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Tony Benn on why politics sends him to sleep j
Students refuse to stomach 'misleading' University food vouchers scheme By CLARE HAMILTON-EDDY, CHIEF NEWS REPORTER
Attempts to make students part with large sums of cash In return for food vouchers have been condemned by the Union as flawed and misleading. UEA food chiefs sent out leaflets to freshers over the summer asking for £225 for a term 's worth of noshbefore even a morsel of Diner food had passed their lips. The Union are furious that students weren't given the chance to sample meals from UEA eateries before stomaching the cost of a term's grub, and also dispute claims that the plan offers a varied diet. "I think that the scheme is fundamentally flawed," steamed Union Welfare. Officer Claire Kober. "If students don't like the food , they cannot get a refund - which is quite a flaw when you are talking about students laying out £225 for 82 meals," she complained.
Parents "If a students' parents have bought 'them in advance then there is not much they can do if they don't like the meals. They are stuck with over £200 worth of food vouchers that they don't want." And she also chewed up and spat out University claims that the voucher scheme ensured a balanced diet. "The opening hours of the Diner and other restaurants mean that, at the weekend, for example,
"The catering department at you can only eat in Breakers." But Jenny Grant, UEA's UEA provides a customer Director of Residences and focused service," claimed Mrs Services, defended the scheme, Grant. "Any student who feels that a insisting that students had asked or product is for it to be put on the menu. service "Over the years a small number unsatisfactory will be responded of students and parents have to appropriately." expressed interest in a scheme of Appetising this nature, and this year we have But many students have been in a position to respond ," · already decided they do not find said Mrs Grant. the deal appetising. "I think that the food in the Diner is terrible - it's tasteless. - UEA shortlisted for They present it with minimum medical school effort. I never go there any more," - Union House security complained Evi Kaimaki (LLT 4). And Maggie Smith (EAS 1) arrangements hit GSA agreed that the food is less than "lt is of benefit to students as it mouth-watering. "The portions are not enough helps them to budget, and could be useful when they are rushing and it doesn't look appetising. to complete an assignment or They need a better selection of revising for an exam," she added. food , with more healthy options," she said. Complaints Sarah Bailey (EAS 1) was even And she was adamant that any more blunt. "I think that this is just a student complaints would be looked into - although she scheme for the University to make money. lt's being done in the stopped short of offering a refund wrong way - they are taking to students left hungry by the money from students." deal.
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News
Concrete Wednesday, October 6, 1999
I
Got a story? Let us know at the Concrete office... tel: 250558 email: su.concrete@uea.ac.uk
GET YOUR LOANS! Cash-flushed students are apparently leaving hundreds of loan cheques unclaimed at UEA's Registry. Students who started-their course after September 1998 need to pick up their cash before the end of the month, or they will risk losing out on the money altogether. "We are obliged to retu rn uncollected cheques to the Student Loans Comapny, and any uncollected cheques from this batch will be returned to them by the end of October," advised Eleano r Assistant Registrar, Martin. "Students should ask after their loan cheque at the Cashiers' Office in the Registry, otherwise they may find it has been returned just as they need the money:• The Cashiers' Office is open Monday to Friday, between 9.30am and 3.30pm.
Flexible friends? Students take swiP-e at cards that cut them off from discounts By ADAM BANHAM
New style campus cards launched this term fail to give access to all the discounts available to students. The card - meant to replace the ha t r a dozen cards student-. ha\'e traditionall) had to carry around - 11 ill '>till need to be used in conjunction 11ith a National Union of Students card to ensure the full range of be nefits ca n be gained. And the decision onl) to issue the ne11 ID card;, to lirst )Cars ha;. al;.o come in for critici;.m from disgruntled rctun1ing stuc..ICnl"-.
Calls One of the main dcab studcnh 11 illmi" out on is a Iin~ up between the NUS and communications tinn Tclco. which should allow sllldenh to get a ma"i1c 50 to 75 per cent discount on international calls. National ca ll cosb wou ld have been slashed b) a third. and calls to mobiles 110uld also ha1e been cheaper than w ith BT. But the Union failed to as~ LEA to add the vital NUS membership number to the new card. making it 1er) d iffic ult for lirst years to use the deal.
Ariana Reece- Roberb (WAM 2) made a sw ipe at the un iver;,i ty for the new levy. " I had my wa ll et sto len over the summer. a nd now I've got a campus card a nd it's alright." "But it's a bit of bummer you have to pay £ 10 for a replacement; £5 to get it and then it's £10 if you lose it .'' she comp lained.
Welfare Officer. Claire Kober admiued that a;. a result of the coc~-up. ;,tudenh will still need to carry a wallet full of cards. " If they ll'ant to u;.c the telephone o iler. then ;.tudcnt;. need to get an US card as well." she confessed. "We on I) found out about the offer quite late in the year. lt is something 11c will h;11c to incorporate into the campus card;,."
Local shops And UE/\ project d1rcctor 1ichad l lm1ard ha;. rc1calcd that local shoJ" ha1cn't been shown the nc11 card- rai'lng fears that ;.tudents will he refused discounts. " I may suggest to the Union that we send a let ter with a sample card to shops who give discounts. so the) knoll' this is the official can.l for the Uni1ersit).'' he 'aid. Rut perhaps the higgeq critici<.m to hit the long awallcd plan is from returning students 11 ho ha1c missed out.
Surcharge Second ycaJ' arc due to recei1c n:placcmcnt cards in time for the ;,pring semester. hut third years and any other student who wants a card before then will face a £5 su rcharge.
atts 123 567
Registry
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News 3
Concrete Wednesday, October 6, 1999
GET SOME (MENTAL) EXERCISE Feeling a bit too intell ectu ally 'rested ' after the summer?
Grad bar object to 'duP-licitous' Union behaviour over new security arrangements Changes to gig security have been attacked by Union House users as discriminatory and underhand. Members of the Graduate Student Association fear that the decision to close off the foye r entrance is aimed more at forcing thei r bar out of business than improving gig safety. And they have accused Union bosses of forcing through the changes without proper consultation with students.
Bouncers Under the new system, on most club nights bouncers guard the main doors into the Union House foyer, preventing access to the facilities to any ticketless students. Graduate students and anyone using facilities upstairs in the building are forced to use a side entrance, accessing the top floor via fire escapes and back corridors.
In an open letter to the Union, the GSA branded the move "duplicitous" and "unprofessional", claiming they weren 't consulted about the changes. And they condemned the cutting off of
Stewar~s stewards , vending machines and other facilities to the majority of students as an attempt to create a 'Pay Per Use' Union. But most of all, GSA members see the new arrangements as an attempt to force their club from Union House. "They've wanted us out of here for a while, so they could create a balcony bar in the LCR," confided Gareth Bolitho, GSA member and former treasurer. "And this seems a very direct way of damaging our business." "We give money to graduate schools equivalent to four scholarships. If it damages our business, we're not going to be as useful to graduates," he
lamented. However, according to Union Welfare Officer, Claire Kober, the new arrangements are intended simply to combat drug pushing, and had been properly approved.
Drugs "We've had some problems with people using the toilets in the foyer to sell drugs, and we have to do everything we can to stop it," she explained.
admit that students were losing access to useful facilities , including two newly purchased change machines intended for laundrette users.
Access "We are looking with the University at ways of giving access to the vending machines," she promised.
Then this year's series of Launcelot Fleming Lectures, an annual festiva l held at Norwich Cathedral in honour of a former Bishop of Norwich, might ease your return to a more academic mood , writes Steve Col/ins. Each year, the lectures address a general theme of significance to society, with this year's topic being 'The Ink and the Spirit' - the role of literature and religion in the new millennium . The lectures run throughout October, and tickets are available from the Cathedral , the Guidhall Ticket Shop, or the Registry on campus. Individual tickets are ÂŁ3 .50 , but a limited number are available free to students on a first come first served basis from the Registry.
"it was . , .....................................................................~ discussed in Management Committee when we approved spending on new secu rity cameras for Union House." But she did
NOR
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Concrete Wednesday. Octobe r 6. 1999
Patience is a virtue A man from Swaffham in Norfolk has been left to work out his anger in a prison cell after local magistrates banged him up for threatening to kill his social worker. He launched the furious attack after being fo rced to wait weeks to take part in a anger management course.
Clowning around Burger king Ronald McDonald's celebrations of 25 years in Britain have been spoilt by the launch of an advertising campaign by radical American vegetarians. The anti-meat posters feature mock ups of the grinning clown wielding a blood-stained knife in one hand and a dead chicken in the other. The slogan reads " Do you want fries with that? "
Boobloan At least one student loan in the country isn 't linked to inflation · Louise Howell from Buckinghamshire College spent hers on getting her boobs shrunk. The literature and art history graduate spent £4,000 on the operation, which transformed her from a 32F to a 32C. " Most of my college friends frittered away their loans down the bar or on buying a car," said Lou ise, ·' But I was determined to get this operation done." " I am a lot more confident and happy now."
Bird bandit
Accommodation allocation runs smoothly,_ but third years are left stranded ACCOMMODATION BOSSES have been celebrating this week after their most successfu l freshers ' week in years. ilUt tiJ C '111ik' IJ :IIC h c'L' IltC II lpCI'c'd h\ tiJ c· r,lcl iiJ ,tl l'\c' l 'i(}fjf', t \c' :t t ' :ti c' ' till \\ :ll t ill;! lll ;! L't
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Student protesters against Nestle might want to bear in mind the mistakes of one German activist. Alexandru Nemeth blackmailed the food giant, demanding they send him diamonds strung round the neck of his flight of homing pigeons. But the foiled felon had to coo for forgiveness when police simply followed the gem-laden birds to his home in Frankfurt.
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News s
Students P-rotest over school binning handouts By CAROLINE JEATER
OUTRAGED LAW students are furious at school bosses for scrapping free course handouts. And 1h.: Earlharn ll all facull) han: h.:.:n fun her a11ad.:d fnr nwJ...ing lh.: rnov.: wi1hou1 .:v.:n con,ulling 'ludcnl,. TilllL'· 'Ir"ppcd 'ludcnh arc being forced I n 'pe nd hour' ljlll.'Uing. fur cornpull.:r.., 'o Lha L th!.!) can download clcuronic \Cr,i<lll' of n>~np ul ,or) reading m;llcriak
Privilege They lhcn have 10 pay for 1hc privikgc of pnnling uul I he 'il;d don11 ncn1' - "hi eh run 10 up 10 70 pag~"
fo r 'om~ cour...,L''
.. 11 "a' nc\er mcn1i0ncd hy lhc Schoul la' I ) car:· qonned S1udcn1 Forum member Marc Pa r,on'
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and I am \L"r) 'OIT). hu11h~ fee, 1ha1 an: p~11d nut h~ th~ go\ ~rnmc11l 'impl) don·l cmer 1hc "".,_ of n.''lH i fL'L'' th;.tt \\l." \\OUIJ liJ...c to maJ...c ""nbhk:· 'he pleaded . And dL''fliiL' lhc pruhfcm,. Dr Ball ilhi,lcd 1ha1 1hc ' " lcm i' here
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Damaging And Kim Broadhclll (Lt\W .\J c la imin g tha t t h ~ n~w 'c h ~mc wa' damaging ' tudcnh· cduca lion . .. 1 , ·~ ;11 1 ah~olutc di ,gracc. 1\ degree i' hard ~nough "i1hm11 I he Uni,cr,il~ maJ...ing i1 harder for u-:· Bul Dean of L:l\\ . Caroline Bal l. i' adamanl ' he had no cho ice hu l lo ca'h b) inlroducing 1h~ new agrc~d.
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By Clare Hamilton·Eddy
STUDENTS WAITING to have the potentially life-saving meningitis jab have no reason to panic according to UEA health chiefs.
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But despite the number of freshers getting their jab before arriving at UEA, there have still been complaints from students angry at the long waits for treatment. Even extra evening immunisation sessions laid on by Health Centre staff didn't cut down the wait endured by Philippa Davey (DEV 1). "I waited for one hour and 20 minutes just to be told that if I didn't want to join another queue, I would have to come back the next day," she thundered. ''They didn't seem to have a system to cope with all the students. lt seemed to be very badly organised ," continued Philippa.
Coathup. "Much to our surprise, a tally of students when they reg istered with thei r schools suggested that 60 per cent of them had been immunised before they got here." "That reduces the number that need to be done considerably,'' admi tted Or Coathup.
Injection
Demand But campus doctors are adamant that they can cope with demand. 'We have got lots of vaccines we have no shortages whatsoever," reassured . the campus Health Centre's · Paul
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Whatever the problems, UEA's Director of C.ommunications, Alan Preece, doesn't want students to be put off from getting the live-saving injection. 'We cannot compel people to have the immunisation . 11 is up to people to come forward" he said. 'We would urge people not to ,be complacem." 11
ALLSTAR TAXIS USUAL STUDENT DISCOUNTS SERVING CAMPUS, THE VILLAGE AND THE CITY CENTRE
&
News
Web's • ID
fashion Website designers are being given the chance to show off their skills as part of a new competition sponsored by the BBC and top London fashion designers, writes Adam Svendsen. The broadcaster has teamed up with major designer Michiko Koshino and world famous fashion house Red or Dead to offer students the chance to promote their design skills on 90rporate websites promoting the couturiers' spring 2000 collections. Entrants have eight weeks to construct a site, using London Fashion Week shots and other graphics.provided by the organisers. But to get the chance to enter, you must register by October 8, by visiting the BBC Knowledge website at http://www.bbc.eo.uk/know/e' dge/competition .
The competition will be judged by a panel headed by Red or Dead's chairman Wayne Hemingway. The winning entries will be announced on Friday 19th November on Front Room, BBC Knowledge's interactive digital tv channel.
UEA slammed _by novel set on campus LIFE AT UEA has received a mauling from a new book set on the campus. The novel la shes out at the Un iversit y's hi gh numbers of int ernati onal stud ents. and it\ adoption of Stateside culture. branding UEA the Univcr,ity o f Excess ive Americanisation . to have become the cultural SI<.,! Wr itten by a UE/\ graduate. Col/ege.com al<,o critici~es today·, state of the USA." explained author stude nt s for being too ohses,ed "ith Jon BuscaiL brand names and not intcrc..,ted " I found it hysterical in Ill) day enough in politics. that UEA named a lot of its services "One of the main points I wanted "ith US names. like the Diner and to get acro~s wa<, how the UK seems the BowL" he added.
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And he justified his book's allack on University hm,sc<.,, claiming that things arc just as bad now a<., they were when he studied in orwich.
Reputation "Tht: current rents i...sue about ho\\ UEA won't st ick to a deal it made to keep cost<., down is a prime exa mple . Here is a universil) so desperate to build its reputation that it consta ntl y puts it\ need.., ahead ot student needs ... he complained. But M r Buscall - who is nm' a university lecturer in Finland <.,trcssed that hio; hook isn't supposed to he factual.
Fiction "This is fiction and not doc umentary. it was my aim to product: something that people at other universities would be able to relate to, as well as at UEA ."
"! also set out to write something about universit y life that wasn't '.cl at Oxbridge. There arc other universities to allend_" And despite his biting words for UEA. Mr Buscall'-. pu bl is hin g success was still wclcnrncd b) uni bosses. " it is good to sec another of our graduate' doing "e ll - with a university teaching job and a novel publi shed by the age of 2'!. his UE/\ degree<., have oh\ iou<oly stood him in good stead." joked Prc<.,s Officer /\nnic Odgen. "I can't say I recognised the picture of an Americanised campus." she added.
Goldfish Bowl "And as for th<: Bowl. understand it is \O ca ll ed becaw,c it resembles a go ldfish bowl rather than the l lollywood Bowl."
-The 1999 Diploma in Creative Writing gi'Oup ar-e also celebrating after getting published. Their collect ion, called Creath-e Rioting. and featuring a foo·eword by .Fay Weldon. is no" on sale in Watustones for on I~ £2.
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News 7
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t·shirts &record bags! The latest and greatest interne! chat site, DoBeDo, have gone giveaway crazy. DoBeDo Is the wildest and most colourful cartoon chat site on the web (www.dobedo.co.uk) . Based on a fantasy paradise island of party people, it is the perfect place to let go of your inhibitions and speak freely. The only rule is not to behave I Although you may only be in the library, your imagination will be transformed to the exotic island of Dobedo, a haven for the hedonistic. All you have to do is log in and choose a character.
style, and if it reaches an acceptable standard you can even host parties! Once you've settled in you'll never want to leave... Although in the end, obviously you'll have to log off. And to launch the site those generous people at DoBeDo have given us three record bags and six t-shirts to give away - worth around £150. All you have to do to win is answer this simple question: What Is the name of the fantasy paradise Island?
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a Letters/Comment
comment Food Furore lt was right that the Union should have acted to warn new students against the food vouchers offered by the University. To try and sell Freshers - and their doting parents - over £200 worth of meal tickets before they have even tried the food is fairly cynical. And the fact that the Diner doesn't even open at weekends adds insult to injury. Food vouchers are a reasonable idea; but for the scheme to be fair the food must be of adequate quality and reasonably priced. Clearly, however, UEA's attempt fails in both respects.
Liquid Links As a company, the Union are bound to be alarmed when they find that venues in town are eating into their student market. However, as a body of students, the Union must keep the wishes of its members paramount. Students should have the right to choose which clubs and pubs they want to go to. To deny Liquid and other clubs access to students just because they compete with Union Ents is simply not on.
Concrete Wednesday, October 6, 1999
Nestle Protests
Cycle Security
he suggestion made by Nicola Poole, the Diner manager, that students are becoming more apathetic In relation to ethical and environmental issues is absoutely proposterous. As students will have noticed last year, campaigning at UEA is still very much alive and kicking. The NUS has a national boycoH on Nestle products for good reasons and the sale of Nestle goods in University outlets flagrantly flouts this boycoH. it may not be compulsory for outlets such as the Diner to observe the ban, but as a fixture in campus life we would hope that it would be supportive of the Student Union. The sale of these products constitutes a wholly immoral stance, and we are asking the Diner to review their position concerning the Nestle vending machine. Students at UEA (old and new!) are still active when it counts.
am writing following the theft of a bicycle from the centre of campus on the evening of Sunday, September 26. At the end of my shift in the Union Bar I left to cycle home. My bike had been chained to the cycle racks at the top of the post room steps, but all that was left was the rear wheel by which the cycle had been chained. When I reported the theft to the porters, who were very helpful , I was presented with a folder containing all the bicycle theft report forms since 1995. This file was full , with what looked like hundreds of forms. To add further insult to an already deep injury, the cycle racks turned out not to have been covered by CCTV. lt was later disclosed that in fact none of the 'official' cycle racks are. Why are there no secure bicycle storage facilities, both on campus and in the residences? Why is the CCTV coverage not extended to cycle rack areas? Does the University not value student property?
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·Editorial Contributors: Adam Ban ham, Spencer T Whalley, Jan Kaucher, David Atkinson, Sarah Taft, Christopher Milns, Adam Svendsen, Steve Collins, Katie Hind, Adam Morgan, George Walker, Nichola Sexton , Nick McGill, Claire Hickman, Kris Siefkin, Robert Bolton, Jane Mangle ·Photographers: Russell Burton, Rob Lutyens, Steve Cullingworth, Caroline Jeater, Luke Turner, Alex McGregor • DTP Assistants: James Tapsfield, Caroline Jeater, Mark Edwards, Nick Henegan
.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 Evenf appears by arrangement with the copyright holders, Planet Zog Ltd. • No part of this newspaper may be reproduced or transmitted through any means - including ICQ or cute little doggies who have been abused this fortnight - without the express permission of the Editor •Printed by Eastern Counties Newspapers Ltd., Norwich, Norfolk NR1 1RE. © Concrete 1999.
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10 Conspiracy theories 12 Jury service 13 Jerry Springer 15 Nepotism
16 Tony Benn HNJt1tl? 18 Loose Ends 19 Photo story 20 Horoscopes
ecause • ou're arano1 Have you ever felt like someone was out to get you? Jack Hanauer takes a look around and decides you're not alone ...
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early 300 Russian civilians have been killed by bomb blasts over the past month . ThE blamed lsli republic of and have expressed th e attacks to an en< been rounded up, ar already uncovered tt explosives in a build A major crisis that th appropriate haste, it everyone takes that Rumours have been to the effect that the angle is entirely fictit that the blame lies s• at the door of none c than one Boris Yells Confused? Well , according to the the< Comrade Yeltsin is rather keen to hold onto power irrespective of popular opinion, and saw a little diversion as the perfect way tc delay the inevitable. After all , it would be shameful of him to d his beloved people ir of national crisis , wo A little far fetched? V
possibly, but this is just one of a multitude of conspi racy theories that obsess the public these
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Royals. But Mr Fayed is far from alone in his mistrust of authority. lt seems that around every major event and issue these days there is someone claiming that things are not as they seem. Conspiracy theories are everywhere, but are they all a result of over-active imaginations and general paranoia, or simply perceptive and accurate attention to detail? Do any of them hold any water? One of the more intriguing theories circling at the moment revolves around the origin of AIDS and the HIV virus. Although the official line is that the disease originated naturally in African Green monkeys and then jumped to African blacks before arriving in Manhattan via Hai ti, not everyone is convinced. Some have claimed that the disease was artificially created by scientists, and then deliberately spread among so called "undesirables" - homosexuals, drug users, nonwhites , etc - on the orders of the American government. Another variation is that the World Health Organisation was behind a similar plot to ease the world's population crisis by introducing the disease into Africa. As for the truth on the matter, who knows? Some
ill-
scientists have claimed categorically that the disease was man-made, oth ers are equally confident that that is not the case. But as one commentator has pointed out, the burning issue at present is not whether HIV was part of a deliberate mass-murder plot, but how to deal with it, and none of the conspiracy theories offer any practical help on that front. Moreover, just to add another twist to an already fairly tangled web , it turns out that the theorists could inadvertently be encouraging the epidemic. According to recent research , many of the "undesirables" are so convinced that the US government or WHO will stop at nothing to kill them that they don't bother taking the most basic precautions against infection , such as contraception . Slightly less worrying are the numerous claims that the government is watching our every step. Big Brother theories abound in the conspiracy world: some say we 're being tracked by our mobile phones, others go a bit further and confidently state th at all our calls are monitored for 'subversive' content, which , if found , leads to round the clock surveillance. According to conspiracy theorists the government also employs many other methods to see what we're up to. But of course, if there was such an efficient, pervasive observation network, surely we would live in a country where there wouldn 't be any crime? If Big Brother is really at work , where are all his little henchmen running around and snatching people away for expressing 'subversive' sentiments? And besides, can you really see Tony Blair or good ol ' Bill Clinton behind such a meticulously concocted sch eme? (Though , having said that, I did recently come across a thoroughly convincing
•
•••
piece about Bill's secret Communist beliefs and his treasonous links with the Chinese.) Maybe there are some seeds of truth in all these Big Brother claims. Perhaps there is some mysterious body that knows a little bit more about us than we realise. But so what? Are we really so vain as to assume that this mysterious eavesdropper gives a damn about our views on life, love and that Chinese takeaway we had last night? Even if he does exist, the chances that he stays awake long enough to hear more than the first three words are surely negligible. Space is another favourite topic for conspiracy theorists . There are a number of people who have decided that man has not, contrary to popular belief, ever walked on the moon, and that in actual fact the Apollo 'moon landings' took place somewhere deep in th e Nevada desert. For evidence they point to the fact that NASA have only made seven trips to the moon . However, when you consider that each one costs a fair few bob, and that when you get there all you find are a few boring rocks , you quickly come to the conclusion that it doesn't exactly amount to concrete proof of a grand hoax . The issue of UFOs, and in particular the Roswell incident , is less easy to dismiss. Some are confident that the American government knows of Extra Terrestrial craft and beings, and just isn't letting on. But it's easy to make claims, and not so easy to substantiate them. Until more convincing proof has been found , you 've got to be fairly dubious. Besides, why, if these aliens are smart enough to travel billions of miles through space, do they always choose America to visit? lt makes you wonder. But compared to some of the ideas floating around out there in loony-land, these theories seem positively flawless. One rather sick claim is that the Chernobyl disaster was no accident, but a deliberate experiment by the Russian government to prepare for a nuclear war. Then , of course , there's the ludicrous suggestion that if you pass Bill Gates' name through a certain code , you come up with the number 666 - thereby proving that he is the devil. Pah , as if we needed a code to work that out.
Left: Mohammed Fayed believes that Diana and Dodi were victims of a conspiracy; Top: Many believe that Bill Gates is the devil.
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Featured
Concrete Wednesday, October 6, 1999
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â&#x20AC;˘ Sitting on a jury can turn out to be rather different to what Rumpole of the Bailey might have led you to expect. Jan Kaucher describes how he discovered the hard truth ... t 18 you can do everything. The world is your proverbial pearl-containing shellfish. You can purchase and consume horrendous amounts of alcohol; you can start a life of matrimonial bliss without the meddling interference of your parents; and you can have your say on who is to lead your beloved country over the next few years. it's also the age at which thousands of bright young things leave the safety of home for the first time and head off to experience the joys of university. But it's not all fun and frolics , because at 18 you can also be called upon to sit in judgement over your fellow human beings - and jury service can be quite a sobering experience. At the time I was selected, my perception of the
A
courtroom process was largely coloured by newspaper reports of headline-making trials, which are informative but necessarily simplified, and tedious TV dramas , which are basically tripe. But of course the reality is far less efficient, organised and confidence-inspiring than the printed or televised portrayals. If you are called up, one of the things that will strike you most during the course of your case(s) (you will serve on juries for a period of at least two weeks , during which time you cou ld have numerous cases, or none at all) will be the jarring banality of the proceedings. Somehow you expect barristers to be superhuman; to pick up on things mere mortals like you and I would never have spotted, to
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eloquently present their case in a manner that defies reasonable objection (before their opposite number rather unhelpfully does precisely the same). After all, this isn't just about normal people with jobs like everyone else, and deadlines like everyone else and limited resources like everyone else. This is about Justice, about Good and Bad, about Right and Wrong. it's different isn't it? Well maybe it should be, but of course it isn't. lt can't be, because we are, as I think someone may have suggested once before, only human. And those in the legal profession are not necessarily particularly impressive examples of the species either. Judges have never had the best of reputations , often stereotyped as ageing, senile and malicious, and recent cases such as that of the judge convicted of drunk driving who
"the hard of hearing old fellow who presided over the case for which I was summoned did not appear to have the sharpest of minds" was allowed to continue pronouncing on other people's misdeeds have not exactly done them many favours. Unfortunately the reputation does not seem to be wholly undeserved; the distinctly hard of hearing old fellow who presided over the case for which I was summoned did not appear to have the sharpest of minds. Th e overlooking of important details in witnesses' testimonies, not to mention the absence of potentially important witnesses, does leave a distinctly nasty taste in th e mouth. As does the occasional inability of th e Mighty Bewigged One to retain the names of even the most central of witnesses. But, of cou rse , the jurists' disillusionment with their idealistic preconception of the court process is fairly insignificant in the scheme of things. What really does matter, though , is that when they come to make their judgement, a judgement that cou ld well have a devastating effect on someone's life, the jurists will rely to a large extent on the advice and persuasive skills of these people who are only too capable of mistakes. But that's how it is, and although it is only right that we continue to demand improvement, we should also appreciate the the relative efficacy of our legal system compared to that of many less democratic nations. If you happen to be one of the lucky few who serve on a jury, you will no doubt become resigned to the imperfections around you . But it's
not only the legal professionals that will take some getting used to. Indeed you may well end up developing a fair amount of sympathy for the poor sods who spend their working lives trying to build up a convincing case. Every day these men and women see their hard work poured down the drain by th e ignorant fools in the jury who haven't got a bloody clue . Of course I wouldn 't be able to comment on my fellow jurists, because that would be against the law, but I can tell you that I wouldn 't be at all surprised if there were the odd member in existence who would appeal to the others to hurry up their decision so as to get in a quick round of golf before the light goes. lt would similarly be conceivable to me that a jurist with a military background, feeling unconvinced with the verdict reached at the end of deliberations, would suggest the accused be given a good kicking just in case. This could even , theoretically, have followed the revelation that sometime previously a bunch of his chums, after hearing a young girl accuse her father of abuse, promptly took the matter into their own capable hands. lt could have been said that they beat him to within an inch of his life, only to discover that the gi rl had concocted the whole thing due to some minor domestic dispute. And that might even , in theory of course, lead one to the conclusion that he was a brainless oaf to whom the phrase 'learn from experience' would be as foreign as the concept of literacy. Of course, this scenario bears no relation to real life, but if it were the truth , well. .. it would make you think a little wouldn 't it? So if within the next few years you open a dreary , bill-like envelope to discover that it not only could be, it is you , don't expect miracles. You're likely to be disappointed . But when you finally arrive in court, and find that not all is entirely as you might have hoped for, do make an effort to remain alert, aware, or at least awake, for a reasonable duration : although it may not seem like it at the time, your involvement could actually, perish the thought, make a difference. Alternatively you could just leave it all in the hands of our theoretical military man and chums; it's entirely up to you.
Featured
Concrete Wednesday, October 6, 1999
Jerry Springer has come to England, and he's using UEA students· on his show. Clare Hamilton Eddy and Mark Edwards spoke to Rachel lrving about her exper_iences with Springer... irst of all I have a confession to make. My name is not always Mark Edwards; at the weekends I become Mildred and dazzle the club circuit with my pole dancing routine. Really? Well no, but that's the kind of thing I would be confessing if I was on Jerry Springer. Of course, we all have our saucy secrets and strange fetishes (yes, we do), but perhaps the strangest thing of all is to admit them in front of millions, maybe even billions of viewers on TV. Until recently the Jerry Springer Show has kept itself Stateside, and there has been a sort of mystical, otherworldly feel surrounding the shows. But London born Jerry has finally managed to cross the Atlantic to give us an insight into the
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"Jerry was nice, although he was a lot more lecherous than I was expecting him to be." weird world of American culture, while at the same time providing us with an excuse to shout 'Jehhhreee' in that distinctive nasal tone of voice. Britain's rival chatshows ( Trisha, Kilroy, and Esthe" don't manage to track down as many guests of the 'calibre' that Jerry's American shows feature, so where would he find enough interesting people to fill a show; let alone a series in the UK? Well, UEA actually. Rachel lrving, a second year EAS student, was
spotted by one of the show's researchers and approached to go on the show. "I was up in Norwich and I went to the Loft, and this man remembered me from Trisha. He came up to me and said 'would you be interested', because they needed outrageous looking people on. They only had one slot left and that was on the 'Sexy Secrets' show." Of course one of the hottest living room debates is whether Jerry's guests are as genuine as he claims. And although anyone meeting Rachel would know that she was truly an outrageous person, exactly how truthful was she on the show? "lt was remarkably unscripted. We didn't meet Jerry before the show at all. They literally run you down the corridor, open the door and shove you on to the stage. That was the first time that I met Jerry. ''The basic facts were true. We were very tongue in cheek and camping it up, but 1hat's what they want you to do." After the scandal surrounding Vanessa's false guests, it seems that Jerry is a stickler for procedure. All the guests are now made to sign a protection contract before they are allowed on the show. "Before they let you go on the show we had to find two people who would validate your story. They wouldn't have let me come on and say that I used to be a man or something! We also had to sign something that was several pages long to say that everything that we said was true. "We didn't even get paid for it; you got the free
hotel but that's all, because otherwise they have people who only do it for the money. "I sold my soul to Jerry Springer. They made us sign the contract just before we went on the show, so that we didn't have that much time to read it through ." So it seems that all those lesbian ex-men with excessive facial hair are actually for real. But what is the American icon really like? Is Jerry the bastion of moral standards that his final thought suggests, or does he have more in common with his guests? "Jerry was nice, although he was a lot more lecherous than I was expecting him to be. I
"My mum has been fantastic about it. I was really scared that she would be really angry." thought he would be clean cut and a real family man, but when we went to have our photo taken with him, he was like, 'Wayhey girls!' He also had this awful American red necked bouncer. Later on we went up to him in the green room and we tried to stick our beer bottles up his bottom. "My claim to fame is that Jerry Springer saw my bum. After we came off the stage, I was wearing a very tight rubber dress with a corset under it. I had my microphone clipped on to the front of my dress, and the wire went down to a battery pack at the back of my corset. So when I had to take the
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battery pack out, they had to pull up my skirt because my dress was too tight and all I had on was a g-string and some fishnet tights. There were about 20 people there, including Jerry. He could have looked away but he didn't. He just stood fue~ ~ · lt seems that Jerry is not quite as pure as his screen image suggests. But what about the guests themselves? Do they come across as stable everyday people? Well anyone who's seen the show can answer that themselves. But Rachel was surprised by the reaction she received. "it's funny really, when I went on Trisha I was being recognised in the street the whole time by complete strangers. After Jerry it just doesn't seem to have happened the same way. "My mum has been fantastic about it. I was really scared that she would be really angry and that I had humiliated her in front of her friends, but she was like 'no, I think that you were brilliant. I thought that you were really funny.'" Mildred's final thought: Mr Springer seems to attract the strangest and most downtrodden people in society, but Rachel's account suggests that the King of Chatshows is not a fraud. Whether you feel that the Springer show is pure trash or pure genius, there is no doubt that it is pure entertainment. Until next time, take care of yourselves - and each other.
Top: Jerry 'Jehhhreee ' Springer; Bottom left: Rachel in casual dress.
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Featured 15
1999
GeHing to the top of any profession is extremely. tough. But, according to Brian Runner, it's a hell of a lot easier if your parents have already scaled the dizzy heights ... ou've got to hand it to celebrities. Okay, so they're generally nauseatingly narcissistic individuals. And, okay, by and large they would willingly offer their first born in exchange for a flattering portrait shot on the front cover of a magazine. But irrespective of their many and varied character defects, they have, against all the odds, risen from obscurity to become hideous~y rich and recognised by millions. Not bad really, and the world tends to adore them for their success. However, there is another group of characters closely related to these celebrated figures whose success tends to raise more exclamations of disgust and bitterness than admiration and affection: their children. Back in the sixteenth century the Catholic church almost died out because of the emergence of Protestantism, which became popular largely owing to a widespread disaffection with the nepotism and corruption of the Papacy. Lucrative bishoprics were handed out with suspicious regularity to the relatives of resident Pontiffs, and it seems as though all that has happened during the five odd centuries since is that the taste for family favours has spread into other fields. There are numerous big shots who have made their names · in professions previously dominated by one of their parents.
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One area where there is certainly a wee bit of nepotism at work is the acting profession. Hollywood is full of film stars with thespian parents. Michael Douglas is the rather greasy fruit of Kirk 'Spartacu~ Douglas's loins~ Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez are the progeny of Mr Sheen of the Martin variety; and we would never have been able to enjoy the mastery of Jane Fonda's performance in Barbarella if Mr and Mrs Henry Fonda had not consummated their relationship. Now each of these actors have their merits (personally I think the Mighty Ducks trilogy beats the Godfather series hands down) and I'm sure they're all simply lovely people, but it's hard to believe any of them would have come as far as they have without their cloutwielding names. The political world is similarly scattered with the offspring of yesterday's men and women. Most
obvious of all is the current hot favourite for the American Presidency at the next election, George Bush Jr - son of the other George Bush who is probably most famous for having a deputy President incapable of spelling 'potato'. Franklin Aoosevelt, the President who led the USA out of the Great Depression of the Thirties, was related -
.........,.
" Success of the offspring of celebrated figures raises more disgust and bitterness now " albeit distantly - to Teddy Aoosevelt, who led his country at the beginning of the century. Similarly, two Victorian Prime Minister, Pitt the Younger the son of Pitt the Elder. And how could we forget the Kennedy dynasty of John, Jack, Bobby et al. Thafs not to say that each of these men came to prominence solely because of their origins. They are or were undoubtedly able politicians in their own right, but the achievements of their predecessors must surely have made it a damn sight easier to secure positions of influence. Football is perhaps the sport where the usefulness of family links is most evident. Nigel
Clough is a perfect example. For the majority of his career he was managed by father Brian at Nottingham Forest. Clough Jr didn't do badly by any means, and eventually secured a lucrative move to Liverpool. But it is interesting how his career slumped chronically after his father's retirement. He is currently player-manager of a team that can't even claim to play football in the GM Vauxhall Conference - and that, believe me, is a slump. The same trend is obvious in the fortunes of Paul Dalglish, son of Liverpool legend Kenny. When Dalglish managed his son at Newcastle United, one of the biggest clubs in the country, the youngster made the occasional appearance. As soon as Kenny left however Dalglish Junior was swift.ly off-loaded. He now barely wins a regular place in the line up of his new club, Norwich City. Say no more. The same goe.s for musicians. No doubt salt water does well in Julian lennon's eye from time to time, just as he tells us in his one and only hit single. But you can hardly imagine him weeping buckets when he thinks about the use his father's name has been to his musical career. Okay, Jullan is hardly the most celebrated of singer-songwrite.rs, but can you see him having enjoyed half the success if he was not the son of the Beatles maestro? But that's nothing. How about Aobbie Williams?
You didn't know his father was a sta.r? Oh Yessiree - the man was a veritable legend on the club circuit in his time. That must have helped his son... oh, loads... it's just not fair. Or is it? Okay, so these people do have an advantage in a way, perhaps they do have a bit more of a chance of making it in their chosen
"No doubt salt water wells in Julian Lennon's eye, as he said in his one and only hit single" profession than the rest of us. But is it worth it? Just imagine the added pressure they must be feeling to live up to their parents' achievements. For them anything less than supernova status must feel like failure, and it can hardly be much fun living with that thought always hanging over you. And besides, ifs hardly as if we would behave any differently in their shoes, is it? Perhaps it would be
more honourable to refuse all the assistance that friends and relatives might be able to offer us in our careers. Perhaps that would be fairer and produce a society where everyone got what they merited as individuals. But that's totally unrealistic. We're just not like that. Just think about that holiday job you got, thanks to that friend of dad's, or those two weeks of work experience you blagged your way into courtesy of one of mum's work colleagues. Worth taking by all means, but not really any different to the child of a film star accepting his mother's introduction to a studio head, is it? There's no doubt that some people are luckier than others, but unless we refuse to accept the benefits of our own family situations, we hardly have the right to go around whinging just because there a re others with better links than ourselves. In the words of one of my primary school dinner ladies: 'You might not like it sunshine, but it's a.ll you're gonna get. So deal with it.' Or something like that.
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The most interesting characters in politics are inevitab_ ly the ones who are willing to _break ranks and say what they think regardless of party or press. And Tony Benn has never been one to keep his mouth shut, as Caroline Jeater found out. .. here's Mr Benn, Uncle Ben, and Big Ben. And then, of course, there's the rather more political and controversial Tony Benn, left wing torch bearer of the Labour party for 50 years. Touted for the Labour leadership in the 1960s and 1970s, and associated with much of the party's groundbreaking legislation over the years, Benn is at the moment escaping the pressures of parliament and working in his basement offices. The rooms are packed wall to wall with his regular parliamentary correspondence, files, political journals, constituency work and diary files, but amongst all this Benn sits quietly smoking his pipe while I try to negotiate this interview through the din of the builders working on his new extension directly outside. lt's hard to know where to start. Benn has had such a massive influence over the political establishment in so many ways: he was central in the campaign to revoke the peerage rule in the House of Commons so that he could remain an MP after his father's death; he also played a key role in Harold Wilson's government; and he has campaigned vociferously on behalf of the miners and others within and beyond his constituency. Now Benn, who has spent almost 50 years in Parliament, is one of the few Labour MPs who can stili question the Prime Minister without the fear of being ousted by the Party. And with (at the time of this interview) the Labour Party's Centenary conference about to take place in Bournemouth, Benn, along with other renowned left wingers such as Ken Livingstone and Dennis Skinner, are in great demand for the conference fringe meetings. Benn's opinions on the New Lilbour experiment have received a great deal of publicity since Blair became leader of the party, and he clearly still has reservations about the way things are going. "I think [New Labour) is a slogan. Everything is 'new', but it is one thing to have a new policy, and another to have a new party. Blair spends most of his time attacking what he calls old Labour, but he is actually the leader of the Labour party, not the leader of New Labour. He never mentions the party he leads. I think his strategy is to produce a national
T
"I think New Labour is a slogan. Everything is 'new', but it is one thing to have a new policy and another to have a new party." government which he hopes will stay in power for a very long time." The worry for many left wingers has now become that the conservative Labour government - for that is how Benn sees the party today - will begin to erode what remains of the left wing of the party. "lt has never been a socialist party, but has had socialists within it. I am not sure how long that will be allowed to continue." He later adds with more than a touch of sadness in his voice that, "The power of the party machine is much
stronger now; if you step out of line you can be excluded as a candidate next time round ." The large parliamentary victory scored at the 1997 General Election - at 101 . the largest victory margin in Labour's history - has contributed to this change in the focus of politics. Benn now acknowledges that the British political system now bears striking similarities to the Presidential American political system. "I don't think the cabinet (in Britain) matters that much. 30 years ago we had six full day cabinets in the morning and afternoon in the first 11 days of the year, and that meant you had real discussion in the cabinet - arguments and votes. Now the cabinet meets for 25 minutes if the Prime Minister has time and hasn't got a photo opportunity that will interfere. "The cabinet has really been destroyed, and parliament, because of the large majority, can be disregarded. What we have in actual fact is a presidential system without the checks and balances that you have in the United States. Clinton has to worry about the Supreme Court, but Blair doesn't have to worry about anybody." Yet the popularity of Labour with the electorate means
"The Government saved £130 million through the introduction of tuition fees, which is exactly the sum of money we have given Indonesia to buy our Hawks." that Blair has been able to continue with his style of party management despite the Left's anger at having their wings clipped over a number of important issues. For Benn the introduction of student tuition fees, the changes to the lone parent scheme, and last-year's Kosovo crisis seem to have rankled particularly. Benn freely admits that he was surprised when the National Union of Students (NUS) came out in favour of tuition fees. "I don't think [NUS] really represented everyone's views, but a lot of New Labour people were student leaders, and if you do want to get into parliament then it is a fairly attractive way of starting." The saving made by the government thanks to the introduction of tuition fees in 1998 has been well documented, as has student opposition to the 'tax on knowledge'. Benn, however, is keen to point out how the savings have benefited the government, and how the money is now being spent. "The government saved £130 million [through the introduction of tuition fees), which is exactly the sum we have given the Indonesian government to buy the Hawks. So if you have had to pay tuition fees, you have the comfort of knowing that 1hey have gone to Indonesia so they have British weaponry with which to bomb the people of East Timor. "You never hear that connection made in the media - between the tuition fees savings and the hawks and lone parents and the cost of the war." While Benn continues to make these connections in the belief that he can put across his message, and although he has been portrayed as someone who has become more radical with age, he admits to finding the continuing interpretation of wh~t he is trying to do in parliament tiring. "If you make an argument such as those above, all those wretched lobby correspondents say, 'this is a coded attack against Mr Blair', when all you are arguing for is lone parents or against tuition fees, for pensions or against the war. Everything is
interpreted In the media as an attack on somebody else, and I find that very boring." These attacks became most vocal earlier in the year, when NATO used military force to intervene in the Kosovo crisis. Benn, who fought in the latter stages of World War 11, has been one of the country's leading anti-war campaigners from the Suez crisis in the 1950s, through to his work with CND, opposition to the Falklands conflict, the Gulf war and, of course, Kosovo. He remains sceptical over whether war and the violence that goes with it can be justified. "Clearly, if someone came in now and tried to shoot you, if I had a gun and I could aim straight, I might shoot him to save your life." While I sigh in relief, he continues, "But I have seen in this century the most hideous brutality. In the last world war 50 million people died, and it was quite avoidable. "You have to look at the roots of war, and with Kosovo there is no doubt whatsoever that the Germans tried to break up Yugoslavia. They recognised Croatia, and Major went along with it against his better judgement because he was promised an exemption from the single currency. The Kosovo war was prepared over a year ago when they decided to raise an army of 400,000. And Lord Carrington as secretary general of NATO said that most of the ethnic cleansing was caused by the bombing, so it really was not a humanitarian war." During this time Benn was involved in demonstrations and actively questioned the Government's motives behind their and America's involvement in the crisis. "Milosevic would have agreed to an international inspection force so long as it was not NATO. I think now that NATO is trying to replace the UN. The Americans want to dominate NATO and are not interested in the UN at all." Benn's willingness to fight for what he believes to be right and just has captured him headlines on a number of issues, and while Kosovo was his most recent return to prominence, his work on behalf of his constituency during the miners' strikes, and against the assault on the Trades Unions by Margaret
Thatcher in the 1980s marked him out as someone the media could attack. The Sun famously asked on its front page whether he was 'raving bonkers' , following up on its earlier warning against the 'Marxist kingdom of Benn.and Scargill' when he ran for the deputy leadership in 198·. Benn is dismissive of those
"You have to look at the roots of war, and with Kosovo there is no doubt whatsoever that the Germans tried to break up Yugoslavia" in the party who attempted to stop his progress, and merely says of Neil Kin neck that he "abandoned everything he ever believ3d in for power, and in the end nobody believed a word he said. That is why we lost (in the 1980s)." During this time much of :he press, and the tabloids in particular turned on Benn and Arthur Scargill, and articles regularly condemned his socialist beliefs. For Benn this was an unpleasant time in that his family were constantly hounded by the press. "If the press don't like you they will try to destroy you," he says, going on to explain how tis children had obscenities shouted at them on the way to school, and how ~is mail was regularly opened. "lt was very unpleasant, but you recognise that the people whose power you're challenging are going to hit back.• Hitting back, though, is exactly what Benn himself has done, with the publication of his diaries concerning his experiences as a minister and parliamentarian from the 1950s. Benn's threat to end the diaries in 1990 has not been fulfilled, anc he believes them to be an accurate representation d recent parliamentary history. He also reveals that the next instalment is very much underway. "lt is going to be called 'Free at Last' and will begin in January 1990 with the Gulf War. I was going to end it in December 1999 but I might carry it on until I leave parliament."
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The diaries quickly became an important source for students of recent history, and Benn himself is renowned as one of the most important and influential diarists of the twentieth century. But he sees their value very differently. "lt is not like a memoir, where you remember your triumphs and forget failures. lt is a confession, a daily confession. lt is not the publication that matters, it is your own experience and what influences you." With the unedited diaries now taking up six garages worth of space and his time in parliament ending soon (he has said he will retire at the next election) Benn's own job description is changing with his role as a political Elder Statesman. "I am now a part time librarian with my diaries. I have people coming from all over the world - China, Japan, America, Russia, Germany - to look at the unedited versions. That is what they are there for: so that people can use what has happened to me, quote it and know it is as accurate as it can be." "I think that teaching and support is the most important role in politics because nothing will change unless people do something, so if you encourage and help and advise, don't try to dominate, and make yourself available to people then that should be quite useful. That is what old men and women should do," he laughs. lt seems strange to think that someone who has been such a political force for so long will be leaving politics, and Westminster will be a poorer place without him. As he lists his duties for the following week, which include going on a picket line against a supermarket which is underpaying its staff, lecturing in Yorkshire and the final preparations for last week's party conference, he sums up what - for him - it's all about. "lt is all about understanding the world we live in and then influencing people to try and improve it." And whether you think he's succeeded or not; whether you agree with his methods or not, few people would suggest that Tony Benn has not tried to make the ~ tT!MJt ~MM. and Arthur
Scargl/1 at a
pro-miners demonstration
STOP PIT
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18 Featured
Concrete Wednesday, October 6, 1999
11urning ISSUI T
he remarkable problem solving prowess of the human race notwithstanding, there remain some mysteries that seem as if they will always elude mortal understanding. There's the baffling secret of Dale Winton's masculine allure for a start. And how about David Beckham's uncanny ability to combine immaculate behaviour on the pitch with such eloquence and sophistication off it? lt would. jeopardise our mental health even to contemplate such conundrums. However, there is one such riddle that demands our attention in spite of the obvious hazards involved: Why, even now as we move into Autumn, is there a preference for sporting the latest designer sunglasses atop the forehead as opposed to in front of the eyes? There are a number of explanations that could be proffered in relation to this freakish tendency, but they simply do not stand up to scrutiny. One might suggest, for example, that the individuals in question move their glasses upwards when caught out by the sudden clouding over of a previously spotless sky. A reasonable idea, you might think. But of course there's the minor detail that the degree of light present doesn't have any effect on the position of the aforementioned eyewear, given that they'll just as often be wom on the forehead at a club of an el(ening as in the street during the day. Nope, just doesn't cut the Colmans, does it?
"Why is there a current preference for sporting the latest designer sunglasses atop the forehead as opposed to in front of the eyes?" lt could also be argued that the shades are being used as practical tools to keep unruly hair out of the face. But yet again, no dice. After all, most of the individuals in question haven't got enough hair to give their respective noggins even the most cursory protection from the elements, let alone interfere with their facial features. And besides, there's a delightful selection of very affordable Alice bands out there these days. So, as you can see, it doesn't look as if we will ever uncover the reason for this most bizarre of fashions. So close, yet so far. Perhaps we really should just admit defeat. But wait - how about...? No, surely not But then again, perhaps... Just hear me out now: perhaps people wear sunglasses on their heads because - wait, wait, it's coming - because they think it makes them look cool? Yes, yes ~ I think I've done it! That's it! That's... But hang on a sec; what am I saying? That would imply that we are a race of vain, superfiCial, sad little creatures with some seriously screwed up priorities. And that's surely out of the question. Guess it's back to the drawing board again. Oh welL..
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The UEA photo casebook Kev and Kirsty and Jules and Annie used to go on double dates ...
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Featured Fancy a foursome?
19
Horoscopes
So you think you know about. ..
Chat Shows crosswor
1. Who was the mayor of Cincinnati before becoming the king of chat? 2. Which show did Esther Rantzen host before 'Esther'? 3. For which film did Oprah Winfrey receive an Oscar nomination in 1988? 4. Norwich's own chat show queen is ... ? 5. Robert Kilroy Silk was an MP for which political party? 6. Name the two films that Rikki Lake starred in with John Waiters as director. 7. Which talk show was the first to be implicated in the hoaxers scandel last year? 8. Who preaches motivational skills and was a US marine before becoming an award winning chat show host? 9. What restraints did Jerry Springer promise to introduce to his show after civil watchdogs told him it had become too extreme? 1 0. Who famously staggered drunk onto Wog an?
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CLUES Across I. Weighty Olympic disipline (I I) 9. Woman of the cloth (9) 10. ll ousehold chemical firm (5) I I. Chocolate cake (6) I 2. Hang back (8) I 3. Alarm (6)
I 5. Pristine (9) I 8. Above one ' s station (8) I9. Brand of dog food (6) 2 I. Radio handle (8) 23. Superman. wonderwoman 'l (6) 26. _ of life (6) 27. unhiascd (9) 28. Sport , not part of the Union (5.6)
Down I. Wise beyond your years (7) 2. Porch. window (5) 3. Chem ical killer (9) 4. Bound (4) 5. Rude and insulting (8) 6. Gosh (5) 7. No fault detected (7) 8. Bird house (8)
14. Protest (8) 16. Normally found in a wood (9) I 7. Clumsy (8) I 8. Early American president (7) 20. Fixedness of purpose (7) 22. Transparently fine (5) 24. In debt to (5) 25. Over active (4)
travel
Nice, Venice Beach
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Setting off for six months in Nice, Robert Bolton had high hopes of sun, sea and falling in love with Nicole off the Renault ad. Strangely enough, only some of his hopes were fulfilled.
L
ast cold and dreary February I packed my bags and headed off to the sun and glory of the French Riviera for six months of intensive English Literature Oust don't ask). Half a year later I can confidently report that the Cote D'Azur is just the job for anyone who fancies a break from the never-ending joys of life in Norwich. Just be careful where you choose to live, that's all ... When I arrived in Nice - the town which was to serve as my base - somewhat the worse for wear after the long journey, I was full of high hopes for my stay. lt didn't take long for those expectations to be dampened quite considerably. But then perhaps it was just a mite unlikely that I'd bump into Nicole, it'd be love at first sight, we'd pinch her dad's Renault and joyride around the rest of Europe. I had been allocated a room in one of the numerous blocks of university accommodation dotted around the city, and although it was just that - a block - I was determined not to jump to conclusions. After all, didn't all our grey haired old grandmothers repeatedly tell us not to judge a building by the peeling paint on its walls ... or something? Alas, my stoical resistance could not resist the onslaught that it was about to be dealt. Having finally located my futul'e-abode down a labyrinth of Shining-esque corridors, I opened the door to reveal a broom-cupboard-cum-room that made the Waveney cells seem positively palatial. As the prospect of living there for the next six months hit home, the large majority of the romantic notions about life in France promptly scarpered. Moments later, as I was thrown off my feet by the siren like tone of the communal phone (which happened to be conveniently positioned just outside my door), the hardy remainder of my idealistic sentiments also said their farewells. The discovery soon after that every toilet in the area lacked the minor detail of a seat merely set the seal on a fairly inauspicious first encounter with my new home. Still, I reasoned, what was I here for anyway? To squat away my tirne over a hole in the ground, or enjoy the genuine French experience (putting aside the suggestion that the two activities are one and the same)? lt was time for a look at the City. Fortunately, things started to look up immediately. Nice has - if the two words may be put together a rather interesting recent history. Its development into the fifth largest town in France was considerably influenced by the influx of Russian and English aristocrats in the eighteenth century, who had settled upon the French Riviera as the
ideal, location to spend all their hard-inherited cash. Even now it is wealthy retired people originating from foreign, or at least non-Nicois, locations who wield most of the power. Not surprisingly, this has resulted in a tradition of rightwing politics, as the rich do everything in their power to hang on to their wealth. Even the scandal surrounding Mayor Jacques Medecin in 1990, who fled to Uruguay after it was discovered that 400 million francs had disappeared from the community coffers, failed to change the status quo. Only five years later his ally and Le Pen's close friend, Jacques Peyrat was voted into the very same role. Peyrat soon showed his caring liberal attitude by twinning Nice with Cape Town at the height of Apartheid. Obviously a lovely man. But we're not here to talk about politics, and besides, not even the most heinous statesman can do anything about Nice's mightily impressive location. Bordered by the Alps on one side and
"Nice even houses an English pub where you can go if you want to forget all about France." the Azure blue of the Mediterranean on the other, it could hardly be more scenically placed. But that is far from all it has to offer: the town itself is certainly not to be sniffed at. The modern part of the city has all that you would expect from a sizeable modem metropolis. Shops of all variety, <::inemas, fast food restaurants; you know the type of thing. But there is also the Old Town, which is what makes Nice something special. Vieux Nice is a mass of tiny backstreets and alleyways saturated with cafes and bars simply oozing character. Whether you're into just sitting, sipping away at your chosen beverage and watching the world go by, or a more intense, hands on experience, there will be something here for you. Nice even houses (rather embarrassingly) an English pub, Wayne's, where you can go if you want to forget all about France and pretend you're still in deepest Essex (somewhat defeating the object of taking a trip to France though, I'd have thought). So there really is nothing to complain about. Needless to say, as soon as I'd located this particular palace of intoxication all my dissatisfaction with the accommodation drifted away in a cloud of murky fumes and a thunder of impromptu karaoke.
Still, even French nightlife gets a little tedious after a while, and that's where Nice's fantastic geographical location comes into its own. With the mountains less than an hour's drive away to the north, the beach much less than an hour's walk to the south, and numerous picturesque and easily accessible towns and villages to the east and west, the only problem is choosing where to go first. And let's not forget Monaco and Cannes. Both are around half an hour away on the train, and demand a quick visit - just to say you've been there, if nothing else. Cannes itself, pleasant though it is, is unremarkable, except for the Film
Festival - which although remarkable, is not particularly pleasant unless you like watching various self-important stars prancing around like peacocks. But Monaco has a character all its own - very ****ing rich - and it is simply a criminal offence to pass within 100 miles of the place without stopping off to lose a couple of hundred francs in the casino. James Bond's been there for Christ's sake! Okay, so I may not have got a lot of sleep, and every trip to the toilet might have filled me with dread, but life on the French Riviera suited me fine . I'd recommend it heartily. Just choose your hotel wisely ...
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Concrete Wednesday, October 6, 1999
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Venice beach is widely reputed as a home for kooks and weirdos. But according to Kris Siefken the inhabitants are really just trying to have fun ... here IS a saying 1n the United States that "those who don't ·fit in' in Ame rica move to California". WelL there is an other saying in California that "those who don't 'fit in' in Cali fornia move to Ve nice
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Beach". This opinion of Los Angeles ' Venice Beach community. as m1sfits or freaks , seems to have permeated Bri tish cui ure as wel L Ask people what they think of when you mention Ven ice Beach and the answer almost invariably includes "freaks", "hippi -ch icks", '·ro llerblades" and "we irdos". Even guidebooks describe Venice Beach in te rms more reminiscent of a 1950s circ us adve rt than anything else. "A stroll in rollerblading , bikini fl auntin g, tattooed Venice is like an acid trip fo r th e timid ,'' is the considered conclusion of the 1999 Let's Go USA guide. But is this view just? Is it fair? With memories from five years ago - of days spent lounging on th e beach, playing vol leyball with fellow lifeguards, and shooti ng hoops on basketball co urts made famous by the movie White Men Can 't Jump- lurk ing in th e back of my mi nd I decided to put th e guidebooks to th e test. "An acid tri p for th e tim id" was defin itely not th e way I remembered Venice Beach, but t11 en memory can be a decepti ve thing. But co uld it be that deceptive? Th ere was , in th e end, only one way to find out. After an 11 hour fl ight from Heath row I disembarked at Los Ang eles airport and after a 15 minute cab ride I was back in Venice Beach
aga1n . Thert? was a time in Venice Beach when the place to stay was Jim's at the Beach: an establishment famous wo rld-wide for its free breakfast of pancakes and its Friday night vodka watermelon partie s. For just £10 you cou ld get a bed for the night in a dorm room (£ 15 now) and a stunning view of the sunset from the balcony - a sunset that stretcl1ed all the way across the bay to Malibu in the distance. Those days are gone,
"Outsiders see living here as a way of life. lt's not. lt's a way of living your life. A way of re-evaluating life, trying to make every day matter." however. Th e sheer volume of successful 20somethi ngs wanting to live in Venice has resulted in Jim's ocean view being blocked by a three storey apartment co mplex. Such is life in LA. Fortunately for the traveller to Ven ice Beach, fi nding good , rea sonabl y priced , accommodation is rarely a problem , and as Jim's has lost its position as the affordable height of fashion , the Cadi llac Hotel on Dudley Avenue ( www./econcierge. comlcadillachote~ has stepped into its shoes. A restored art deco hotel right on the boardwalk , its stunning location al lows you to feel like you are actually living in Venice Beach and are not just one of the tourists coached in daily from their dov,.1town hotels to observe the
'freaks'. lt is this feeling it gives, that you are actually a part of Venice and not just a tourist voyeur, which allows yo u to see behind some of the 'freakish' stereotypes that exist about Venice Beach . Wh enever an LA producer wants a location that instantly says 'different" to the viewers they simply roll the ir trucks down from Hollywood and invade Ven ice's boardwalk for a couple of days . Thin k back to the movie Speed. Keanu Reeves is presen ted from the beginning as the maverick cop of his squad, and where do we see hi m getting his morning cup of coffee when the first bus blows up? In VeAice Beach of cou rse , at The Firehouse on the corne r of Rose and Main St. And no , before you ask the re is no telephone kiosk the re. lt was just a studio prop. the real one being inconveniently located out of shot. Venice Beach has become, then , visual shorthand for difference and more worryingly. and incorrectly, for freakish ness. The only problem is that whil e no Venice resident would argue that Venice locals aren't differen t from the rest of LA - and in man y ways most of America they see this as its strength, indeed its ve ry appeal . As Venice local Kurt Weilan put it over tofu scrambled eggs at the popular breakfast location , Cafe 325 on the Boardwalk, "People [outsid e Veni ce] see living here as a way of life. it's not. it's a way of living your life . A way of reeval uating li fe , trying to make every day matter, trying to make the very quality of your life the focus of what yo u do, of how you live ... lt is this re-evaluation of life that gives rise to Veni ce's real appeal and indeed to many of its most vivid characters. A walk along the boardwalk any evening or weekend will quickly illustrate what Weilan means . Ven ice is crammed with people for whom what they do and how they live is the most important aspect of their life . From the famous "skateboard grandma who, despite being in her sixties , roars across the car parks every even ing propelled by a windsurf sail , to another local celebrity, Harry
Ferry. Harry can be fo und mos t days· rolle rbl ading along the boardwalk in his caftan and turban , serenading locals and visitors alike with his electric guitar. his amp strapped to his back. This mixture of an 'anything goes' attitude and strenuous efforts to make the area as desirable for all as possible - the boardwalk is a 'drug free zone': possession for sale carries an additional year in Venice- leads tourists to flock in all yea r round , and LA residents eve ry weekend. One reg ular at the weekly beachside rollerdisco, Jose Philippe, explained the appeal of Venice. ·•t live in
"Venice Beach is like detox for the mind. Life is so commercialised most of the time, but here that doesn't apply." West Hollywood and work [in] Downtown [LA). Five days a week my wife and I live corporate lives and put up with corporate sh't. But every weekend we come down to Venice just to have fun, just to laugh. And to relax." His wife Maria added, "Venice Beach is like detox for the mind . Life is so commercialised most of the time: what you buy, what you wear, what job you do . But here that doesn't apply." As a tou ri st it would be easy to laugh at a group of 40-somethings who come down after wo rk to fl y their stunt kites, or at the teenager who pipes the sun down every evening on his flute . lt would be all too easy to scoff at the bodybuilders of Muscle Beach or the Flowerman decked out head to toe in flowers but it is less easy to scoff at the way they live th eir lives. From the talented artists and photographers selling their wares (log on to www.robertkenttusler.com and www.lucasartnow.com for views of Veni ce Beach and its artwork) to the 31 year old skateboardi ng Rastafarian hacky-sack professional , these are people for whom life is fun . And if th at is what it ta kes to make them 'freaks', then , to be honest, I think I'd rather be a freak .
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advertisement from the students union
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If you are over the age of 17, weigh more than lst 12/bs, not had a tattoo or body piercing in the last year, feel in good health and have not been to a tropical country in the last 12 months, then you too can save a life.
NGTODAY
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Believe us, giving blood is normally quick and painless. And when you give blood, you'll be doing one of the most amazing thing that anybody could dream of - saving alife. The demand for blood rises year on year- that's all types of blood, not just the rare ones - and yet just 5% of the UK population currently donate. Yet, it is so simple to do so. ne National Blood Senice will be in the
LCR o the 4th, 5th and 11th October e couraging UfA students to help save lives. The Top Tl nStudent Rule for Giving Blood 1. Age - you must be at least 17 2. Food - always eat and drink before donating 3. Piercing/Tattooing - you can only give blood if you were pierced or tattooed over 1 year ago 4. Glandular fever - you can still donate if you have had glandular fever, as long as you are fully recovered. 5. Meningitis immunisation - you can give blood if you have immunisation against meningitis 6. The Pill - being on the contraceptive pill doesn't stop you from donating · 7. Asthma - a long as your asthma is controlled and you feel well, then you can still donate. 8. Weight- you must weigh must be 1st 121bs 9. Safety - giving blood is totally safe and you can't catch anything from donating 10. Saving lives - your donation will save or improve at least 2 lives.
Hyou are u1sure as to •••t•er you ea• give bl • t•e• just ask o1e of t•e 1urses 01 •uty at t•e •••or sessio1. Remember - quick, simple, painless and guaranteed to give you a warm glow inside. And if members of the Exec can manage it, I'm sure you can!
Go on, be a hero and save a life!
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advertisement
Too Late, Too Loud, Too Lively? The first few weeks of term are typically very lively both on and off campus. Whilst a large percentage of the UEA population live in the Golden Triangle, it is important to bear in mind that some of the residents in this area are not students. The University is already receiving complaints this academic
year from people living in the Golden Triangle concerning noise in student households. You can be prosecuted for causing excessive noise under sections 79 and 80 of the Environmental Protection Act. If a complaint if made then an assessment can be carried out by the Environmental Health Department of the Council and they can issue a noise abatement order. lt is a criminal offence to defy the order and defiance carries a maximum penalty of £5000. In a less serious sense, a significant percentage of student house contracts contain clauses realting to noise and general disturbances. If residents are noisy then there are possible consequences for tenancy and in the most extreme case this could mean eviction (although most tenancy agreements require a possession order for tenants to be evicted).
Student households can take positive steps to try and avoid a and off situation with neighbours. Prevention is better than acure and it could be an idea to introduce yourselves to your neighbours and try to come to some sort of agreement at the beginning of the year regarding noise levels. If you are going to have a party it is probably best to inform your immediate neighbours in advance of the event and again agree a time when the music will be switched off.
On the other hand, if you feel that your neighbours are becoming a problem or you just want more information about any aspect of living off campus then pop up to the Student Advice Centre in Union house ..
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TO the Undergraduation helpers: From the Union and University,
On behalf of the Union, University and all those students and their parents who assisted, I would like to say a big thank you. Thank you for being so positive; we couldn't have done it without you. From: Louise Peel Student Support and Development Manager.
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TAKING THE HIGH ROAD ON FEES AND FUNDING Aat IJ little, NUS Offic r. explaios UEA Students' role now tbat the fight against fees has moved north of the border
Following the elections to the Scottish Parliament, it is clear that the people of Scotland agree on one thing; their opposition to higher education tuition fees. Every party on the Scottish ballot paper, except the Labour Party, was anti-fees. There is a real chance that tuition fees could be killed off north of the border, but the Union of UEA Students' and the NUS are keen that the political climate in Scotland is used to make all aspects of post 16 education funding the Parliament's first priority. As the Scottish parliament begins to shape up, the abolition of tuition fees is of primary concern but it is not only the challenge that the parliament must tackle. Also on the agenda must be:
* An end to student banlship thro
a mixed syste of funding, guaranteeing a mini
11
income to students thro
increased
financial sapport and access to benefits. * An expansio of access fu to e co rage sbl nts frotn n-traditional backgroands to enter edacatio • * Access to the edacatio •intenance allowance for all further ed catio students. * Adecent pay settlement for aniYersity staff incl ing a full in~ple~~~entation of the i pending Bett Report on pay and co _ itions. In order to address these wider issues, NUS joined with the Association of University Teachers and the Committee of Scottish Higher Education Principals to call for an Independent Commission of Inquiry into student support. To make sure that there will be no fudge on fees, Andrew Pakes (President of NUS), last month handed agiant mock referendum ballot paper into Liberal Democrat HQ, which put the question "Are you still committed to the abolition of Scottish tuition fees?". An hour earlier, Richard Baker (President of NUS Scotland) handed in the same demand to the Leader of the Scottish Lib Dems Jim Wallace. In front of TV cameras Jim Wallace ticked the YES box. The "Scottish anomaly" in last summer's Teaching and Higher Education Bill was one of the reasons that fees were such a big issue in the election. Most degrees in Scotland are four years long and under the proposed legislation, Scottish students were exempt from the fourth year while other UK students had to pay it. And the Bill went through Parliament last summer, NUS pei1IIMH tile Hoae of ~
to a tile Bi I back to tile Com11011 tne ti
. lt inflicted the greatest Parliamentary defeat of a majority government in living memory, by focusing on the anomaly.
At tile tilll, .. lllped tblt blilioa fees
be tile tlli1 ead of tile wedge IM tlllt fees
d rise at mon prestigi
uiYenities effectiyely gllettoisiiC b;aller edlcatiH. Howard Newby, the new
Chair of the Vice Chancellor's organisation CVCP, is suggesting just this. But in Australia, where tuition fees have led to differential fees, the higher education system is now on the point of financial collapse. Academics are being forced to take a 19 per cent pay cut and the government are abolishing the scholarship scheme which helped students from poorer families. Back home the result of negotiations between tbe Scottish political parties have been a real success for the UK Student Movement. We now have acommitment to a committee of inquiry looking at all the issues of Scottish student funding, a pledge of an extra £29m to be invested in education and a commitment from the Lib Dems not to back down on their election manifesto pledge to abolish. If fees ,,
go iq Scot~and, then the rest 9f.tile lltiol Cll ,.. , . . . ~ ~
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• Have ideas about how the university could be made better? • Want to ensure that student opinion is heard? • Want to improve your communication and negotiating skills?
Ever thought of becoming astudent representative? Being a representative gives you the opportunity to ensure that students are involved in the running of the Union and University. The Union also offers training in a wide range of skills, from negotiating to public speaking to speaking to all representatives. There are two main areas in which you can get involved:
Tbe first is student This is a Union based committee which meets once a fortnight. IT is made up of the Executive and students from each school and·discusses issues of union policy and matters affecting students at UEA. Students Forum also keeps the Executive Committee accountable to the student body.
We are holding an infonnation session about Students Fom• on Thursday Tth October at 1p11 and 5p• in rotJRI1.33 Union House. :.
You can also get involved in School Boards. The School Board is the highest decision making body in each school of study which meets 3/4 times a year. Student representatives therefore form a vital part of the running of each school. They often sit on other school committees and have the opportunity to co·ntribute to the schools academic strategies and raise issues of concern to students.
We are holding infonnation sessions about School Boards on Tuesday 12th October at lp11 and 5pRI in rotJR11.33 in Union house To find out more about School Boards or Students fo111m, leaflets and nomination forms are available from the Advice Centre in Union >Hop,se or e !llail ~he ~mic Offi~r :at ~cad@uea.c.uk ~ ~·
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Sport 27
Concrete Wednesday, October 6, 1999
URES FIXTURES
BUSAF
Fixtures are subject to change BUSA FIXTURES WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13
BUSA FIXTURES WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20 ·
FOOTBALL Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens
V V V V
Kent Kent Kent Kent
(h) (h) (h) (h)
Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens3 Womens
FOOTBALL Nth Lond UCN Essex Bucks
V V V V
RUGBY Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens
V V V V
St Geo SI Geo UCN Cambs
(h) (h) (a) (a)
RUGBY Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens
V V
V V
V V V
V V
Herts Kent Free Kent Free
(a) (a)
(a)
Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens 1 Womens 2
V
V
Herts Cambs
(a) (a)
V V
V V
V V
Nth Lond (h) Grnwhich (h)
Mens 1 Womens
V V
V V
Kent UCN
(h) (a)
Mens 1 Womens
V
V
V
DMBEDS(h)
UEA 1 UEA2
V
Cambs
cccc
V
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V V V
Kent Brunei Bucks
UEA
V
M'sex
V
(a)
UEA
V
(a) (h) (h)
(h)
V V
M'sex Essex
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19.20 20.50
(h) (h)
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5 SQUASH UEA Men
v
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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9 FOOTBALL Mens 1 Mens 3
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V V
V V V
Rangers Nch. Union B
(a) (h)
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(a) (h) (a) (a) (h)
Wymondham 2 Wymondham 3 Wymondham 4
(h) (a) (h)
13.30
(h)
13.00-
(h) (h)
10.30 10.30
14.00
13.00
11 .30
RUGBY Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3
V V
V
13.30
(h) (h)
Mens National Cup-Round 2
Oxford
(a)
M'sex
TENNIS UEA'A' UEA 'B'
(a)
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V
V
LOCAL LEAGUE TABLES
SQUASH Mens 1 Mens 2 Womens
V
V V
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TABLE TENNIS Mens 1
V
TENNIS Mens Womens
(h) (h)
GOLF
TABLE TENNIS Mens 1
(a)
Broadland Devils Knicks 1
V
V
LACROSSE
SQUASH Mens 1 Mens 2 Womens
UCN Brunei
V
GOLF UEA
UEA Ladles UEA Men
NETBALL
LACROSSE UEA
Essex Free
BASKETBALL
NETBALL UEA 1 UEA2
(a) (h) (h) cccc (h) Grenwich (a)
BADMINTON
BASKETBALL Mens 1 Womens
(a) (a) (h) (h)
Luton Essex Brunei
V
BADMINTON Mens 1 Womens
SBLH SBLH Essex Herts
LOCAL LEAGUE FIXTURES MONDAY,OCTOBER 4
HOCKEY
HOCKEY Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens 1 Womens 2
(h) (h) (h) (h)
& TABLES
Grenwich (h)
TENNIS Mens Womens
V V
Gallpen Colour Print Business Houses League Divi i 1 p w d f a pts UEA Trowse Newton Earl ham Jubilee Drayton Thorpe Hamlet Norwich Union A Spixworth Rangers
3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3
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2s Sport
Concrete Wednesday, October 6, 1999
...
Claire Hickman investigates the disturbing SP-ate of deaths in three day eventing~ t is fair to say that no sport is risk free, and th e possibility of serious injury is never far from the minds of top sports stars. Indeed , the sport of three day eventing is arguably in the high risk bracket, with horse and rider in precarious harmony, negotiating devilish fences at tremendous speeds. Yet the recent spate of deaths within the sport has rocked it to its very foundations , prompting ca lls for safety improvements akin to the furore that occurred in Formula One following the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and multiple world champion Ayrton Senna at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994. Th e shock has been compounded by the fact that the four deceased riders , Peta Beckett, Robert Slade, Simon Long and Pally Phillips, were all greatly experienced and well known. Pally Phillips, for exa mple , represented Great Britain and was a genuine contender for a medal in next year's Sydney Olympics. Ironically, at the time of her death in the Scottish Open Championships she was riding her top horse, Coral Cove. And even more confusingly the deaths of all four riders occurred at relatively simple fences, all of which were different in their construction. In 1992, a si milar si tuation arose when four deaths occurred during th e season , but th en all the cases had one thing in common : they all happened at 'table fences' . These bank like obstacles, requiring the horses to jump on to and then jump off, presenting the potential for tragedy when horses become confused with
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the task in front of them and try to jump the fence in one go. This was impossible and on the occasions when rider deaths occurred the horses fell and crushed their mounts. Unsurprisingly such fences were
subsequently banned. However, this season there has been no connection , with the only similarity between the accidents being that they were
In response the association has set up a working party made up of former international riders and well respected course builders including Captain Mark Phillips, the former husband of Princess An ne. But the group has got a hard task on its hands. Not only wer5hemajority close friend s of the ceased, but it is difficult to see w at they can do as the causes o the spate of accidents are largely unknown and only so much can be done to reduce risks in a sport that is plagued with dangers. The very nature of th e sport means that riders are at greater risk than their compatriots in National Hunt riding as they are jumping solid fences at speed as opposed to fences that are predominantly co nstructed from foliage . In addition to this three day event competitors ride with long stirrups which, despite allowing greater control over the horse and increased accuracy while approaching the fence, makes it more likely that the rider would become trapped under the horse in th e event of a fall . In National Hunt short stirrups are used
"An unusually large num ber of deaths are occurring when the sport should be safer than it has ever been" all crushed under their horses and that th ey were extremely ¡ competent riders. Thi s has presented a conundrum for the sport's governing body, The British Horse Trials Association, who need to be seen to be taking action in the face of national media pressure for "something to be done".
which mean that th e rider is usually thrown clear if the horse misjudges a jump. The faster speeds at which National Hunt jockeys approach fences also means that the rider is likely to be thrown clear of their falling mount. Anoth er baffling fact that the BHTA committee cannot ignore is that an unusually large
number of deaths are occurring when th e sport should be safer than it has ever been . There are doctors and experienced first aid crews with four wheel d r i v e ambulances present at every event, suggesting that the recent deaths were not a result 1 of inadequate medical attention. The standard safety specification of riding head protectors has recently increased, with more padding, and the new helmets are now compulsory in all competi tion as are back protectors. In addition to the protective garments worn by the riders, the fen ces th emselves are also designed with safety in mind in that they can easily be dismantled if the horse becomes trapped. However, they do not break if a horse hits them, increasing the possibility of the horse falling . Rectifying th is problem is top of the BTHA Committee's list of priorities. One idea was that fences should be made of pre-sawn telegraph poles that would break if struck, thus preventing the horse from falling. A good solution indeed, but it would be a considerable amou nt of time before such fences could be incorporated into competiti on due to the amount of testing required and the possibility that poles may the broken themselves lead to accidents. As a result the BHTA has been reluctant to adopt this or any other quick fix in the face of the media outcry. That was until the tragic death of Peter McLean that occurred on
September 19th at the Somerleyton Hall Horse Trials near Lowestoft. The accident happened at Fence Five, a straightforward but wide fence. Apparently his horse hit the fence and landed on him , and despite medical attention the 20 year old was dead on arrival at the James Paget Hospital. I attended the event myself and had been watching horses jumping the fatal fence just prior to the accident. I had already assisted after one rider had fallen and broken her ankle. The officials present after that fall appeared to be very tense, as if they were dreading another fatality, but the competition was drawing to a close and with only th e Advanced Intermed iate section (the most experienced horse and rider combination of the day) rema in ing it was decided . that the competition should continue. it had just been announced that Pippa Fonnell had won the individual gold at the European Championships and that the British team had also triumphed , things were looking up for British eventing. Th e horses res tarted and I walked further round th e cou rse. But after a few horses had passed the loud speaker went silent for 30 minutes and no more competitors were to be seen on the course.
description of the fall but no mention of whether anyone had been hurt. it was only on the Monday morning that I learnt, by way of the local news, of the fifth fatality in the last five months. Following this latest tragedy the BHTA decided to act and announced they were going to tighten regulations in a desperate attempt to improve safety. Competitors are to be given more time to complete the course in order to remove excessive speeds as a factor that could be leading to the accidents. The BHTA are also going to experiment with knockdown fences with further tests to be carried out in the future . Stewards are also to be given powers to disqualify riders who are considered to be riding in a reckless manner. But it is unclear whether these new regulations will achieve their aim of stemming the disturbing trend of recent mot~ths . Those who compete know that eventing is a high risk sport and that at the end of the day they may not return home after competition, but it is a risk th ey are aware of and choose to take. Indeed , there is a certain degree of luck as to the outcome of a fall . Pally Phillips suffered a fall earlier this year at the Badminton Horse trials th at was almost identical to th e one that killed her. Her horse rolled on her but she was fortunate, escaping with only a broken collar bone. As Mr Mike Tucker, head of the BHTA safety committee, says "it's a risk sport .. .we can never make it 100 per cent safe".
"lt's a risk sport ... we can never make it 100 per cent safe" ¡ Mike Tucker, Head of the BHTA Safety Committee it was obvi ous an accident had happened with either a horse or rider being seriously injured. After an hour competition was restarted and I went back to Fence Five to ask what had occurred. All I got was the steward's cryptic
â&#x20AC;˘ Simon Long: casualty
Sport 29
Girl Power Ex-cleaner Margaret McGregor is set to make history next month as she steps into the ring with a man in the world 's first pro male-female boxing match. McGregor, 36, from Washington state, USA, has won all three of her professional fights. In contrast her opponent, Loi Chow from Canada, who at 1251bs Is Slbs lighter, has lost both of his pro bouts.
Edmundo's Monkey Business The controversial Brazilian football star Edmundo is in hot water again after a newspaper printed photos of him giving beer to a chimp. The volatile striker hired the animal, along with two elephants, to liven up his son's first birthday party, but the bash turned sour when the pictures of the chimp drinking beer appeared. Edmundo was duly fined $10(10 and could still face six months behind bars.
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A doting mum has been anned from attending football matches at her son's school after swearing at the referee. Despite being a governor and librarian at the school the over zealous parent was unable to control herself when her son suffered at the hands of the opponents' tough tackling. Fellow spectators were left aghast as she hurled abuse and urged her son and others to " Go for his legs". The usually mild m_annered mum later commented, "I was just getting into the game and got carried away."
_. .
Forest Didn't Have a Prayer Former Nottingham Forest boss Dave Bassett reckons that it would have taken an act of God to keep them up last season. Bassett said, " With the lack of cash and player problems Red Adair, Harry Houdini and Paul Daniels could not have done the job. " I've pulled rabbits out of the hat in my time, but Forest didn't need a magician. lt would have taken divine intervention to keep them up".
Desperate City fight for points
Concrete makes its fortnightlY. visit to Carrow Road By NICHOLA SEXTON and NICK HENEGAN
NORWICH'S DISMAL run of form continued with their 1-0 defeat at Huddersfield on Saturday, September 18. The highlight of a de;pcrate fiN half \aw Huddersfield'\ Dutch striker Clyde Wijnhard squander the perfect chance to score, a~tonhhingly missing an open goal. Fortunately the game came alive an Iwan Robe11s goal. in the second half thank<. to orwich started the \econd ha If Winjhard , who redeemed himself on brightly and Dalglish grabbed the 51 minutes with a .,ublimc chip that lead. left Andy Marshall stranded and The game looked deservedly won it for the Yorbhire side. secure until Stockport's Tony The second leg of the Dinning put away an unstoppablc Worthington cup tic with Fulham free kick in the 87th minute. could not ha\'e come at a worse orwich played Manchester City time. in a rescheduled game on Tuesday, September 28. And after ending their losing With confidence low and a four streak there wa<. a glimmer of hope goal deficit from the first leg things for the orwich faithful. were looking bleak for City before a The Canaries had a spirited start, ball had even been kicked. forcing the Man City keeper to Unfortunately for the Canaries, make a string of saves while Fulham carried on where they left repelling the oppo.,ition\ attack\. off, taking the lead on 20 minutes. Russell came close to levelling but his shot struck the post. Norwich were rewarded for their Bruce Rioch made wholesale efforts during the clo.,ing minutes of changes at the break, but they failed the first half. much to the disgust of to make a significant difference and the Man City team who had two seven minu tes from time Fulham goals ruled offside within the space put the final nail in City\ coffin of ten minutes. with a second goal. However, the winning goal wa'> scored in the 37th minute when Roberts capitalised on a superb free On Saturday, September 25 the kick whipped 111 by Eadie, with a Canaries travelled to Stockport and lovely looping header which shot were denied their first away win of into the ba k of the net. the season in the cruellest of The relief -of the crowd was fashions. palpable when the final whistle The visitors went behind in the sounded. lt was undoubtedly 26th minute but managed to go in at Norwich's best performance of the half time on equal terms thanks to season.
Bleak
Disgust
Denied
Norwich squandered u 1-0 lead at home to Fulham on Saturday. October :!. allowing the \ p,itop, to claim their third victory again 1 the Canaries withm a month . City had the beller of the fin,t half. with Flcming apd Carey creating \everal chances, and were finally rewarded on 28 minute., when a free kick was converted by Forbes.
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Pressure Things tool- a turn for the worse 111 the .,ccond half. a., Fulham pulling the City defence under incessant pre.,.,ure. Their per.,everance paid off when new signing Karl Hein~: Riedle scored in the 73rd minute . orwich continued to baule on but to no avail. with Roberts \hooting O\er the crossbar and Dalgli'>h firing wide . Fulham put the boot in on 88 minutes with a goal that more than anything exposed the Canaries ' fundamental defensive weaknesses and lack of concentration.
CITY STAYS DIVISION ONE
P W 0 L GS Pt 17. Port Vale 18.QPR 19.Norwich 20.Crewe 21 .Swlndon
10 8 10 7 10
3 1 6 12 10 2 3 3 9 9 2 3 5 9 9 2 2 3 10 8 2 2 6 7 8
NORWICH CITY TOP SCORERS lwan Roberts Lee Marshal!
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Concrete Wednesday, October 6, 1999
UEA stick it to Dereham with OP.ening victo~_ ii[•@3Ji Mens Firsts 3 - 0 Dereham I By NICK HENEGAN, Sports Editor
THE MEN'S hockey went into their first league tie of the season against a potentially dangerous Dereham in jovial mood. Backed by a good natured and vocal crowd the match of Saturday, October 2 saw a UEA side that was a combination of experienced first team players and those who have been drafted in this season achieve a comfortable victory. The first half was a particularly from a free hit after a fou l wa' Twenty minutes into the half Petc scrappy affair with both teams committed on the right wi ng. Atkinson in the UEA goal pre\'en ted unable to sustain possession. mainly The second half started bright ly an almost certain goal as he due to the fact that passing was as Dereham began to push forward sprawled to collect after Dereham ·s inaccurate and forward runs were looking for an equaliser which in short corner bamboozled the not being seen quickly enough by turn gave UEA the chance to create defence. the midficld. spa<:e in goal scoring positions. Clean sheet But UEA had the better of the They did just that live mi nutes early play, putting Dereham under into the half when Stuart Wright Some more wayward passing and pressure and on 12 minutes com ing collected Rob Briscoe's right wing mix ups on set piece routines desperately close when they hit the crm.s. stmck it against the keeper prevented more goals for UEA but pos t after a well worked short but managed to slot home the the ir unflappab le de fence was corner. rebound. always on hand to put in a well Midway through the first half the Briscoe was again involved when placed tackle and ensure a clean home team managed to secure a UEA increased their lead to three sheet was kept. period of increased stability and goals. High spirited captain. Rob Kay , possession but due to Dereham ·s said of the performance " it was a Penetrating resolute defending and nega tive fantastic performance considering formation made it hard for them to Again he delivered a penet rating that we've only been together for an make an) impression on the cross from the right and Francis week". opposition goal. And he confidently added ··we Fletcher was on hand this time to On 20 minutes Dereham expert ly round the keeper and flick are goi ng to wi n the league without managed to pu t so me pressure on the ball home. fail. the UEA goal with a series of long corners that the defence were unable to effectively clear.
HIGHLIGHTS
Deadlock The dead lock was broken five minutes later as ei l Harri on, who was at the heart of all UEA's attac king moves thro ugho ut the half, scored a tine goal stemm in g
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11'6N§D Rob Briscoe was a constan t force in mid fie ld. Impressive in both de fence and attack, a lso sett ing up both goals.
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Fl etcher's goa l comb ined incisive wing play and tine finishing and awareness in front of goal.
Sport 31
Concrete Wednesday, October 6, 1999
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UEA slaughter Beccles by_ 50 P-Oints in first fixture By NICK McGILL
The annual friendly match between UEA's second XV and Beccles took place on Saturday, October 2, an occasion which Is traditionally used to give the University's new blood a run out and make an early Impression. nfortunately Beccle~ only brought eight men and had to borruw five UEA players, reducing the game to slightly farcical 13 a side. When the home ·ide regi tered two trie. in the fin ten minute~ from attacks down Becdes' weak right side, a high scoring annihilation seemed inevitable. !though the vi•itor.. mlli.:d briefly. striking back with a converted try. any hopes of a come back were dashed a.~ Fo~ia latched onto a fine string of passes down the right and div.:d o'er to score.
Torn to shreds
By NICK HENEGAN
NEXT WEEK sees the much awaited return of BUSA competition as UEA's sports clubs get the chance to pit their skills with universities from around the country. The British University Sports competition that incorporates the Competition begins with a mini-league stage in which universities from the same region are matched up, providing the exciting derby matches and the meetings of old rivals. Depending upon their performance in these groups teams then progress into a second phase that is split into three different standards.
Prestigious This knockout competition consists of the Cup, which is the most prestigious and in which the best universities from each league face each other, the Shield and finally the Plate. The initial matches in these competitions can take place either home or away, depending on the draw whilst the later stages, most notably the final are held over a weekend at a designated university. Some sports, however, have their own one off competition where progression from the earty rounds to glory can happen within a.couple of days.
Association, or BUSA as it is more widely known, uses the majority of sports to determine its national rankings. badminton teams breezed Although UEA is renowned for its high participation rate BUSA through their groups and had the success over the years has been chance to impress in the Cup. limited. The squash team did just that, Yet last year's performances in more than matching some of the BUSA competition went some best teams in the country only to way to refilling the trophy cabinet be thwarted in the last 16 by and pointing to a promising year Nottingham University. to come. Yet for some of the best The outstanding performance supported clubs BUSA success of the year came from the rowing was hard to find. club's Richard Kelsey who Domination claimed the gold medal at the BUSA Regatta in the single scull Despite their domination of event. the Norfolk leagues the football Also in rowing the women's club the football club could not fours missed out on a medal by transfer it onto a national level, 0.2 seconds, coming in a valiant only managing to qualify the fourth. shield via a play off. The men's tennis team was Similarly the rugby club failed also unlucky, reaching the final to make an impression in their of the Shield only to be beaten group but they did manage to by St Mary's College. restore some pride by reaching the quarter finals of the Plate. Retained it is certain that all of UEA's In the BUSA snooker teams will be looking to improve on last year's performances and tournament nm Stone retained his B-team individual title while with the ever growing the B-team as a whole grabbed commitment and will to succeed the silver in the team event. at the university it likely that is a Both the squash and real possibility.
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On the half hour two of the game'· best moves occurred a the Becde defence was tom to shreds by some excellent nowing rugby. Taggart finished off an e cepuonal passing move and was then heavily involved again as McVeigh dived over. UEA now had a 37-7 lead and minutes later Taggart ~ored hi~ third of the day with a sublime individual etfort, evading three tackle hefore fordng the hall over the line. UEA rcfu ed to take their loot
of the half. aw a further two trie • one from John Pritchard who ghosted past tY.o tackle to !'Core hi~ ·econd, and as the referee was about to blow up Wllson scored again to bring up UEA's half century.
Frenetic The ·econd half saw more frenetic action as the reduced number allowed space for penetrating run . UEA truck early with Taggart scoring again. However. \\ ith a 50 point lead UEA began to get a bit complacent. allowing Beccles to stage a mini revival. scoring three times in the space of ten minutes to make the ~core a more
n: pectable 57·22. Beccles were bowing admirable pirit, and it took a su~rb try from McVeigh to bring UEA back to life. Pritchard duly scored his hat trick to add to the visitors mise!) and take the score to 71-22. The final try of this high scoring game went to Beccles in impressive fashion but this late flurry didn't disguise UEA'~ complete dominance of the game in all are~ of the field .
Excellent Captain Dan Oxle) !>aid of the match "It wa.~ an exl-ellent ·tart to the season, and the talent shown by the fre. hers today bodes well for the rest of the season ..
HIGHLIGHTS Scoring four superb trie ·
P ter Taggan ummed up the desire of the UEA side, del.pitc the non-competitive nature of the match.
Peter Taggart's e~ceptional indi' idual tl) on the half hour when he skipped round three players and pushed for the corner to force the ball over.
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UEA 4 · 0 St Andrews
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By SPENCER T WHALLEY
TH E MEN'S Firsts went into their local league clash with St Andrew's on the back of four straight wins and in an understandably confident mood. The match, which took place on Saturday, October 2 saw UEA again dominating play throughout and building on their reputation as far and away the best team in the league. Although there was plenty of pressure from UEA in the opening minutes, they where unable to find the breakthrough their general play deserved. And when Crozier squandered UEA's chance of gaining the lead, spooning a penalty kick wide of the post, it was beginning to seem like it wasn't going to be their day.
Exceptional The team seemed to be lacking the spark and fizz shown in the previous week's away match at Earlham, where they won 4-2 with an exceptionally determined performance in the face of violent tackling. Perhaps the bruises from that game were still taking their toll. However, in the 38th minute Ryan 's skill and precision brought the game to life for the home
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Womens Firsts 2 • 0 Watton
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By GEORG E WALKER
THE WOMEN'S Hockey First XI began the season on Saturday, October 2 with a home tie against Watton. The match was a chance for the team, which has experienced quite a change in its line up since last year, to gel and build up communication . This seemed to happen quickly, and team started well, displaying solid throughout the side. Consistency allowed UEA to keep possession , and with Charlotte West's strength and decisiveness at the centre midfield UEA dictated the opening passage of play. Combining passing with quick Lucy Willet and Carolina oney stringed together a series of moves down the left flank . However, inaccuracy in the final third pitch meant that the hard work was to avail.
What the team lacked in precision, they more than made up for in determination and strength.
Persistence And it was this persistence that resulted in UEA grabbing the lead on the half hour, when Andrea Alien bundled the ball over the line after a well orchestrated short corner. After the goal , a period of more open play ensued. UEA showed strong , sensible passing , ensuring that their one goal advantage was maintained.
Controlled by Carol Tupper, the defence dominated their area, soaking up pressure from Watton and making it impossible for them to make any sizeable impression on the game . . The second half was a far more scrappy affair, with neither team taking the initiative. UEA could not retain possession as well as they did in the first period, but once again showed admirable determination and team work. As a consequence they had the lion's share of the chances in the second half. Anna Sarsby showed particular vision and awareness down the right flank , continually threatening . the Watton goal and it was only a matter of time before UEA extended their lead. Good movement across the midfield by Charlotte West played its part in bringing the game back into life. The second goal came from another
team. In an astounding run he managed to twist and turn his way past three St Andrews players before co mposing himself to slot a fine shot past the keeper. Apart from this outstanding moment the remainder of the half was a dour affair with both sides cancelling each other out. A stern talking to by the captain seemed to renew UEA's spirit and bring a the spri ng back into their step. In the 57th minute UEA's pressure led to a series of corners.
Onslaught Two were turned wide by the St Andrews defence, but th e onslaught paid off when the third successive corner was converted by Crozier's powerful header to make it 2-0.
The goal fired UEA up and they changed gear and set about destroying St Andrews.
Accolade Some sound defending and quality passing from the back earned Gary Joynes the accolade of Man of the Match, and it was one of his long passes that led to Byme unselfishly knocking a ball for Larkin, who in turn powered into the back of the net to make it 3-0. UEA weren't finished though, and in the 83rd minute Tom Pearson curled a fine shot from outs ide the area past the goalkeepers left to make it four. The victory means that UEA remain unbeaten in the league and look in good shape physicall y and mentally to enter the BUSA competition.
short corner routine, and allowed West to show her inventive side as she chipped the ball past the stranded Watton keeper after Natalie Seal's initial shot on goal was saved.
Imaginative In the dying minutes UEA did not show any signs of giving up, with Lucy McEnzie adding an imaginative edge to their play in the final third of the field . The continual pressure almost resulted in a third goal, as skipper Natalie Seal hit the post with a fine strike from the edge of the D. "The final score was said delighted encouraging ," captain, Natalie Seal, adding enthusiastically, "With seven freshers in the team we hope this will be the first of many victories."
inside: BUSA preview · page 31 ... record numbers at sports mart · page 30 ... norwich city's downfall · page 29 ... scorecard · page 27
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~event)
contents: ~Du®C?u ©O:Ou~B 04 04
how to be ... a secret agent
05
small talk: the neutrinos
hitting the jackpot: snobs or small fry?
DUU~O@UuUB 06 07
08 09 10 11 12
new talent: jacknife lee and plone interviewed from screen to stage: hollywood luvvies it up anna friel: the event speaks to a mad cow help: aging rockers and their love for 'charidee' "drugs are bad": is it time to buy organic? he's with me: screen partnerships funny guys: we show you the route to comic stardom
14
music: tom jones, campag velocet, the aloof, kojak, the charlatans, ben harper, smog, bernard butler, skunk anansie live
15
film: analyze this, runaway bride, deep blue sea previewed arts: faust, arts school ma exhibition , uea literary festival & norwich festival fringe previewed
16 17
video - game: speed freaks, tony hawks skateboarding, video: buffy, the faculty
18
norwich's independent record shops examined
®~®OUu Du®C?D~®OUB 19
television: soaps, monty python night, mobo awards, the history of porn
20
cinema: your guide to whats on the big screen
21
listings: the comprehensive guide to all that's happening in norwich over the next two weeks
editor-ln-<:hief: james tapsfleld editor: Iuke turner arts editor: alex mcgregor music editor: darcy hurford screen editor: adam chapman listings: darcy & astrld copy editing: ruth levls dtp: Iuke turner, carollne ]eater contributing writers: martin brock, saflya waley, alex pollock, max alien, amanda aklen, sandra lson, james brown, phll stephan, amanda perklns, merek cooper, Iuke chllton, katle hind, debbi mare, chrls wood, kate forbes, slan moles, emlly hunks, kate wenlock, gemma catchpole, imogen dyckhofff, melani davls, steve colllns, katy o'flynn, andrew goodson, carollne jeater apologies to: whispering bob - next time!!, and skunk anansle picture man, thanks to carollne
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THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 06, 1999