythin g and I' m surprised that they have stepped in:· she con ti nued .

"The ba ll is stil l organ ised by th e Law Society. We cou ld have done it wi thout the Un ion but if they want to undem ri te it then it' s up to th~m:· insisted Sophic .

Mea nwhile, ball -goers are in, istent that the o nce prcst igio w, La w Ball ha' to he spec ial thi s year in o rde r to win back th e suppo rt o r di shea rtened student s.

Late

wrong:· he said .

But he warned the stud ent s mu st show suppo rt to ensure the event" s ' uccess, cauti o ning, " I think the venue is a good o ne and ho pe full y we can make it d ifferent to the Summer Bail , but it' s up to the student s wh ether they require more than one ball and wheth er the demand is o ut there ...

Said C hcrie Beaumo nt (EU R3) "The Law Soc iety have le ft ti cket sa les so late and everyone has bo ught ti ckets . .--1!!!!!11_ _ __ for the Summer Ball whi ch see ms to have a betl cr foll owing a ft er lasl year's s u cc cs~ ..

"A fte r last year's ball the Law Soc iety need to mak e thi s year's rea ll y good to w in bac k th e support or student s," added Judith Mu xworthy (SOC 3).

Success And Uni o n Finan ce Offi ce r Nc il Fox c laimed that making the ball a success is exac tl y what the Uni o n is try in g to ensure. " Th e La\\ Socie ty a rc no t expe ri eJKed in th e enterta inment in dustry. and as las t year's ex pe ri ence proved. if the Un io n just sal bac k and let it happe n then it can go d i"tstroL" I)'

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By CLARE HAMILTON EDDY.

NORFOLK'S MEP attempted to raise the profile of the European elections by ballooning over UEA last month - b he was left feeling deflated after strong winds thwarted the stunt.

Helped by staff fro m the Eu ropean Parli ament, Clive Needle infl ated a hot air balloon in front of Norfolk and Suffolk Terrace in bid to encourage students to take part in th e elections on June 1Oth. But weather co nditions different ways of advertising ," want young people to have a such an important matter," prevented him from taking a explained Mr Needle. say," he enthused. added. _ And he emphasised the Students "We do not want students flight over campus.

"We are go1ng round each 1mportance 01 young people have their life opportunities region with this hot air balloon . getting involved in the debate of "We are very, ve;y keen that off. We know that students Europe. students participate in this vote. to improve their chances There is a rad ical change to the opportunities in life and voting system this year, and we 'The European Union will give We want them to get involved in will want to get jobs in are tryi ng to fi nd new and students a new freedom. We the community, to play a part in

News3

FIV STA

ORWICH Flasher incident at lake POLICE ARE warning students to be on their guard after a flasher exposed himself by the UEA broad.

A group of female students were horrified when the young man indecently exposed himself as they walked by the lake on Sunday, May 2, at around 9.30pm.

"When the warmer weather is upon us it does unfortunately attract this sort of behaviour," said PC Kimberley Diehl of Norfolk Police.

But she warned against taking the incident too lightly, cautioning, "The fact that the incident was reported indicates that it did cause distress." ''There is a very small minority of peoele who go on to commit

more serious offences," added PC Diehl.

The suspect is described as white, aged around 20, with dark brown, curly hair, cut in a basin style. He wore a light coloured checked shirt, white T-shirt, beige jeans and cream-coloured deck shoes.

Information - If you have any information,

call Norfolk Police on 768769, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

- Car! Westfield , 21, appeared at Norwich Magi strates Court on Wednesday, May 5, charged with grievious bodily harm on a University porter. He was bailed to re-appear at the Crown Court on June 2. A condition of bail is that Westfield stays away from UEA campus.

NO EXTRA CHARGE AFTER MIDNIGHT

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ews

Concrete Wednesday. May 12, 1999

Swanning About AN UNLUCKY thief saw his plans of escaping from the cops fly away when he made the mistake of hurling himself into a river. The unlucky robber was attacked by a swan protecting its nest, and forced to give himself up to the police.

Pink Holes IT SEEMS that black holes in outer space are not quite as black as we thought them to be - they're actually pink.

The not so scary-sounding pi nk holes were photographed by astronomers in Australia, and the colour is believed to be an intense light emmited from the rema ins of stars, dust and gas clouds as they swirl down the ' black' holes.

Free Flying A BRITISH Airways stewardess got a good telling off from her boss for running round a jet plane whilst baring all.

After And rea O'Neill , 31, lost a bet with the airplane's pilot, she stripped half naked and sprinted across the tarmac.

Said Andrea, " I have never done anything like this before, it was a dare."

English Heritage move to P-reserve 'innovative' Norfolk and Suffolk Terrace

Snakey Business NEIGHBOURS of reptile and insect lover Andrew Paice are on the look out for a 7ft boa constricter that might pop up in their loos at any minute.

The snake - freed when a burglar broke into Paice's flat - is thought to have slithered into his loo's U-bend and could have found its way into another flat.

Off The Rails RAILWAY TANNOY operators have been given set messages after the bored announcers made one ad-lib too many.

Outrageous comments included a request not to " hang around King 's Cross because it's a bit dodgy."

By NIKKI MALLETI, Assistant News Editor

UEA 'S FAMOUS ziggurat residences could be preserved for the nation under plans being put forward by a government body. orfo lk a nd S uffolk Te rrace, w hi c h have ho used th o u sa n d~ of student;, since they were bu ilt in 1963. were des igned by radi ca l arch itec t De nys Lasdu n.

And hi' unus ual des ign means the) cou ld be g ranted li sted status unde r a 'c he me to preserve th e natio n·, best ex am ples of post- war arc hitec ture.

Preserving Eng li sh ll crit agc. th e governm ent bod y respo ns ibl e fo r prese rvin g impo rt ant archit ecture. wants to list the residences in order to pre1ent an) major changes be ing made to th em in the fut ure.

An Eng li sh Heritage spo ~ e,perso n exp la ined, ""These huild ings 11ere innovative pieces of

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architec ture fo r the ir time. and also th e) were desig ned by Dcnys Lasdu n who is an import ant post war architect."" ""These arc a lso ed uca ti o nal huilcl ings becau se th ey shows th e type o f thinkin g th at was behind architec ture at th is time:· he added .

But A lan Preece, Direc to r o f Co mmuni ca ti o n' at UEA has expressed his conce rn ove r the proposal. ·· EA ha' long he en recog n isccl as a campus of g reat architectural

and so th i' im porta nce. recommendatio n for listi ng is no t a

great surpnsc.

Concerned ··we wo uld be co nce rn ed however if the new statu s prevented us from deve loping the teaching. res ide nti a l. c ultural an d soc ial fac iliti es that o ur students demand and that any additi o nal demands are fund ed and do not impeac h furth er on o ur a lread) ove r-s tre tched financia l sen ·ices:· he sa id.

St udents have a lso cxpres'>cd worry that the already de teriorating build ing> may not be able to be re novated.

"These buildin gs arc in use and th ey need to be re furbi shed if damage occ urs. if li sting m ~a n s that nothin g can be to uched th en th at is not very good fo r the student \,"" sa id Ju d ith Mu xworthy (S OC :l) "The buildin gs reall y need to be done up lirst o thcn 1 isc the stu de nts mi g ht \ uffc r: · re ite rated ll clcn Barn sley (EU R3 ).

News &

Students UP- in arms as school's 'viability' comes under scrutiny

By JAMES GOFFIN, News Editor SHOCKWAVES WERE sent through the School of World Art and Museology (WAM) at the end of last month when a Registry boss fired off a disturbing letter to all students announcing a review of the entire school.

In it, he wa rned that the "series of fi nanc ial diffic ulties" faced by WAM had raised " the question of the School's viability".

COOL! AFTER NEARLY a decade of warning us about the risks of global warm ing, scientists at UEA have a discovered a new phenomenon - global cooling.

The same chemicals that cause global warmi ng in the lower part of the atmosphere are causing the air to cool nearer to space.

Accordi ng to the School of Environmental Science's John Pla ne, researchers don't yet know what effects the cooling will have but it proves that the atmo phere is changing. " It 's an un ambiguous symbol. G loba l warm ing predictions are in fractions of a degree, but the upper atmosphere has cooled by 30 degrees over the last 30 years;' he said.

Following hard on the heels of the break-up of EUR , students fear that the review will mean a similar fate for their School.

"WAM has strengths that can only be maintained by remaining independent. As I see it, amalgamation with another school has no advantages - the only winner would be the bank balance," fumed Anna Evans fYVAM 1).

And William Whitcombe fYVAM 1), agreed .

thought that logically means we will be basing what we do on the school of WAM," claimed Professor Davis.

Dean of WAM, Dr Richard Cocke, echoed that view.

Quality

''We want to be sure we are still offering quality courses in five .or ten years time, so we need to make sure we have the right shape for the school at all levels," he explained.

Whatever the outcome of review, Union Academic the Merging Officer, Katy Fixter is urging "I don't think that merging it students to stay involved in the with another School is the debate over the school's answer," he said. future.

But Professor Davis has "Over the past four years, rejected the concerns and is . the school has lost eight confident that - whatever the lecturer posts, which has had outcome of the review - WAM a profound effect. The review is will survive as a school. only just starting, and we don't "I'm don't want to prejudice know what the solutions are the outcome, but I can't see going to be," said Katy. why WAM shouldn't remain an "But a lot of students are independent school," he said. asking questions, and quite objective is to rightly so. They want answers, "The strengthen what we are doing, and we've got to make sure we not diminish it. I would have get those answers."

Non-sabbs elected

Next year's Union team has taken a step nearer completion with the election of the non-sabbatical officers.

The campaign passed by largely On election night, the biggest excitement came with the count for Overseas Officer, which Abigail Kirk-Wa lker took from Kim Won Pil by only two votes.

Lara Clements stole a march over her opponent for Enivronment Officer, scoring a 218-vote majority, while Tbi Gowan took the Sports Officer position with a 190 vote lead.

Deputy Returning Officer, CoiJn

wi thout incident, with only three of the nine posit ions contested.

Moore, admitted to bei ng The new non-sabbatical officers disappointed by the turnout, but will be: Community and blamed it on the low number of International, Jo Luton (maj 300); candidates.

Internal, Kevin Howlctt (maj 330): 0' · · Clubs and Socs, Matthew Porter ISappomtmg (maj 304); Publicity, adia al Yafai "The turnout was disappointing, (maj 367); Women 's, Hannah Furre but it wasn't rea lly surprising as (maj 246); NUS, Antony Little (maj most of the posts were 177); Environment, Lara Clements uncontested ," he said. (maj 218); Sports, lbi Gowan (maj "The leve l of campaigning 190); Overseas, Abigail Walker wasn't very great either." (maj 2).

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& News

Concrete Wednesday, May 12, 1999

Dirty money

BBC orders Choice cuts from NEXUS

By JAMES GOFFIN, News Editor

FLEDGLING TV stars from NEXUS are celebrating a double whammy after winning a national award and a prestigious commission from the BBC. The nion TV sta ti on took the Lop prize for comedy at the recent National Student Tclcvi,ion As,ociation a"'ards, helu in Glasgow on April JO. Its lilm, "The lckle Italian Job" to take advantage of the BBC\ state of the art equipmen t and n:source~ a parody of the Michael Ca ine cla-.~ic - was Yotcd the hc't comedy not to mention a proper budget. " l t';, a fanta\lic opportunity for programme b) '>!udent TV stations people to get into Tv:· gushed acrm.s the LJ K. Garcth.

In the meantime. the station i' And a ,·isiting BBC bigwig at the pressing ahead 11 ith plans to get awards was so impressed that he more ,·ie11·cr;, on campus. decided to commission studenh from LJEA to produce programme> for the corporation's ne11 digital TV "Th<!rc 11 CIT concern' th at we didn't have a great deal of exposure. serv ice , BBC Choi.::c. hu t 11e arc going to have a link up to NEXUS President.

Garct h 1hc laundreuc:· he said. adding. ·· Jt Wil li:uns. is delighted at the station\ has been delayed because of security achievement. concerns. hut it will be cabled up over the summc1....

Union Communi ca tions Officer. " We pulled all the stop;, out to show people that NEXUS can Tom Connors. has wckomed th e ;, talion's tran;, fonnation , after years prod u ~e innovati ve and dynamic programmes," he explained. of dec line. '·It wa' a real blast actually taking the :mard - but the higgest priLe is " I know the co mmiucc has put in the comm ission for the BBC" The station's team wi ll now meet a lot of hard work thi s year, and I hope next year's cornm iuec wi ll be up with Ewan Ayc rs, a as co mmiucd and dedicated to Commissioning Edi tor for BBC proJucing worthwhile Tv:· Choice, m·cr the summer to di;.cw.s "Let us hope NEXUS cont im11.:s the project. with a view to hroadca.<.ting it earl) next year. to gro11 and regain it;, status as a 11cll renowned 'tudcnt TV station."

And the cornmi"ion means that the stati on\ crew wil l get th e chance added Tom.

Commission

I, Gareth Williams celebrating a double whammy

Exposure

Dynamic

GUESTS AT Loughborough University have been staying up more than they used to • after the University started offering adult v1deos to visitors stay1ng at their conference centre. novel initiative , Th e introduced to increase the size of the income of Burleigh Court , the purpose-built University's conference centre , has seen guests relieving themselves of £6.95 to view the risque films .

Anthony Stevens, Chief Executive of Burleigh Court, explaining the impulse behind th e move, said, "The vast majority of our clients come from the corporate sector and we can 'I be seen to be offering less than a hotel."

The conference centre . erected in 1991 , keeps up an income of £2.8 million a year. £1 ,000 a month with generated from the films .

However, Loughborough's adventurous altitude to pornography has been shunned by other university conference centres.

"We don't have pornography and we would not want to have it." said Paul Robinson , Business Development Manager at the University of Exeter.

But desp1te lh e cnt1cism .

Loughborough bosses instsl that it is inevitable that other universities will soon otler titles like Eternal Lust and Roller Babes - just a couple of the videos available at Burleigh Court. "lt is probably still rather novel. but in time , all the University-based con ference centre s will probably offer it ," insisted Mr Stevens "You have got to keep up with th e market trends ," he added .

However, it seems that LJEA is happy to buck the market at least for now.

"We have no plans to introduce anything similar," explained University spokesperson . Katy Jones .

COULD YOU SELL Virtual visions THIS SPACEt Dedicated

By CLARE HAMILTON-EDDY

STUDENTS ACROSS UEA now have the opportunity to put themselves at the forefront of television technology thanks to a radical new research project.

Concrete needs a new Advertising Manager for 1999/2000. If you have or want to get experience of selling and would enjoy working as part of a dedicated team, the job could be yours. You will need to be a UEA student, preferably here for another two years. The job involves strict deadlines, telephone contact and some out of hours working ••• but you will be well paid! In the first instance, send a full CV and covering letter to: James Graham, Editor, Concrete, PO Box 4 I O, Norwich, NR4 7TB.

UEA will be the first Uliiversity in the country to have a " virtual TV studio" - a new type of studio where the background set doesn't really exist. breaking research.

The project is going to be graphics packages or, for our " Systems engineers in SYS, funded by the Independent studio, it can be pre-shot for example, will be writing Television Commission, and video that we shoot virtual backgrounds, and they will be run in partnership with somewhere else and then will have the opportunity to bring in and install in the the local TV company actually test them in a virtual Televirtual. virtual studio so you can studio environment to see if recreate the location In the Virtual they work," explained AVS studio."

Administration Manager, Chris "We define a virtual studio The facility will be based at Brown.

UEA's existing TV studio, where you have·actors :; moving around within an below the Lecture Theatres, Chance t environment that doesn't which is run by,the i it really exist;" ex'plained . • ..

Universlty's-·'Audio Visual · .

"Students from EAS will · ·. ·. ~~J~~lrt!J~I.s:-~~~k,We11_{~···< .. ; ~5,!:~1~~:7~~~~~:~_ha.~_e (t,t'I!_~C~an~e to_s~e)'J~e '--';j ·E· ·"_ "I!!.al~.nY_ • r,()~~T.e.~t..9~-M.,_e "'. l' .~./~~.d, .~tudents w1~1 beg~~!"'.. :_._. ~..·. envlronmentS'lthat havep.ee.·n.. '··· '' .background__!~~~Sj_ '!ii.~.".,'?~:::,.i ~ plenty of opportumty to,get ~~ :w c~«ta.tedc:an ~-~ !used l!!_.d.~all'!a .

• (jeveloped in computer . •~:-;., ~ involved In the ground ·"''~;,._. ' l presentation,""he addedf . •• ~~:·i~

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News7

Students ejected from British AerOSP-ace AGM

By CLARE HAMILTON EDDY UEA'S STUDENT protesters against unethical investments have proved their fighting strength by taking their battle to the capital.

Eight members of the Not in Our Names campaign, which led the recent demonstrations against UEA's ethical investment policy, joined forces with protesters from across the country to descend upon British Aerospace's annual general meeting.

(EAS I).

They each bought 2.5p of shares you have to look someone in British Aerospace (BAe) in order However, a ~pokesperson for the in the eye and tell them to gain entry to the vital annual company defended its actions. what they are causing and meeting of the company's they still acknowledge it Disrupted shareholders in London. and still don't care. You British Aerospace is Britain's "We fully recognise other realise that the only way largest arms company, and recently people's points of view and their they'll stop is to be forced purchased the defence arm of GEC, too,'' he said. rights to a peaceful protest, but they the subject of the students' original disrupted a meeting we are required protests at UEA. to hold by law," he said.

And he justified his company's Angry Chanting trading activities with countries that Once inside the students joined in campaigners claim use BAe angry chanting which halted the equipment to suppress their AGM. population.

Four out of the eight students "We believe that it is the UK were carried out by security for government who are the only people being disruptive and throwing who can judge on the suitability of ''blood money" at the major particular potential customer and if shareholders. they believe that a particular sale And one furious campaigner took will contravene that government her protest a step further, refusing to policy then they would not allow it be forced out of the building by to proceed," he insisted. tying her~elf to her chair and lying Chance down on the lift floor.

But despite the protests, a Heavy Handed number of students did get the But the students have hit out at chance to put their case to Richard BAe for their heavy handed tactics Lapthorne, a director of BAe. in dealing with the situation.

"We spoke to him about his '•J found it all very intimidating moral obligations and how he puts and confrontational especially when his business before people," security began to carry people out. explained Sarah Kyte (DEV I).

People were being treated very "The most upsetting thing when roughly," fumed Lara Clements speaking to the director was wh.en

Last words

BUDDING WRITERS look set to gain the opportunity to write in the famous Dorset House that inspired the celebrated novel 'The French Lieutenant's Woman'.

Author John Fowles, the owner put his eighteenth century home in the next generation of writers.

UEA is teaming up with partners from other universities in Britain and America, the Arvon Foundation and the Landmark Trust to renovate and maintain the £400,000 house for future authors. " UEA is taking a lead in this because John Fowles came here initially and we have strong links with him because he has an honourary degree from here," explained Professor Chris Bigsby, who is heading the project.

"From UEA's point of view it is probably the creative writing programme, both MAs and undergraduates, that will make use of it," he added.

The house itself is set on the

of Dorset House, has decided to his will with the aim of inspiring cliffs at Lyme Regis, the same location used by the famous film of the French production Lieutenant's Woman.

Volunteers sail gast milestone ' ORGANISERS OF a charity abseil event are celebrating after they smashed a world abseil record and raised a mountain of cash for local and national causes.

An astounding 485 people abseiled down the 75ft wall of the Arts Building in just eight hours last Saturday, beating the former record by 35.

The record-breaking descent really brilliant," he grinned.

Dozens of students took was mad~ by 15-year-old Chris Harman, who pushed the count their turn to walk down the wall, joining the teams from over the 450 mark.

City companies like "I've done quite a lot of abseiling before, but this was Robinsons and Tescos.

Property "The property becomes available only on the death of John Fowles, which we hope is not imminent," explained Professor Bigsby. "lt will be left as close as possible to how John leaves it, because it is meant to be a writer's house. One possibility is that a writer could be in the selfcontained flat finishing a book, while also holding some sessions with visitors."

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Entertainment

RECORD BREAKING ABSEIL ATTEMPT

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Spectators weren't left idle either, with entertainment provided by the Radio Broadland roadshow and volunteers from local army and fire brigade cadets.

Last year the event raised £12,000, but this year the generosity of sponsors look likely to almost double that figure,

with over £8,000 already banked in pre-evel).t donations.

Cash The cash will be split between London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, and the local Harford Manor School.

Organiser David Federi was delighted by the day's success.

"I'm really over the moon, it's been a fantastic day," he enthused.

"I just hope we manage to keep hold of the record!"

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& News

A NEW BATTLEGROUND IS EMERGING AS INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY STARTS TO BLUR THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN TELEPHONES, THE INTERNET AND TELEVISION ...

THE WORLD of television may seem more associated with harmless entertainment than big business, but two multimillion pound deals struck this week have demonstrated the importance of the box in the corner.

For many people in the industry, the big issue is digita l.

So far. those of us watching TV ha1e been gi1en no rea,on to agree. The benefit~ of digital TV arc. at the moment, fairly ba~ic.

As well as giv ing more choice by adding extra channel;,, dig it a l broadcasts have beller quality sound and pictures and more frequent widescreen s how ings.

I loweve r. on ly the most dedicated. of couc h potatoes is go ing to get exc ited about be ing able to watch late repeats of Emmerda le or Corona ti o n Street o n the new ITV :! channel. or 24-hour rcc; c lcd news broadcasts on BB C New' 24.

As a result. the two main advocates of digital TV in Britain have embarked on a price culling war to tr) and auract more consumers to switch to digital. Sky

TV, the first broadcaster to go digital. has announced that from next month it will be giving away the £200 piece of kit that mal-.cs it s digital satelite stations appear on normal TV sets. ew sub>cribcrs will pay only a £40 installation charge to get connected.

It s ri val , O nDi gital, which sends di g ital signals you can pick up using a normal aerial. looks set to relllrn fire. it is already g iving away settop boxes to people spending over [200 on a new tele1 i'ion 'et.

What the media industr) fortune tellers arc gelling excited ahou}howcver. is not the price war hut a smaller. less talked about part of

what is being called the "digital revolution".

A; 11 ell as gelling more choice over 'A hat ) ou watch . digita l TV will also give you the power to decide when you watch it. SI-.) 's digital serv ice has do7ens of c hannel s dedicated to showi ng mo v ie s . sta rtin g at ha lf-hourly interval s. giv in g you a video shop in your front room .

But the real money is be in g spen t dc1cloping electronic shopping and information dcli1 creel through the tele1 is ion - the interne! on your TV A' part of the set-top box installation. the goggle hox gets hoo~ed up to your phone li ne, enabling two wa) communication het "cen you and the TV comp a n). making it possible for home users to access the on lin e world from their armc hairs.

And the online world is growing fast. Based on technology developed b) the American military and fostered by academics across the US. the interne! is fast becoming a part o r everyday life. The majority of students at UEA u'e e-mail. and many large companies gi1c their employees c-ma il and interne! access. Computer addicts in America also spe nd hou rs on li ne at home thanks to free local phone calls. something users in Britain arc could soon benefit from.

A wave of interne! providers have spnmg up that offer interne! access for the price of a local phone call,

11 hich at its cheapest is just a penny a minute. 01er 40 per cent of the population now have computers at home. with 20 per cent boasting access to interne! connections. The companies - the biggest of which is Frecserve - make the ir money hy effecti ve ly buying phone ca lls in bulk from BT at di scount ed rates. and then selling them on to their customers. it's a profitable husine>S. Di~ons.

11 hich owns Frecscn·e. has seen it' share price double in the few months that the interne! service has been operating. notching up 01er a

the bc't placed to provide nel\ scn ices.

Unlike satelitc or terrestrial digita l telc1 ision. cable TV doesn't need to use a phone line to send information bad to the ope rati ng com pany. because it is already built in to the sys te m. it shou ld make cable the fastc>t syste m of all.

"Say you arc watching a travel programme and arc interested in more information on something. On our televi,ion you press the green button and immediate!) the webpagc you want appears in the right-hand corner of the screen. If ) nu do the same with satelitc. the set-top hox will <,tart 11 hirring and by tile time you get the information yo u w ill he looking at a Mars bar ad1crt." claims Greg C l ar~e. Chief Executive of Cable and Wirele>s Communications. the compan) that provides cable TV in Norwich.

Cable and Wirdess · cable hLhiness. though. is expected to be put up for sale >oon. "'ith TelewestMicrosoft the most lil-.el) suspect to snap it up. it would he a massive boost to the companies' control or the fu sing tclc1 is ion and computing industry.

Microsoft alread) dominates the world or compu ting. \1 ith its Windows operating system installed on '-JO per cent of the IH>rld's dc,~top PCs. The cornpan) he1s abo been hus) hu) ing up the rights to artworl-. .md music across the world. and is co-operat ing with America\ NBC in TV production.

In the ruwrc. \licrosoft - or a compan} like it - could 011 n and control all aspech or tele1 is ion. both the programmes and hroadcast technolog). SI-.~ has already 111 ice had it' ringers burnt by the Government in the bailie to con trol TV: the company was rorccd to sell its \hare in rival OnDigital. and hloc~ed from hu) ing Manchester United mer rears that it would ha1e too much say in the sale of tele\ is ion sports ri ghts .

With technology co nverging television companie' providing interne! access. and software giants broadca;ting 11 - the entertainment world or the next few years could be a ICI') d ifferent place. But whatever the outcome. you ca n he sure tha t it will be co nfu sin g - and it will probably cost yo u a lot of money.

"Sky's digital service has dozens of channels dedicated to showing movies, starting at half-hourly intervals, giving you a video shop in your front room"

When you're trust Parcelforce Whether you 're sending books home to Bangor or Beijing, or moving fro m Man che ste r to Madrid, you can trust Parcelforce Worldwide to make life run smoothly.

L..-.,;.-'-'----'-----!..<::::1:'

Parcelforce Worldwide also offers a range of Express Guaranteed Services including before 9am before 1Oam, before 12 noon, next day and 2 day from as little as £I 0.60 So next time you have a package to send home, take the easy option, pop along to the Post Office on campus and ask the counter clerk for Parcelforce Worldwide

million users. As a result, Watcrstones. HI\IV and virtual!) e1er') national newspaper ha1e got on the bandwagon. 'ell ing up their own rival free interne! sen ices.

So. too. has SI-.) TV -and it is thi' blurring of the edges between television and the intern<:! that is making for some interesting deals.

On ly this wee~. 1\licrosoft. the giant Ame ri can sol'twarc company. announced that it had taken a 30 per cen t stal-.e in Tcle11 est. Britain's 'ccond largest cable tele1 is ion compan). Although cable TV has been 'low to mo1e to digital tcchnolog), 11 hen it does. it could he

\Vords: lames Gofjin

News 9

Concrete Wednesday, May 12, 1999

e are writing to say that we totally support the Union in every1hing it does. 11 is not our right as citizens to question any authority whether it be elected or not. There is only one way and that is to follow the shadow of sabbatical officers and other political members of the student union. We must not disobey or ask why this happens, these people are great and know exactly what they are doing, why should we as non-UGM goers be interested in what happens? We certainly do not want to tread on dodgy ground and feel the full force of the Union come down on our heads, and end up in a Siberian wasteland with no friends because we asked why. lt is not our place as mere undergraduates to question the rules and wisdom of our leaders - after all we do live in a democracy. Praise be to those in power and all their lemmings.

W

Spencer Whalley SOC3 NUT'S (No Union Tolerance Society)

t had been my initial intention to avoid the mud-slinging that I expected to erupt in the wake of the Communications Officer election fiasco. However, after the last issue of Concrete, I feel that it is no longer possible for me to keep quite.

Let me present you with some facts: I wish to begin with the meeting mentioned that Miss Macken claimed to have been late for. While I accept she may have been late (a bad point in its own right), the meeting did not get properly underway until everyone was in the room. In addition to this, the question about e-mail came up towards the end of the proceedings. At that time we were told clearly that we were not allowed to use block e-mailing. This line of her defence, the only one that Miss Macken presented: is therefore, in my opinion, totally invalid.

On a more sinister note, it is also a fact that one of the complaints made against Miss Macken was made by Mr Daryanani, (one of the several he made). Don't be deceived by his hard done by story, he was the first to shout the rules at other people during the election, but, it would appear, the person who abused them the most.

I am also rather annoyed about the attacks on Elections Committee. Let me get une thing straight, to my knowledge this is not a political organisation, so claims of outing people as Labour supporters are a blatant invasion of their privacy.

There are representatives of both of the major parties on that committee, so don't get weighed down by what.appears to be a subtle attempt to undermine the authority of the committee, who do this job in their own time as volunteers. They deserve our thanks.

The outcome of all this nonsense can only be bad for our Union. Could it really be seen as the action of people who care about the Union, or is it rather a destructive action waged by people who have been caught trying to pervert the running of an election for their own self interest? You decide.

My advice to them is to let the Union get on with its job instead of trying to drag it down.

At the end of the day, rules are rules, we were all briefed on what they were, there were people available to ask policy questions to throughout the election . I believe that these two are wasting money that your Union could have used to benefit you!

Andy Marriott SOC3 Finance Officer-Elect

I

lection Committee's autocratic 45-word reply to last issues story entitled 'Election Uproar' reveals a council of despots who are intolerant of the electorate's scrutiny. Little time or thought was put into the statement, showing the lack of interest in student opinion.

The disqualification controversy reflects at best the Union's inefficiency and at worst manipulative individuals in executive office who have succeeded in interpreting the Union's constitution in ways that suit their personal agendas.

First of all, the Comms Officer was disqualified under very controversial circumstances. The 'no block e-mail' rule on campaigning was NOT WRITTEN in the rules and regulations booklet given to the candidates. lt was a 'spoken rule' announced in a non-compulsory meeting. No circular was issued to the candidates about the 'spoken rule' thereafter!!! How does it constitute a rule at all?

The disqualification was announced in the student-web. But within less than a week, the piece of news was moved to the 'Past News Stories' section through no fault of the Union.

However it is completely unacceptable for the Union not to ensure that a replacement notice be posted, while the top stories under the 'Election 99' heading still carried the results of the election prior to the disqualification.

By the time the disqualification could be announced in Concrete it was 6-weeks old. The Union is there to serve the interests of students. Any attempt to revoke the mandate given to an elected officer by the student population must be transmitted to the students properly. This is a basic principle underlining a constitutional and democratic system (furthermore, I have found no information on the web concerning the result of the appeals to Students Forum which took place well over a week ago) .

The Union has acted in an unprofessional and unconstitutional manner, yet it hides behind the principle of following the constitution to the letter, when it's a case of using the constitution against others. Clearly, there are _double standards.

E

Leu-Juin Ten , ART2

In the last year UEA has seen some radical re tructuring of the School system; Physics has been scrapped while EUR students have seen their school stripped down to its bare bones.

So now it's the turn of the School of World Arts and Music.

Understandably, students are worried. In the past twelve months the number of course units been cut heavily, and staff numbers have been decreasing. Something is clearly wrong.

In a letter to all students a fortnight ago, Pro Vice Chancellor, Colin Davis, the man in charge of EUR's huge cuts, raised the "question of the school's viability".

Rumour were rife that WAM wa going to be merged with the School of History and that it could not be sustained economically as an independent school.

Since then Prof Davis has sought to reassure tudents, saying, "I can't see why WAM should not stay as an independent school".

WAM is one of UEA's most prestigious and highly rated schools.

Teaching and research could suffer if it were to be amalgamated with another school, and degree applications would surely drop too.

And that can only harm WAM and UEA. PVC Davis says he believes there is no prospect of WAM being merged with any other schools, despite rumours from other staff suggesting the contrary.

Let's hope he's right.

LAW BALL CHANGES It's good to see the much troubled Law Ball finally getting off the ground, after tickets went on sale on Monday. In the past the Law Ball has always been the most prestigious of all UEA bashes - until last year that is.

With the loss of Earlham Hall as a venue, the organisers struggled to put on something that was worthy of its title. This year we have seen more organisational problems as the Society struggled to secure a venue and decent entertainments.

The organisers faced the prospect of huge personal financial liability if the event failed to be a succes . However, the Union has stepped in and taken on the li ability. on the agreement that they book the events, since they can do it for less money.

This was probably an inevitability. Without Earlham Hall, Law Ball organisers are always going to experience difficulties booking.venues on their society's limited budget.

If the Law Ball is to continue, then it probably need the extra help from the Union to keep it above water.

·Editor: James Graham •Deputy Editor: Emma Newbery •News Editor. James Goffin •Assistant News Editor: Nikki Mallet ·Features Editor: Caroline Jeater •Assistant Features Editor. Carolyn Boyd ·Sports Editor: Mark Edwards •Assistant Sports Editor: Nick Henegan •Distribution Manager. Oliver Polhill

·Editorial Contributors: Chris Brown, Adam Banham, Clare Hamilton-Eddy, Owen Thomas, Heidi Bradshaw, Kris Siefkin, Nicole · Fortmann, Darcy Hurford, Rebecca Pearson, Johanna Wheal, Gemma Pearce ·Photographers: Chris Brown, Gemma Pearce, Russell Burton, Rob Lutyens, Steve Cullingworth •Ad Manager:Catherine McNeil

•Special Thanks to: UH Stewards, everyone at ECN •Concrete is published by the Union of UEA Students. Opinions expressed are those of the Contributor and not necessarily those of the Publisher or Editor. Use of the name 'The Evenr appears by arrangement with the copyright holders, Planet Zog Ltd. ·No part of th1s newspaper may be reproduced or transmitted through a sausage roll •Pnnted by Eastern Count1es Newspapers Ltd., Norwich, Norfolk NR1 1RE. © Concrete 1999.

But this is in itself raises questions over the Law Ball's future. Surely at some point in the future the Union will face a conflict of interests. Who does it book the best entertainments for? The Law Ball or the Union Ball? When will the balls be held? The last Saturday of the summer term is undoubtedly the best date for a ball. The Law Ball has taken place on this date for years now. How much longer will it be able to hold on to this date?

None of these issue are up for discussion this year. But when next year's Law Society starts looking at the po sibilities for their ball they undoubtedly will. And then the future of the Law Ball really will be in doubt.

I t

11

I !

this issue Mall of America 11 • Cafe Crawl 13 • Gun control 14 • Naturism uncovered 17

•

a

Brazil's capital of culture is tourist haven, where you can mingle with the rich and famous and lie on the Copocobana beach.

What more could you want from a holiday?

Heidi Bradshaw found out ... arry Manilow's easy listening classic, 'Copocobana', is probably one of the most famous songs ever written about a beach . This stretch of Rio's coast ce rtainly has a lot to live up to , but it manages it in fine style - the people are beautiful and the tans are deep - just like the rest of the population of Rio de Janeiro in fact.

Rio, Brazil's largest and most cosmopolitan city, is the world's biggest tropical town and one of the most densely populated places on earth.

Tourists might be warned about pick-pocketing and the high crime rate , but the city actually feels surprisingly safe. Having been told to leave all valuables at home, we felt as though we were the only two women without a hint of jewellry -just one indication of how well turned out the peopl e are. Image is everything here and it's no surprise to learn that the Brazi lians believe that God himself must be from Brazil. Why? Because the people He created are so beautiful , as is their favourite city, Rio, that he has to be.

B

Ri o's population ce rtainly get reg ular reminders that God is looking down upon th em too. The 30 metre-high Christ th e Redeemer statue stands on top of the Corcovado mountain , 710 metres above the city. Tourists can catch a train up here and enjoy the view of Sugar Loaf Mountain as well as Rio's world famous beaches.

And, having been to the top of Corcovado, you can also take a cable-car ride up to Sugar Loaf mountain itself, which towers 1300 metres over the entrance of the Guanabara Bay. lt was the Sugar Loaf mountain that the Portuguese navigator Andre Goncalves spotted on the January 1, 1502 during an expedition to map the Brazilian coast. He mistakenly identified Guanabara Bay as a river and because of thi s the region became known as Rio (River) de Janeiro.

Rio is now famous for many things, but perhaps more for its football than anything else. While the Nike advert featuring the Brazilian football team playing on the beach may seem a cliche, the number of Ronald o lookalikes playing football and

Christ the Redeemer overlooks Rio

Hit the Copacabana beach volleyball on the sands prove otherwise. In fact such activities are a typical way of life.Thanks to sky-high rates of unemployment and poverty, Rio's people, the Cariocas, find the beach a good distraction. Happily sun-bathing in their microscopic bikinis, many Cariocas seem conte nt with their lot in life.

"You will spot many Ronaldo lookalikes playing football and volleyball on the sands of Rio hoping for stardom"

he city is full of shanty-towns though, and they house over 900,000 people. Many are situated within spitting distance of the wealthy area, Sao Conrado, which the rich and famous have established as their retreat from the rest of the world . But despite such a contrast, the people seem accepting of the stark differences in wealth , with neither outwardly threatened by the other's way of life. The sense of camaraderie is demonstrated each February when the city celebrates its world-famous carn ival. This is one of the world's most fantastic spectacles and those that miss the carnival itself will be glad to know that it never completely van ishes from the city you can view the costumes at the regular samba stTows held throughout th e year, and the festival's spirit can be found at nightclubs across the city.

In fact Rio's nightlife is far more spread out than many visitors realise , and despite its reputation for show-girls and partying through the night, th e clubs are not all found at Copacobana's beach.

Although this is the world 's most famo us stretch of sand - and it is very beautiful - the area is also packed with eateries serving the not-so-Brazilian pizza and pasta. Those looking for something a bit more original can always try the churrascaria, steak houses which also serve specialities such as fried banana. And if you do insist on hitting the clubs after eating , you may want to sample the famous Brazilian coffee. As it is served with everything , you'll soon realise why the Cariocas are able to go to bed so late and still be· up at sunrise for a jog on the beach.

And when the hustle and bustle of Rio starts to get to you , there are always the surrounding areas to visit. About an hour away, you can find the town of Petropolis, the summer retreat of Emperor Pedro 11 , Brazil's last Emperor. Much of it was designed by German architects, and the buildings have a strange tendency of making you feel as though you're in Bavaria rather than the edge of a Brazilian rainforest. The more traditional imperial palace, cathedral and museum will give you a better sense of Brazil 's history though, while the

T

chocolate factory will better acquaint you with one of the cou ntry's main products.

One must-see sight for those venturing outside Rio is the lguassu Falls , one of nature's greatest waterfalls. This breathtaking spectacle is the point at which thirty rivers join together forming hundreds of waterfalls, cascading over 2,400m wide.

Th ose looking for street-life should take a trip to the capital Brasilia. Described as a model city of the 21st century because of its urban planning and futuristic architecture, Brasil ia offers ample sightseeing opportun ities, including the Government buildings, the cathedral and the TV Tower building. A few hours away is the industrial and commercial city of Sao Paulo, with its towering skyscrapers and broad avenues.

Returning to Rio after some time away, it is easy to see what makes this city Brazil's most desirable destinations. lt towers above the rest of co untry in terms of tourist appeal , and while it may not be perfect, some aspects of it are so beautiful that you can almost understand the thinking behind another Brazilian saying: If God had created Rio perfectly, He would have committed an enormous injustice to th e rest of th e world.

Why? Because a perfect Rio would probably be better than anywhere else, no matter how good they were.

Factfile • How t o get there: Brazil Is expensive! Do not even contem plate taking a direct flight on student money t hey're rid iculously expensive. Even If you fly Indirectl y, it is more pricey to fly out In the winter than summer. Prices for July start at around £381 plus tax, and you fly via Portugal. In December, to avoid the Christmas rush, fly at the beginning of the month. Prices range £486 plus tax, flying with KLM via Amsterdam .

+Accommodation: You can stay In a 3 star hotel with breakfast for about £25 a night, while a package deal with accommodation costs around £750 for 7 days.

.Good day trips: 1 . Sugarloaf and the city tour 2. Christ the Redeemer statue and city tour 3. Samba show and dinner at a churrascarla Each of these will cost approximately £20 Average temperatures: 30 - 33 degrees.

Concrete Wednesday, May 12, 1999

I

ln:Focus 11

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11

Over 500 shops, a marriage chapel and its very own rollercoaster. Kris Siefkin gets his credit cards ready for a battering at the biggest mall of them all · Mall of America. f shopping is America's new secular religion then Bloomington, Minnesota is the new Holy Land. Now, you may be thinking "Bioomington, where?" You may be inclined to shout, "What about Rodeo Drive? What about 5th Avenue?" But before you do, pause for a minute and think how many people can actually afford to shop on Rodeo or 5th Avenue. Less than 2 per cent of America's population can afford Beverly Hills and New York's most exclusive boutiques and anyone who has been there will understand why. My only visit to Rodeo Drive resulted in a solitary pair of socks - a pair that, even now, I still consider too expensive to wear more often than once a year. Sure, FAO Schwarz on 5th Avenue has hosted Tom Hanks dancing on a toystore keyboard for the film Big and Rodeo Drive has seen the charms of Pretty Woman, but they aren't the be-all and end-all of good shopping. Anyway, if it's shopping film locations you're after then Bloomington, Minnesota is well in the running, even if Jingle all the Way is hardly in the same cinematic league. So what exactly is it that Bloomington, Minnesota offers?

I

"Mall of America covers 4.2 acres, with over 500 stores it makes Norwich's best efforts look like a corner shop" Put simply, it offers the Mall of America. And before you think "Eerrgh, a mall!", forget any preconceptions you have about normal British shopping malls. Castle Mall this certainly isn't.

Mall of America covers 4.2 acres, and with more than 500 stores it makes Norwich's best efforts look like your local corner shop. Indeed, of all the

adjectives I went through trying to describe Mall of America the one I kept coming back to was my first: huge. Seeing the Mall for the fist time as you fly in to Minneapolis International Airport provides some indication of its size, but its immensity doesn't really hit you until you actually get inside.

"There can't be many places after all where you can catch a rollercoaster ride between accountancy classes" Built in 1992 at a cost of more than $650 million (about £400 million), it takes just seconds to see where all the the money went. Walking round just one level, without even actually going into any of the stores involves completing a loop of more than half a mile, while even if you only intend spending ten minutes browsing in each store, you'd have to set aside a whopping 86 hours.

Personally, I will confess to having been decidedly sceptical about experiencing this all-new American experience. After all, how different can it be, I thought? I had anticipated it being big, but I never expected a 1.2 million gallon aquarium (UnderWater World) and as for an indoor theme park (Knotl's Camp Snoopy), well, let's just say it was a bit of surprise. But then· Mall of America is a surprising place in many respects. I arrived ready to slate the crash commercialism of an institution that has an annual $1 .5 billion impact on the state of Minnesota but was pleasantly shocked by what I found. There can't be many places where you can catch a rollercoaster ride between taking accounting classes. Yes, I kid you not. Mall of America features the first ever college campus in a mall: the National America University. I couldn't

Norwich's cornershop, Castle Mall help thinking that this idea would probably appeal to some of UEA's 'Hive bunnies' eager to pick up the latest 'must-have' outfit from Gap between calls on their mobiles. And whilst the theme park isn't exactly Alton Towers, its central location means that you are never more than a five minute dash from a fresh form of escapism. Escapism it truly is as well. You can see the mall around you, but once you're inside Knotts Camp Snoopy, the square mile of trees and plants can be pleasantly

deceptivaTh~~until [~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~, ,~.,~~~~~~~=i~::~ another rollercoaster

f

passes overhead, or you find yourself at the foot of a three-storey Ferris wheel.

o tbe big question has to be - is Mall of America a success? Is it worth visiting? Maybe a look at the figures might put it in perspective. Between 600,000 and 900,000 people visit every week, with more than 37 per cent travelling over 150 miles and 6 per cent

S

-----·o~ being international

visitors (an astonishing 40-50,000 each week). lt is no simple marketing ploy, therefore, for Northwest Airlines to have a branch inside the Mall itself. People really do fly in just to shop and then fly out again. Sat on a bus from the airport .I was surrounded by hardcore shoppers, including a couple from Canada, who were .._"""~~oio..,~;:,;,,;;,;,-r...iill.i~il.ll.i;,,"-....i:II:IL...I:I...._.....,. pouring over shopping

lists and timed store schedules so detailed they looked like an American football gameplan. In fact, to save time, one family I spoke to had already pre-searched much of their shopping over the web. Personally, I couldn't help thinking that this defeated the whole point of shopping in the first place, but judging by some of the credit card bills shoppers were racking up it might be the only way to stay on budget.

And, let's face it, shopping is the real reason people visit Mall of America: all 42.5 million a year of them. Sure, it's fun to stop off for eight holes of golf mid-afternoon, watch a wedding in the Chapel of Love, dine among the parrots at the Rainforest Cafe and round off the evening at the Knuckleheads Comedy club but ultimately it's about the shopping. And shopping is one thing Mall of America has in abundance: miles of it, literally miles of it Given the current exchange rate and the cost disparity between clothing in Britain and the United States it is easy to see why visitors from the UK are one of the largest contingents among Mall of America' s foreign visitors. The Union Travel Shop currently offers a Minneapolis 'Shop till you Drop' package which starts from £350 and includes two nights in a hotel.

However, there's more to Minnesota than just shopping and if you are going to fly 4000 miles you really should see it properly. Flights to Minneapolis start from only £200 and local accommodation starts from £9 a night for a hostel and £60 for a hotel. Leave the shopping till the weekend. Check out the 10,000 lakes Minnesota has to offer, catch a baseball game or visit the Minneapolis Institute of Arts; possibly one of the fine art galleries America has to offer: its collection of Asian Art is stunning and its retrospective of photographer Roy DeCarava worth the flight itself.

Then, come Saturday - refreshed and ready for battle - take your credit cards for a major workout, Mall of America-style. A fellow shopper remarked that, "hour for hour, shopping works out cheaper than going to a therapist." If that's really the case then all I can say is, "let the therapy commence!"

12 ln:Focus

Concrete Wednesday, May 12, 1999

Summer is on its way, and if you are looking for a continental cafe to while away the hours then you need look no further than the city centre. Nicole Fortmann tried Norwich al fresco

Have for a cuppa outside at Take 5 ...

t's always been easy to distinguish a British summer from a con tinental summer. For instance, we long for the smack of leath er on wi llow (cricket) while ou r continental cousi ns long to smack some ball s together (boules). We get sunburnt and they turn golden brown . We drink in pub gardens and get ratarsed , while they sit in the street sipping cappuccinos and chat about philosophy.

This might be a bit of an exaggeration , but it seems our European relations do take a more relaxed approach to the summer, often choosing moderation over excess.

But can this be achieved in the British sun ?

Well, now that the summer is with us and exams are fast approaching , we decided it was probably wise to at least attempt to preserve a few brain cells by avoiding alcohol and it was with this in mind that we set out upon a cafe crawl around Norwich.

Our first stop was 'Take 5', the cafe bar which serves Cinema City. If you ever needed a drinking hole to contrast with your average pub, this is it.

As you pass through an old archway into the

cobbled cou rtyard and seating area. an overwhelming tranqu ill ity and calmness seems to flood over you. In fact, it makes an ideal place to sit back. down some caffeine and forget the pressures of the last week of term. And while the surroundings are more than conducive to a spot of relaxation, the food on offer shouldn't be sniffed at e1ther Just glancing at the extensive menu of desserts is enough to whip up vis1ons of a postchocolate contented snooze. In fact , all summer diets go out the window upon v1ew1ng the banoffee p1e, tnple decker double chocolate cake trifle, chocolate terrine and blackberry and apple cru mble. The desserts range in price from about £1.20 to £3.00 - a lad on the expensive side, but then you get what you pay for here. There is al so a big selection of hot and co ld drinks, so you can indulge in some cappuccinos or fru it spiced tea although the more unusual the brand the more price y it is also likely to be.

Once we had slurped our tea, the next stop was Logans on Swan Lane. This cafe is divided into two parts with a seating area in th e back and the take-out sandwich deli at the front. However, whil e this all works very well , it defin itely failed our continental test - thanks to the lack of outside seating we were unable to burn ourselves under the Norwich sun . But, considering that the street was only just wide enough to fit a pair of rather broad people down this was probably an unreasonable demand.

"We drink in pub gardens and get rat-arsed, while Europeans sit in the street sippmg cappuccinos and ct1at about philosophy" Anyway, the inviting cafe area was rather cosy and arty, with funky pictures adorning the walls - a more than adequate alternative to street drinking .

The speciality at Logans cafe was that radical innovation , the freshly made sandwich . But while it might be unadventurous, what could be better for a spot of lunch? Logans can make sandwiches from any bread you want (baguettes, ciabattas, bagels) with almost any filling you want (roasted vegetable, chicken , salmon , salad, tuna). And they're not bad value at about £2 each . There is also a selection of hot drinks, but

they aren't that exciting compared to Take 5.

Feeling sophisticated, cu ltured and extremely alert thanks to the caffeine. we marched on to our third stop - Kale Da on Bedford Street. W1th its penchant for all things Russian, Kale Da has established itself quickly due to its vast array of vodka flavoured beverages. This is a different type of cafe experience when compa red with the calmness of Logans and Take 5, ma1nly due to the hustle and bustle of people coming and going all day. There 1sn't a chance of sitting outside on Bedford Street either, but with three floors to choose from there is plenty of variety inside. Take your p1ck from espressos , cafe lattes and cappuccino' s, but keep an eye on your money 1t's a little pricey here , with a small cappuccino costing £1.25. Also when I say small , I mean small. Three mouthfuls and it's gone. But if that doesn 't fill you up there's always the Danish pastries , which are extremely tasty and just right for that afternoon sugar fix.

After crossing back over th e Iron Curtain and co ming out th e other side we decided to carry our ful l stomachs along the cobbled streets to our last cafe. We settl ed in for the afternoon at The Brittons Arms on Elm Hill. This little eaterie is tucked away in such picturesque surroundings that you can almost forget the realities of student life for a few hours. The smell of home baked cakes and biscuits wafts over all the customers, and rightly so - it perfectly complements the cafe's 15th century Norwich look. In fact , the inside could almost be a dolls house with its precisely fitted furniture and work surfaces. The Brittons Arms cake counter is full of perfect fruit cakes, scones , rock cakes , biscuit and shortbread, with prices ranging from about 70p to £1 .20. There is also no doubt that this cafe sells the best drinks out of those we visited. You could have real hot choco late with fresh milk for £1.1 0, iced coffee for £1.40 a glass, milkshakes for £1.40 and a pot of Earl Grey- made with real tea leaves- for £1.10.

However, the nicest thing about the Brittons Arm s was the serenity. There was no music and just a few people who can barely even be heard . In fact all you could hear were the birds outside. lt all made a pleasant change from the loudness of the pub for a few hours - even though our afternoon hadn't quite been as continental as we might have hoped. lt seems that if you want the European experience it's best to go to to Harwich and catch the ferry to Amsterdam. But, while there was little in the way of street side cappuccino sipping in Norwich , there was a whole lot more in conversation and cakes. Just watch out for all those calories from the cake eating!

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ln:Focus 15

141n:Focus

Tragic shootings in the States have brought the dangers of puns back into worldwide focus · rais1ng questions about what causes such violent acts and how they should be controlled. Carolyn Boyd investigates...

0

n April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered Columbine High, their former school in Linleton, Denver, and laid explosive devices throughout the building. They then opened fire in the canteen, library and corridors, laughing as they took the lives of 12.pupils and a teacher. A further 23 people were also injured in this, the latest in a line of incidences where American students have turned to violent murder as a means of avenging unhappy childhoods. But what is it that makes these kids take a gun and cold-heartedly kill their class mates? Is there a solution to a gun-culture that has seemingly got out of control? Or have the constant images of violence in the media removed any moral reservations about using a gun?

While Unteton's Columbine High incident is probably the most shocking school massacre in recent history, the fact that it follows a chain of

similar events in which teenagers have taken the lives of their classmates makes this one all the more worrying. With US gun laws being some of the most relaxed in the Western world, many think that the time is right for action to be take1.

''48 ~er cent of American housholds own guns compared to 4.7 per cent of those in Great Britain" The UK now have some of the strictest gun laws in the world following the Dunblane massacre in March 1996, where 16 children and theirteacher were murdered by Thomas Hamilton. Tha public outrage and grief caused gun owners to hand 160,000 weapons to the police. Semi-automatics are now illegal and otMr types require a certificate from the police that must be renewed every five

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another similar school massacre, ._...._~,..• the sitwtion in the States is very different. Gun use is much more entrenched in US culture, and while most o1 Britain backed the ban, public opinion in the US would be against such a move - even after such a string of tragedies.

48 per cent of American houserolds own guns, compared to just 4.7 per cent of British houserotds. lt would be likely that a ~uge proporton of the US po(:ulation would oppose any ban. But what is it that makes the anitude towards fireanms so different on either side of the Atlantic?

Much of America's attachment to guns lies at the heart o' the US Constitution. The right to 'keep and bear arms' is

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amendment and is fiercely supported by the· powerful gun lobby group, the National Rifle Association.

The NRA is the biggest US gun group and they clearly felt that the Columbine High massacre was not of significant importance to affect them - they held their annual meeting in .the same town as the massacre just days after the incident. The NRA's famous president, Charlton Heston, defended the group's actions, saying that anti-gun advocates were wrongly blaming gun owners and that they have a constitutional right to bear arms. Anti gun groups have hit back though, pointing out that society has changed since the days when the constitution was drawn up and citizens no longer require firearms for hunting purposes. All the same, it is a difficult argument to win as many see gun ownership as a necessity in order to protect their home and families .

America now has as many anti-gun pressure groups as there are pro-g,un societies, showing that not all citizens believe in exercising their constitutional right as much as NRA members.

Stars such as Michael Douglas, Lauren Bacall and Art Garfunkel have all put their names to anti-gun groups and others, including Leonardo DiCaprio, are starting to turn down violent movie roles for fear of the effects on gun use.

But even though the ban in the UK resulted in hundreds of thousands handing in their weapons, there are those who believe the basis upon which the legislation was made was flawed and that a similar ban in the USA would not prevent crime or such massacres. Doug Glaister of the UK's National Rifle Association, claims that the British laws 'introduced following the Dunblane tragedy had "no effect whatsoever" on crime levels. In fact many advocates see no relationship between legitmately held firearms and firearm crime, as Mr Gtaister points out, "All the crimes commined with pistols in the UK since 1997 must have been with illegally held firearms." Furthermore, American pro-gun supporters contend that without the right to own guns, citizens will be at the mercy of criminals who fail to abide by any legislation or regulation, regardless of the penalty involved in the commission of a crime.

Mr Glaister believes that firearm crimes will be commined regardless of whether guns are legal or not, "Just look at the 'n umber of crimes committed with guns in the last few weeks, incidents such as Jilt Dando's murder still take place despite the fact that the government say all 9mm guns have been taken away from their owners. Even with a ban, a significant number of firearms remain underground, and how do you account for them?" Moreover, some would claim that she might not have been killed at all, had she had a gun with which to

defend herself.

While guns hold much historical significance, the use of firearms is evident in everyday American life. The police are armed and can use guns to defend themselves and apprehend criminals. What is more, their use of firearms is protected by special laws.

This is very different from

posession and use of firearms are concerned.

From the perspective of people who live in a country where guns are scarce, it's hard to understand, but important to recognise that the situation in America is very different.

Outright bans are probably unachievable, and so other measures need to be found to limit the use of guns to· prevent incidents such as the Denver massacre.

Guns are seen on television and films daily. Children even younger than five are subjected to gun violence, albeit minor, in films given U certificates. lt is unsurprising, therefore, that many grow up believing that gun violence is a way of fighting back. Indeed, one girl wounded in the Denver killings told reporters that one of the killers said to her that it was "all because people had been mean to him last year."

W

hile it is difficult to say how much influence the violent media has over youths, celebrities are beginning to see a link. Having pulled out of starring in the film adaptation of American Psycho, in which he was to play a violent amoral banker who enjoys torturing and murdering people, stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio are beginning to realise the impact of films such as the Basketball Diaries.

The film , in which DiCaprio plays a young trench-coated heroin addict who shoots his class mates and a teacher, has been accused of inspiring the two members of 'the Trenchcoat Mafia' who wrought havoc at Cotumbine High in Denver.

The parents of three children killed in similar circumstances in Kentucky in 1997 certainly think the film is capable of inspiring copy-cat violence.

They are suing the makers of The Basketball Diaries for $130 million. Michaet Carneal, the 14 year-old who killed the three girls and injured five others in this incident in December 1997, is also said to have been influenced by Doom, the computer game in which players kill their

"Both the Denver killers were said to have taken their trenchcoat mafia status from the film, The Matrix" opponents with high powered 'virtual' weapons.

Other aspects of the media that have also been criticised following the Columbine High massacre include the goth-rock artist Marilyn Manson and the new film The Matrix, starring a gun-toting Keanu Reeves dressed top-to-toe in black. Both the Denver killers were said to be fans. Eric Harris, one of the these killers, is also said to have had a 'hate-filled' website where both himself and his partner supposedly posted a warning about their intentions before the massacre took place.

But even though many believe these violent media are responsible for the school shootings, some feel that they provided a distraction from the real

thing. When asked whether games such as Doom encourage gun violence, Mr Glaister comments, "I think they are taking over from them, people play them instead of resorting to real violence."

While controls on the media are now being suggested, other measures have already been implemented to try and stop gun violence amongst young people. Yet these have met with only limited success.

While locker checks and metal detectors may seem an extreme measure. the fact that only 42 per cent of American students feel safe in school shows that more could be done to improve gun control.

The Gun-Free Schools Act, brought into effect in 1994, has improved the situation though.

The act, which was introduced at the same time as the Safe M.arnson and Drug-free Schools Program, created a zerotolerance policy for guns in schools and required the state to expel students who bring guns to school. Those failing to do so were threatened with the loss of state federal funds. These controls have resulted in as many as 6,276 pupils being expelled, yet as a poll of 500 high schools showed, one in five American pupils still personally know a fellow student who has brought a gun to schooL President Clinton, the driving force behind the Gun-free Schools Act, has also forced through the Brady Bill, which requires background checks on all those purchasing fire-arms. Yet, while laws can be put in place, if those selling the guns are willing to break them they become useless, as the Denver massacre illustrates. Mark Manes, a gun seller, has admined selling the two Denver teenagers the guns that were used to

kill the 13 people of Columbine High.

The pen_alty for supplying a handgun to a minor is a fine of between $2000 and $500, 000 and between two and six years in prison. But this still wasn't a big enough deterrent to stop Manes.

These measures may go some way in preventing gun ~rime amongst adolescents, yet as Doug Glaister states, "lt is impossible to predict how these people think and so it is difficult to take precautionary measures against such events."

Indeed, despite the presence of such penalties in the States, violence is evidently still present in many schools, as a Department of Education study , showed. Ten per cent of US schools suffered serious incidents of violence in 1996-97 and in the last year alone 11 ,000 armed assaults took place.

As the recent school killings demonstrate, many more measures need to be taken and the debate over the ownership of firearms is likely to rage on and on. Yet, while gun ownership is considered a fundamental right by so many people, and the gun lobby remains so huge, a similar ban to that in Britain is unlikely. And with seemingly strict legislation failing to eliminate fire-arms related violence in schools new questions need to be asked. Is the media to blame? Or, with guns so embedded in American culture, must Clinton face up to the horrible truth - that it might be impossible to control the use of fire-arms amongst young people?

The Columbine High School massacre is the most recent in a long line of incidences in which teenagers have killed or wounded their classmates.

March, 1998: Two boys aged l l and 13 opened fire on classmates at Westslde Middle School In Jonesboro, Arkansas. They killed four girls and one teacher and Injured ten others.

May 1998: Just two months later, 1~year old Klpland Klnkel killed two fellow pupils at Thurston Hill School In Sprlngfteld, Oregon, and then murdered his parents.

On the same day, 320km north In Washington state, another 15 year-old boy forced his girlfriend off a bus at gunpoint and took her to his home In· the town of Onalaska. He then shot himself In the head as the girl's father tried t o break down the door. The girlfriend escaped unharmed.

May 19, 1998: An 18-year-old In Fayettevllle, Tennessee shot and killed a student In Lincoln County High School car park. The killing took place three days before they were to due to graduate, and was said to have been caused by an argument about a girl.

April 25, 1998: A 14-year-old boy opened fire at an eighth-grade graduat.lon dance at Parker Middle School In Edlnboro, Pennsylvania, killing a teacher and wounding two students and another teacher.

December 1, 1997: A 14-year-old boy shot and killed three girls at Heath High School In West Paducah, Kentucky, while they took part In a prayer circle. Five others were wounded.

October 1, 1997: A 16-year-old stabbed and killed his mother, before going to school where he shot nine students. His ex-girlfriend and another girl at Pearl High School In Mississippi were k.llled. Seven other students were wounded and six boys, aged between 16 and 18, were charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

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18 ln:Focus

Concrete Wednesday, May 12, 1999

Need a break away from Norwich? Let Concrete guide you to the best days out in the area •.•

rea esca Great Yartnouth

T

here are two really good things about Great Yarmouth.

One is its beaches, which are big and sandy with hardly a pebble to be seen. The other is its close proximity to Norwich, making it an obvious destination for a day out. You will no doubt end up here at some point during your time at UEA, but plan your visit carefully - in winter it's well and truly dead, so you're better off sticking to the summer, when everything is open and the statistical probability of sunshine is usually higher. · Brace yourself, however, as this is no place for the faint hearted or aesthetically minded. Oh no, on the contrary, Great Yarmouth is one hell of a tacky brash town. The streets leading from the bus station to the sea front are lined with clothes and souvenir shops, all selling goods that may or may not have fallen off the back of a passing lorry. There is also an incredible amount of arcades. Most of these can be found along the seafront, housed in buildings so unashamedly pastel they wouldn't look out of place in a Barbie doll range. These are probably best avoided unless you're keen on fruit machines and/or desperate to win a cute toy dog for that special person in your life. Mmmmm.

"The streets leading to the seafront a re filled wit h shops with goods t hat may or may not have fallen oH the back of a lorry " So what should you do here? Lying on the beach and soaking up the sun sounds like a great idea, but if you prefer something more active, why not walk along the pier, or, even better, pay a visit to the Pleasure Beach. Here you can re-live childhood memories, and ride on one of Britain's oldest wooden-framed rollercoasters, before it gives way to new technology. Apart from that there is also the sealife centre, reptile centre or Merryvale, the twee Norfolk model village. At night you can party hard under the neon lights at Tiffany's, a down-at-heel Ikon, Bourbon Street or Peggotty's. And once all the excitement has become too much for you you'll be glad to discover that the escape ' mission is not as difficult as you might think. Norwich is only one hour away and it costs about £4 on the train. Just remember to take Great Yarmouth as it was intended· in small doses.

Darcy Hurford

Catnbridge

ot a long frirnge and feel like drinking Pimm's and lemonade while floating down a river? If so, with thirty colleges and roughly 12,000 super-clever students, this is the city where you'll feel right at home - although nonstereotypical students are just as welcome. lt takes an hour and a half to get to Cambridge by train and costs about £8. After arriving, we waited at the station for a bus to the city centre before later realising that it was actually quicker to walk. We did meet a fourth year Engineering student on the bus though, who told us about the lack of nightlife in Cambridge - everyone's too busy studying! As the last train for Norwich was leaving at 10pm, we considered this and declined his offer of a night out at Cambridge's main club • 5th Avenue.

Sheringham

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"What Cambridge lacks in cheaC food it more than makes up for in pu s, with enough to kee~ even t he most ardent drinker busy ' The bus takes you along the main road into the city, which is lined with expensive restaurants and bars. There are two main shopping areas; one in the shadow of the colleges, (very old, very nice) and the Grafton Shopping Centre (very new, not so nice) which is across the park. For high street shopping Cambridge offers much the same as Norwich, but the market is more student-orientated, with cheap clothes, CD's and books.

There are also lots of small expensive boutiques for when Daddy sends you £2,000 to spend on a suit.

After the shops shut we went in search of food . Passing through the marketplace we chanced upon two food vans, both of which have been named by the city's students. One is dubbed "The Van of Life', while the other branded "The Death Van". We decided to go one step up from these enticing eateries and ate at Burger King - unless you know someone who's from Cambridge you would really have to hunt to find a cheap place to eat. However, what it lacks in cheap food it more than makes up for in pubs. There are quite enough to keep even the most ardent drinker busy for at least a few days, with the best located on the main road into town and packed with students. We went for a pint in the Hogshead, one of the main student pubs - there is no central union bar. lt overlooks a park and makes a great place for a summertime drink.

We caught the train home after the pub, and left with the distinct feeling that Cambridge is more of a day place than somewhere you can live it up at night. Still, it has plenty to offer, if loafing around soaking up the intellectual and history-steeped air is your thing.

Alternatively, you could hire a punt (about £16) and spend the day rollicking down 'the River Cam. After all, it makes a change from the Broads.

Rebecca Pearson

emember the days of packing up your bucket and spade, quivering in anticipation at the prospect of spending a day at the beach? They might be in the distant past, but the weather's just about getting warm enough to relive those long gone days - and you don't even need to take the bucket and spade. Sheringham, one of North Norfolk' s most northerly beaches, is just one stop further along the coast from Cromer. lt hasn't quite caught up with the commercialisation of its fell.ow beach resorts, but still has enough arcades, fish and chip shops and pubs to qualify as a proper seaside town. The easiest way to get there is either by train or car, with each taking about 45 minutes to an hour. The beach stretches throughout the town, and you don't have to worry about not having any space to put down your beach towel. The tourist season never seems to take over Sheringham as it does in other seaside towns like Great Yarmouth, so a more sedate seaside experience is practically guaranteed.

R

"Remem ber to take your beach games with you, they are always useful to keep you w a rm when t he english weather hits full force " But, as in any beach town you can also stock up on all the tacky momentos, such as your Sheringham stick of rock and plastic sunglasses. There are also plenty of cafes and ice cream partours in which to soak up the sun and atmosphere. And after a morning of wandering around the shops, trying not to trip up on the cobbled side streets, you can spend the rest of the day lying on the beach. Remember to take your beach bat and ball with you for those competitive summer beach games. They work well when the weather starts to turn cold (this is England after· all) and have been known to fend off any impending pneumonia attacks. No matter, this is what student life is all about after all anyway, and if you are really trying to justify such a trip at this time of year you can always take your revision notes along with you!

Caroline Jeater

ln:Focus 17

Concrete Wednesday, May 12, 1999

Nude shopping and naturist club nights?

Have the British really lost their traditional reserve, or is it all just bare faced exaggeration? Caroline Jeater investigates... elieve it or not, naturism has been an accepted pastime in this country for years, dating back to before the war. There is even a naturist beach in Norfolk, and it actually gets quite busy (as would be expected) when the weather starts to hot up. But whilst the thought of running to the nearest nudist beach might not be high on your summer holiday agenda, campaigners believe that nudist beaches are no longer the rarity they once were. In fact, they think that in a few years time it could be more of a novelty to keep your clothes on than to take them off. The numbers of people taking up naturism as a way of life has risen steeply over the past decade, and the British Naturist Society (BNS) is keen to keep it that way. However, naturism is still dogged by images of dirty old men loitering around deserted beaches and extreme streaking stunts from wayward campaigners.

The society believes that naturism is a lifestyle choice - not just something you do for a laugh on holiday abroad, it's about respecting and accepting yourself and other people for the way they are.

Pat Thompson, Vice President of the BNS, attacks the image of naturists as people who want to get naked at every opportunity, explaining, "There is a time and a place for everything, naturists don't want to simply strip off to go to the

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supermarket or walk in the street, it is only if you are in the right environment."

But Tescos are clearly hoping that some people do want to shop in their birthday suits - they recently launched special evenings for naturists. However, many are angry that the supermarket is using their lifestyle as a publicity stunt.

Ms Thompson is amongst those unimpressed by the move. "it's a stupid idea, after all, where would you put your money when you were going around the supermarket? No one wants to take their clothes off to go shopping, we are not as stupid as people seem to think."

"No one would want to go shopping with no clothes on, after all where would you put all your money?"

She is also dismayed by extremists like Richard and Judy's streaker star. "The guy who ran around naked outside the House of Commons was an exhibitionist not a naturist," Ms Thompson protests. "He is not a true naturist, he is ridiculous.

I think he is going to shackle himself to Buckingham Palace next."

Such highly publicised nude TV appearances on shows like Richard and Judy may be denounced by the group, and do little to improve their image, but they still mark a move towards the

mainstream for nudism. This is backed up by the growing numbers of nudist beaches and naturalists in the country. For many, naturism clearly doesn't involve allowing yourself to be gawked at in public, it's just a bunch of people who want to feel comfortable walking around with no clothes on. Ms Thompson points out, "When you are abroad, you have naturist villages and naturist supermarkets, but then you are in a naturist environment."

At the moment, attempts to create such environments in the UK are still falling on stony ground - with a naturist club night in Birmingham attracting more journalists than nudists, and true followers remaining reluctant to expose themselves to ridicule. Still, with Britain supposedly becoming a more liberal country, maybe the naturist dream might be realised perhaps one day it will be those with their clothes on getting the dirty looks, while those in the nude happily go about their business.

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Capital cities?I

1. Which capital city has the longest tube system in the world?

2. What is the highest capital city in the world?

3. What was the capital of England before London?

4. What is the most murderous capital in the world?

5. Which capital has the highest population?

6. What was Turkey's former c apital, Istanbul, previously known as?

7. Which Carribean capital is named after a European country?

8. Which capital will be the first to see in the new millenium?

9. What is the smallest capital city?

1 0. What is the capital of Mongolia?

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Lock-on competition Harrison Ford was the star of Bladerunner Winner: Neville Pessoa Cocktail shakers Andy Williams was watching girls W1nners:Antonia Skates EUR2 Duncan Wright MGT2 Claire Coulson ENV2 ABC At First Sight competition

First prize: Duncan Wright (MGT 2) Runners up: Richard Eden (EN V 4) and Antonia Skates (EUR 2)

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Welcome to the penultimate issue of Union News for this year.

GOOD LUCK IN YOUR EXAMS AND ENJOY WHAT WILL BE A MESSY

0

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advertisement from the students union END OF TERM!

SUMMER FASHION '99

The Union of UEA Students presents its annual summer fashion show in association with hullabaloo productions. Clothing outlets from throughout the city contribute to the show to promote their new designs. Twentyfour students involved, dance in choreographed sets which as anybody who has seen it before results in a spectacularly entertaining show.

The occasion is not without a more serious side though as the event organisers are also looking to raise money for the Kosovo ·Children's Aid Appeal, administered by OXFAM. The show will be held in the LCR. Doors open at 7 .30pm.

Ticket prices: June 2- £2.50 and June 3 - £5.00 (including admission to the ~iiiiiii....._lllt LCR)

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,~J UNION OF UEA STUDENTS

Student Trainer Scheme Do you want to learn how to deliver training and then practise the skills you have developed in real training sessions?

D

Do you want to develop skills to improve both your academic work and your employability?

D

Do you want to 'make a difference' by helping students help themselves?

0

Answered 'YES,- then get switched on to the student trainer programme.

We need 10 hard-working students who we will train for free and who will then help to train other students.

WHAT STUDENT TRAINERS HAVE SAID ABOUT THE SCHEME: Being a student trainer gave me a real sense of how much I can achieve when I put my mind to it. lt' s a one-off opportunity to do something that you probably never thought you could~ R.Crookes@uea

When I started looking for jobs, the training experience I got on the scheme was 'worth' as much as my degree!

D.Scholfield (became

a trainer for a National Pressure Group)

Applications must be submitted by Tuesday 1st June 1999 For more information and an application form call into the Student Advice Centre, upstairs in Union House or email J.Peel@uea.

Sport 23

Concrete Wednesday, May 12, 1999

On the eve of the Worl CuR, Mark Edwards asks what exactly are the chances of .England reasserting itself as a cricketing authoriiJl IS to be thrown into drama and of World Cup fever once again this summer, the prestigious Cricket World Cup returns to British shores. the event held in country

Botham says. "It's stupid to nsk someone picking up a ham tnng . train or . omething like that and be truggling.'"

Adding, "I get the imprcs ion the boy are all playmg county cricket now because they didn't play very well in Sharjah. wh1ch I don't agree with."

Indeed the Coca-Cola Cup campaign in Sharjal1 did seem to take a lot out of the squad, with di appointment and tircdne> becoming prevalent within the England

Australia as "appalling".

Sn Lankan off-spinner.

Muttiah Muralitllaran Wlll> caUed up by the umpire for di. playing an 1llegal bowling action, and captain Ranatunga took hi players off the . parking field m protest, Stewurt ·s controversial comments.

As a result believes tllat microphone only be on lrom when Jhe ball i released from the bowler's

1983, England are still looking for their first triumph in the competi · ince establishment

1975.

So advantage of home territory. and the knowledge that rivals ha\e suffered from both injury problem and internal di\pute,, what exactly are England's chances of lifting the Cup ut Lords'?

Well, if England are to be in witll a chance of claiming the title they would surely would ha\e hoped for a rela ed and positive preparauon Criticism from tile media personalities within the g,une. us well as internal disputes have consi ·tently dogged the England squad in the run up to the

backed

En g I and 's chmrman of selectors David Gravcne}. who

up

was by

'aid.

"Our e p e ne n c e durmg the recent . eries 111 Australia \I.U~ that the stump microphones were sometimes left on unnec" arily wh1ch I don't tl1ink reflected

h

1

g hI y

possible a

oul'iide tile team that Fngland's build up has been disrupted.

England'> captain, Alec Stewan has heen he:l\ ily involved m a public row wnh Sn Lanka's captrun, Arjuna Ranatunga.

11Je argument is mer the u of tump microphone . which Ranatungn believe~ '>hould b broadca t con tantly.

The ro\\ tarted after a stump beard Stewart mll'rophone d cnbing Ranatunga'. l>ehn\iour in the Tournament in

damaged groundwork champion. hip is the longstanding financial wrangling over ho\1. much the team hould be paid.

The feud has fmally bel!n sort.:d out though, "'ith the fee being set at a cool £45.000 for each player if they become the

[~-~~~d~~~~~~~~~~5~~=:~~:~::~~~

firstcup. host counll) to win tile sponsors, Team Vodafone. have aL o chipped m to lift the tean1'. spirit , offering a whoppmg £I 00.000 if the team reach the final "As a player you always play

your heart out for your country and \l.e'll be going all out to w1n the World Cup, but it\ also nil'~ to .ec our ponsors gettmg behind the team o po uively and domg c•erything they can to help us . uccced," • aid Alec Stewan.

So the financial backing cem to have got the England tean1 motivated, but is the temptation of money enough for a team to get through a te,ting \\orld Cup? The clear favourites gomg m to h e

' er y well on tile players.''

All tlli, has dismpted t h

w o pundit· and booki alike are tippmg for victory Thi m n ·elf will boost England's hope• a tile} ha\e pro\ed it i po·sible to beat the South Africans, having done ,o in a recent teM >enes.

But a recent dip in fonn through

a major tournament in the England cump and the fall-out i bound to 1nfluence tllcir pla) ing ab i I i I } , particulo~rly wh n Stewart and Rnnatunga come ra~e to face in the operung game ol the Cup on 1ay •;t.

tlleAshesaodat the Coca Coin Cup me.m that England are not exactly leading the charge 1n the stake· for

And it will be

nation this will urely give a welcome boost to the pnde and performance of tile national side.

England will also hav.: the weather on their side with the

" I I national te, m 'AS a p ayer YOU a WayS play YOUr being used to heart out for your country and the conditions of the English We'll be going all OUt tO Win the umm r. .

World Cup" • Alec Stewart And thanks to the cooler

~:ompetition.

England'> cricketing legend, lan Botham, L just tile latest prominent figure to slam the nauonal team and u, organisational structure.

Botllam condemned the dcc1sion to Jet England players continue to compete in count) level cricket in tile crucial buildup to the coveted tournament. claiming that the risk of injury was far too great to be playing close to the World Cup. The chance of an injul)' or dip in form

who comes out on top of this key ps) chological battle and whether the encounter eau e more

um"""'u"'"

conditions a greener wicket wlll mean that the bowling will be faster and the bounce lower.

There is also a nsing tar in the England squad who has the potential to set "the tournament alighL Andrew Aintoff, 21, ha'> already earned high praiSI;l a.~ a line allrounder, after scoring 14J run~ oiT 66 balls for Lancashtre to earn him the CGU auonal League player of the month m April.

Comparisons have already been made to both Clivc Lloyd and lan Botham, but Hintoff ha warned that excesshe hype urrounding hb ability may be counterproducti~e.

"I've seen what people have been saying. but I'm not a great one for

Off-pitch preparations for the World Cup arc also b.:mg stepped up, the most mnovative of these is the 'spaceship' which has landed at Lords, in other words the new £5.8 million media centre.

Surely this shows that England are taking this tournament seriously. and with the nght facilities the team ~~ill be prepared and refreshed with the right outlook on the game.

Th team has had iL'> diffiLultics m it· build up. but with most of the maJor problems behind them it b now time to sec which >id' has the most ability on the pitch.

England go into th.: Cup with the home advantage, whereas other nations such as Pakistan will have to adjust to the differences in p1tch and climate.

And witll tile West lnd1es al>O • utTering from internal rows and side;; haVlng trouble WJlll InJuries England are ,ure to have a good chance ol making a \I.Clcome return to cricketing prominence, tll1s time for the nght reasons. lf England can progress through to the later rounds of the competition. the .rallying cry from the British media will in.:vit,lbly

"The nation has had its difficulties and grow louder wnh the backing of in its build up, but with most of excited the major problems behind them it an n a t o n anything b is now time to see which team has the most ability on the pitch" poss1ble.

Perhaps 1

Yet With tile revolution th 1t is ·ull swe pmg the cricketing \\orld, the orld Cup potential to pull m a amount of upport. and of fan,

ha the mas. ivc Wllh the the host

reading the paper' •md people ha1e to realise I'm not going to be able to play like that every day", he sa~ d.

The emerging tal nt of fllimoff, nuxed with the internatiOnal xpcrience of Darren G•>ugh could combination. lead to an

England\ long suffering cncket fans could have ornething to cheer about at long last.

I ink: www.lord~.orglworldcupl TV coverage i~ on Sk) Sports and BBC, 14.

24 Sport

Concrete Wednesday, May 12, 1999

I

I

IVIn

it stick

UEA hit hard in Holsten hockey tournament

By MARK EDWARDS, Sports Editor

THE MEN'S thirds hockey team were back in action on Bank Holiday Monday, taking part in a tournament at Holsten hockey club.

.

UEA got o ff to a !l ying start with boys in th e first o f th eir gro up stage The proceed ings we re domin ated

by UEA fro m the face off and the team never looked in any trouble of losing the matc h.

CRICKET

Thundering '

BUSA RESULTS WEDNESDAY, MAY 5

BUSA League Men's 1 beaten by Essex by 50 runs .

BUSA FIXTURES WEDNESDAY, MAY 12 BUSA League Mens 1 Mens 2

v v

Brunei Bru nei

(h) (h)

1pm 1pm

CRICKET MEN'S 1ST XI FRIENDLIES Sun , May 16 Wed , May 19 Sun , May 23 Sat, May 29 Wed , Jun 2

Men's 1 V Men's 1 V Men's 1 V Men's 1 V Men's 1 v

Old Buckingham Kent Norwich C.C. Brunei WL Reading

(a) (h) (a) (a)

2pm 2pm 2pm 2pm 2pm

Sim on ll arrington 'cored the pick of th e goa ls with a thunder ing drive fro m th e lop of th e pe nalt y area, leaving th e keeper no chance.

Bul with the tourname nt splil in to two groups of six teams. there wa; sti ll a long way 10 go be fore UEA wo ul d come near qua lifi cation for lh c se mi -fi nab.

UEA were in co nfi de nt mood go in g int o th eir 'eco nd gam e against 1-l oll , bul du e 10 a lh e co ntrove rsia l goa l from opposit ion. the th ird team were rest ri cted 10 a draw when they shoul d have wo n.

Wi sbech were UEI\'s nex l opponents. and fat igue bega n lo cree p in ln the Un iver,i ly ;ide's approach in their worst ga me of Ihe aft ernoon .

In the end UEA were fo rtun ate nol lo haYe lo;l by more than the

a magnifi ce nt 4- 1 v ictory ove r a tea m matches. draw.

In their fi nal game of the group stages UEA face d the host tea m. ll olstcn.

T he Universi ty side fi ni shed the aft ern oo n with th eir best perfo rman ce, emerg ing fr om th e ga me as 2-0 victors.

Lashed Si mon l-l arringlon <,cored the first to add lo his acco unt for the lourname nl. and capta in . Pud

co mprising No tt ingham T rent old Dh ill on, added a second by las hi ng lhe ba ll into the net from a short corner.

Unfortunately tha t result was not enough to carry UEA through to th e se mi-fin als - they just missed out . fin ishing third out of th e six tea ms in th e group stage.

Bu t captain. Pud Dhill on. was not disa ppo int ed. say ing, " II was a good to urnament to pl ay in. and overa ll eve rybody played wel l. il was a fun day ou t."

l\\ o goa l margin.

Performance Th e team managed to pick themselves up and put in a good per for mance

aga in st

a

stro ng

Wallon sid e, bu t a Ben Ri ley goal was onl y good enough lo ensure a

UEA push forward

r-----------路

~

Herbie

1n I

hiding BASED NORWICH boxing champ Herbie Hide is facing the prospect of losing his WBO heavyweight title befo re he even steps into the ring.

President of t he WBO, Francisco Valcarcel, has warned Hide that he will be stripped of the belt if he fails to defend his title on June 26, at London Arena.

Hide is set to meet the 6ft 7in, 18st Ukrainian giant, Vitali Klitschko, w ho has the formidable record of winning all of his 24 fights inside the distance.

To make matters worse the Norwich man has not had the ideal preparation for the fight, having not entered the ring for eight months due to illness and injury.

In fact Hide's fast fight took place in Norwich fast September when he retained his crown against the German , Willi Fischer, within two rounds.

But despite his lack of recent fight experience Hide is confident t hat the June face off will go his way. " I am fit and have never been more motivated;' he insisted.

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Sport 25

•

Motor mad Manchester United and Wales supremo, Ryan Giggs, has bought himself yet another new car.

The motor mad-man now has a collection of 14, with his latest choice being a T-reg Jeep Grand Cherokee. lt is estimated that the left winger picks up a new set of keys every two months.

But then the £35,000 Jeep seems cheap compared one of Giggs' more expensive asquisitions- a £150,000 Ferrari.

Ref Sparkes a fight A 17-year old referee was forced to abandon his first ever match after being smacked in the face by one of the player's fathers.

Nathan Sparkes, who was only in charge of the under-14s game because the original ref had not showed up, got more then he bargained for when he was punched by a father of a Hollies Youth player after giving a free kick to their opponents.

Nathan was then forced to cancel the match when other parents took their sons off the pitch in shame.

Goin down or down under?

England star, Jeremy Guscott, is waiting to hear If he is going to be sent to Australia or jail.

Guscott has pleaded not guilty to a charge of grevious bodily harm, after a roadside clash with a pedestrian, and his papers have now been sent to trial at the Crown Court.

The trial date could now affect Guscott's plans of making the England squad's trip to Australia, and possibly even the World Cup in October.

Going batty Cricketer, Umer Rashld, found himself In trouble after he was found to be using a bat which was a quarter of an inch wider than your usual piece of willow.

Rashid was caught out when Darlington bowler, Stewart Morgan, smelt a rat after conceding 30 runs.

But when the Richmondshire batsman was forced to change bats it made no change to his form as he continued to wallop Darllngton for another 51 rsuns.

CITY STAYS DIVISION ONE

PWDLGSpt 7. Wolves 8. Shelf. Utd. 9. Norwich 10. Huddersfd 11 . C. Palace

46 19 46 18 46 15 46 15 4414

16 11 13 15 17 14 16 15 1515

64 71 62 62 56

73 67 62 61 57

NORWICH CITY TOP SCORERS lwan Roberts: 22 Craig Bellamy: 19

I

ran

1na

AFTER SEVEN months of competition , UEA's renowned Grand Prix event has finally come to a conclusion .

Going into the final event, which took place on Wednesday, May 5, Mutz Nutz were leading and easy favourites to claim the prestigious title.

Even a late charge by the Fache La continued throughout the year with to compete.

Vache team . who won the athletics event failed to prevent a triumphant Mutz Nutz team from sweeping to glorious victory.

Having amounted 283 points from the eleven events Mutz Nutz finished seven points ahead of their nearest rivals, inja Wombats, who scored an impressive 276 points.

Impressive Another noteworthy performance was that of the Village People who finished tenth overall with a score of 183 points, but won the prize for being the top all-Fresher team.

The Grand Prix, which started on October 9 with the Fun Ru n, has

teams competing in all sports.

Competitors The sporting events include competitors negotiating an obstacle course and pilling their wits against each other in a sports quiz.

With an ethos based on fun and sociable sport that is open to all, the Grand Prix has established itself as one of the biggest friendly sporting events organised by any university.

Grand Prix The fact that twenty teams entered, with each comprising of 15 members, means that the Grand Prix give at least 300 students the chance

The spirit of the Grand Prix was summed up by Adam Dean (SOC3), a member of the Brave Sold iers team.

Friendly Said Adam "Some people take it seriously but the competitiveness is always on a friendly scale."

"Generally people just go along to enjoy the sport and have a laugh" he added.

And having a laugh was obviously more of a priority for the Brave Soldiers than actually competing well.

They finished second from bottom.

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I •

•

26 Sport

Concrete Wednesday, May 12, 1999

Delia's P-lan for gies CELEBRITY CHEF and major shareholder of City, Delia Norwich Smith , has announced major changes to improve the standard of food at the fo otball club.

..

UEA kick UR a storm in sevens chamRionshiR i;(i@:@ UEA joint third with Hulll

By MARK EDWARDS, Sports Editor THE WOMEN'S rugby club topped off their excellent season with an impressive performance in the National Student Sevens tournament.

The squad managed to put the controversy surrounding th e event's locati on behind them and played wi th an aggressive and flowin g style to overcome some strong sides at Hadlei gh, Suffolk on Sunday, M ay

2.

•

Ten teams from ac ross the country entered the competition, with some of the best universities the even t, playing in including Lou ghborough and Cambridge.

UEA faced four strong sides in th e opening group stages, and started th e !Ournament with a superb victory over St. M ary·s College.

Overwhelmed Under a beating sun. St. Mary's were completely overwhelmed as EA cru i ed to an easy 25- 0 win.

The success continued as UEA rallied off wi ns over Writt le College and Bedford de M ontford.

UEA took

comfortable victors with a 15 point margin in each match.

But UEA were really waiting to ex act their revenge on th e Cambridge side who dumped them ou t of BUSA, and the game was a tightl y fought affair.

UEA finally managed to take a slender lead thanks to some ski lful rugby and won the game 15 - 5.

The result meant that EA were comfortable qualifier ro the semifina ls where they faced even harder opposition in the shape of Oxford.

Tough But even the tough tackling of UEA was not enough to win this encounter and the semis proved one tep too far for EA. They were easil y beaten with

some fast moving ru gby. and heat seem to be taking its toll after a long day.

The final result saw Oxford take a comfortable 20- 5 triumph, before progressing into the fina ls for a showdown with Loughbrough.

Loughbrough domi nated the final. overcoming the hard working Oxford side to claim the Cup. UEA took join t third spot with Hull.

HIGHLIGHTS

IHfN@D Teresa Dean: Playctl m. qrong as a roe~ th roughout the tournamen t anti was easil y the most consis tent player. Ju ,l kept on ru nning through the heat and produced >omc timely t ac~ l es.

•·rfjiU'JI Kale R our ~e ·s try .1gainsl Cambridge was easily one of the best so f the toumamenl.

Kale pcrsevcrcd throug h the Cambri dge defence anti reached the try line through sheer strength.

M s Sm ith has alleged ly sacked personal fri.:nds in charge of thc catering at Carrow Road after continuous compl aints from surrortt:rs and C\t:cuti,·cs alike.

The Canancs ha' e faced constant humiliation for the 'talc of their food . inc luding the fact th at tht:ir pies failed to ga111 a ' ingle \Ole from 40.000 reader' of Total /·iJotlm/1 magatine l\\O year' ago.

A nd in January las t year. orwich were ran~ed 6Jrd in a sun cy of the 9~ league clubs for standards in food.

So now Ms Smit h, 5-l. has un ve iled rlan s to overhaul th e c~Heri n g at Carrow Road in a move which will sec the food return to its traditional roots.

Fans were shoc~cd at th e standard of food in recent year'>. which had "''-'11 cri,ps rt:plact:d h) cxpensi\c .. Kcllle Chirs ... and a steep increa;,c of SOp for a trad itional pie. it wa;, not just the groun<.llnclmald1 goer'>, hut e\t:Clltl\ e' and spon'or' were a!so displeased with the standanJ. Scenes were dc,cribctl '" ..chaotic. shambolic.. and "UJ!-torgani,cd...

wilh

a 1hrcc

course luxur: meal h.:ing depicted w, .. untlcrcoo~cd .. and .. stodgy .. at a rrc-'>cason friend!) in AugusL

Delighted Delighted squad member, Emi ly Ryall, enthused. .. We trained reall y hard for the national sevens and believed that with such a strong team, we could do well.

"Our main aim of the day was to beat Cambridge and Bedford de Montford. both of whom have a good reputation for sport, and we managed both of these achievements."

She added, " Getting to the semi -final s was an added

BALADS excel as record numbers compete for UEA AFTER A year of consistent improvement, UEA's Ballroom and Latin American Dance Society (SALADS) have reached the end of another successful competitive season .

With more people competin g for the Un ivers it y than ever heforc, and incrca,ing numbers or dancer' n.:aching the later ro und s of competiti on the soc iety is delighted \Vith its progress.

The 24-strong squad travelled and Dominique Camilleri.

Chris Lambourne and Grace The team event saw UEA to London on Saturday, February Horrocks excelled, finishing in the 21 , to compete in the Southern supported by a large and vocal last 12 out of 70 co uples in the following and the performance of begtnner Cha Cha Cha , while Tim University Dance Association (SUDA) co mpetition hosted by the side ce rtainly made their trip Rogers and Sara Roenneke also Imperial College, with high hopes worth while . fini shed in the top twelve in the of finishing in a good position .

The entire A-team reached th e beginners Waltz. quarter finals of their respective Fifth Outstanding events while Gareth Ledsham The most pleasing result of the But the outstanding and Vikki Allcock assured that the day was provided by Nick B-team was not overshadowed by performance of the day was Medn1uk and Rosie Rollanson supplied by Lothar Stejskal and finishing in th e quarter finals of who came fifth in the Non-Team the Waltz.

Stephanie Sailsbury who finished Samba. an outstanding sixth in the BSuccess In addition to this impressive team jive. result there was a record number Spurred on by their success at Exceptional of competitors reaching the the SUDA competition , BALADS quarter and se,mi-finals.

Of BALADS' overall then travelled to the Inter Varsity Dance ASSOCi ation (IVDA) . th1s year, a performance Quarter-finals delighted Sally Palmer, joint team Impress Among these were T1m Rogers captain, satd , "it has been a really The event, wh1ch IS the largest and Sara Roenneke , who exceptional season with more student dance competition in the begrnners entering competitions reached the quarter finals of the Waltz and the semi-ftnal of the country, took place on Sunday, and more people reach111g Cha Cha Cha in the beginners quarter and semi-finals than ever March 7 in Oxford and saw UEA section, as did Michailis Achilleos impress highly. before."

...

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Sport 27

Concrete Wednesday, May 12, 1999

Essex victory_1~uts a halt to P-romotion hoRes of UEA

By NICK HENEGAN, Assistant Sports Editor

19;119ijiii Essex win by 50 runs I FOLLOWING A narrow defeat at Northampton and an emphatic win over Thames Valley, UEA's cricket 1st XI were aiming to keep up their promotion drive with a win against Essex University last Wednesday.

With UEA aimi ng for a place in the crucial.

Some fine individual batting performance , with a tremendous 40 from one of the openers and a quick 30 from the middle order man Shar, saw Essex make their way towards a total to put the pressure on UEA.

Inspired And by the time they had been bowled out the visitors had built on some solid defence and inspired stroke play to reach a total of 144 runs.

The only thing that prevented the score becoming unassa ilable was the tremendous performance of the UEA bowling attack.

The seamers, Dave Canter and Mrinal Madina, carved their way through the Essex batsmen with uncombatable pace and accuracy, both taking two wickets.

Leg spinner James Cook also excelled, out-foxing Essex to take two wickets.

And their figures could have been considerably better if UEA's many catching opportunities were more effectively taken.

UEA then went in to bat

BUSA premier league, the SO over match, which saw Essex bat first, was that a good performance throughout the order would secure victory.

But unfortunately the Essex attack proved to be very strong, and the home side lost a number of early wickets.

UEA were not finished though and an important middle order revival led by first team debutante Nick Robinson brought them back into the match.

Heroics Robinson batted heroically to score a commendable 25 before being caught at deep long on towards the end of the innings.

The departure of Robinson signalled the end for UEA as the

lower order crumbled to round off a below par batting performance which aw the side bowled out for 94 runs.

Ability In the end it was Essex's ability to take the catches that were presented to them that was the deciding factor in the match.

The cricket 1st team in action

Afi~ward~ d~appoin~d ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

captain, James Stevens, said, "This was a clinch match and the fact that we lost puts our hopes for promotion to the premier league on the back burner." "lt was an overall good team performance, but some vital dropped catches were costly," he added.

HIGHLIGHTS

Do"•t pQ.~ too Mu.c:,t\

J MONTH

for ~ou.r

trG\V&l '~Q.I\Cr&

lj16\IIQB Nick Robinson: the debutante middle order man saved UEA's blushes by leading a batting revival, giving the home side hope when it looked like the match was lost. His hard-fought 25 was certainly the pick of an otherwise mediocre batting performance.

-.

• 3- 3(.5 do.y~ • 3 level~ e;f (,{,Vet'" • ~,..b • bo.c.~c.~'"~ • ~"~la tnp • rttwb-tnp • le;"~ ~tq,y q,l\d rttv.c.n Pft{;r"e

0171-375 0011 ••

Seventh heaven?

By NICK HENEGAN

THE WOMEN 'S Rugby Club have launched a blistering attack on University bosses after the chance to host a nationally rated competition slipped through UEA's fingers.

The outburst comes after the national Women's Rugby Football Union contacted UEA's Womens Rugby Club and offered them the chance to host the prestigious national student sevens competi tion .

Bu t UEA re fused to sanction the tournament th anks to a fixture pile up.

"We all fel t that it was an excellent opport unity for women's rug by at UEA as it would show the game to a large number of supporters at a high level", raged 1st XV captain, Catherine Loake.

Anger "I cannot begin to express my anger at the University's woeful decision, we did reall y well in the competition and it was just really disappointing that we couldn't do it at UEA," added a disgruntled Catherine.

And thanks to the last minute switch to Hadleigh in Suffolk, UEA's successes were overshadowed by the dispute.

"I'm afraid to say that the tournament was ruined by petty bureaucracy," complained Catherine.

However, the University has hit back at the allegations, instead blaming the debacle on the club's lack of planning.

Director of Sport and Physical Education, Keith Nicholls insisted, "There was no refusal."

Wom en's Four take the strain

Clash

.-

"The problem was that the Women's Rugby Club accepted the offer without asking us whether the facilities were available and unfortunately there we re already BUSA fixtures taking place, so nothing could be done," he explained.

And Mr Nicholls denied that UEA had come out of the episode looking badly. "l t doesn't reflect badly on the University, it reflects badly on the students," insisted Mr Nicholls.

"We make it very clear to clubs how to book things and we want to host these things, but you can't host them by kicking out other students."

And he insisted that the University would be happy to host the event in the future.

"If they want to host it next year we will do eve ryth in g possible to acco mmodate th em," promised Mr Nicholls.

- For details of how well the Womens' Rugby Club competed in competition turn to page 26

Kelsey wins go d as women's crew chase medals BUSA REGATIA

UEA CLAIMED more honours in BUSA competition on Saturday, May 1, as the rowing club converged on Nottingham for the prestigious regatta.

Postgraduate Richard Kclsey got straight on the road to gold when his 2000m single scull heat performance automatically promoted him into the final.

Kclsey emulated his success in the linal. showing surerh strength to surge past strong oppt1sition from Oxford Brookes to claim a fantastic \ic tory.

gained.

And the >Llperb level of racing was maintained with brilliant performances hy the cluh"s women.

The women en tered two crews. including a novice eight racing in their lirst regalia and a senior four. racing at the highest level in the Championship.

Both boats drew strongly over the finishing line in fiN place during their heats and. thanb to a powerful display in the semi's. the nO\ ice women went on to secure a place in the final.

James Ormc. nm ing UF. \ ·, othe1 single scull. managed to quality for the 'cmi-final before n.ll'ing again\t h:am mate Richard Kelse) in the final. where he finished an admirable IJhh out of de\ en.

Although tired. the sty le \1 ith \\hi eh the eight nmed in the final to take sixth place out of lti \\Us faultless and a superb achie\ ement. especially

Success And \\hile the gold medal might have been the only success for UEA at the BUSA regalia. good performances from all the crews meant that Kebey 's medal was not the onl) c~perience

••

Inexperience

considering their inexperience and the strength or opposition.

The senior women's four set off for their fina l with a determi ned desire to win a medal. although they were up against other univer.,itics with an impressive fO\\ ing pedigree. including Edinburgh and Imperial College.

The team raced down the course eagerly hauling for hron;c \\ ith Kingston.

11 came do\\"11 to a hrcathiaking finish" ith each boat pushing the other for the lead. but UL\ \\ere .JUS! pipped to the post and denied the hron;c medal h) a heart breaking 0.2 second,.

Despite this deep dJsappmnlmcnl the position the team achie\ed was

regarded by all as exceptional.

The three men· s tccuns. a nm ice four. junior four and senior four all raced extremely well with some exciting ballles as each cre\\ tried 10 move up the placings.

But unfortunately the men could not emulate the women's high standard of succe".

Competition All the men"s teams were sadly knocked out in their first heats due 10 some cxtremcl) stilT cornpclition. , atasha Howard. a juhiblll member of the senior women· s four crew. commented. ··we had an absolutely amating time. and we· re proud of all the news . ""llopcfull) we can progress and bring e\·cn more success hack lo L' LA from the Bedford regalia al th,· weekend." she adtkd.