Concrete issue 104 03 11 1999

Health Officer condemns 'aP-P-alling~ state of campus kitchens as Uni launches P-ilot fridge scheme

By CLAIRE HAMILTON-EDDY, Assistant News Editor

A food safety expert has condemned the state of campus kitchens as "appalling", claiming that poor facilities are putting students at risk of food poisoning.

But UEA bosses are refu sing to admit that the basic facilities are inadequate, and are instead asking cashstrapped students to fork out more for extra equipment.

In older residences, the "There is a definite risk of food one unit."

University only provides one poisoning if there are that many "Hardly any of the food fridge between up to 14 students people sharing," said Mr Cooper. contained within them will be a situation Norfolk kept at the right temperature, so Appalling Environmental Health Officer, it could lead to bacteria growing Gary Cooper, thinks is a recipe "lt is quite appalling that so on some of the foods ." for disaster. many people are expected to use "You've also got the potential

for cross contamination between raw and cooked products ," alleged Mr Cooper.

But UEA residence chiefs have rejected the charges, and insist students are safe.

"I don't think we would have anything that we would consider a health hazard ," said Accommodation Officer Manager, Laurence Daly.

"We have operated successfully with the current

facilities for many years," he added.

However, he did reveal that the University is to pilot a scheme to install a second fridge in campus kitchens 路 so long as residents are willing to pay extra.

Reacting "We are reacting to an idea that students have put to us, and we are happy to take on board.

We are willing to give it a go, and then expand it next year if it works well," explained Mr Daly.

Other news: - 'Offensive' suicide tips in FHM freshers guide - Campus phones on hold 2 - Timetable troubles 4 And he defended the decision to charge students extra for the crucial equipment.

"There are lots of things that could be done better, but you

have to work within your budget.

If people are asking for additional things, it wouldn 't be fair to give them extra facilities at no cost," claimed Mr Daly.

Corridors will be charged up to 拢90 for a fridge for a year, plus the cost of any alterations required such as an extra socket.

But students criticised the

Arguments University for not providing adequate refridgeration facilities as part of the basic rent package. "it's an absolutely diabolical situation. All our stuff rots at the back because you can't find it and some of the food is kept warm because there is so much in there," complained Julie Blint (SOC3). "it's disgusting that we should be expected to share a fridge between 14 people," fumed Kate Dunlop (LLT 1).

- see comment, page 9.

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Let us know at the Concrete office•.• tel: 250558 email: su.concreie@uea.ac.uk .

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CamP-US P-hones are delayed yet again

By JAMES GOFFIN, News Editor Hopes for an early completion of plans to install a telephone in every room on campus have been dashed after UEA bosses decided to start again from scratch.

The sche me - whi ch would have seen every bedroom kitted ou t with a pho ne a nd interne! access - ran in to trouble earlier this year whe n System Connectio ns, the company chosen by the Uni versity to run the sche me, went out of business. have to advert ise for a whole new Registry bosses had hoped that And he also revealed that the one of the firm 's partners would be package.

University are seriously considering It means it is unlike ly that any whether to tackle the whole project inable to pick up the contract will be signed until March nex t house . ..An alternative. if we can .get the year at the earliest, ruining hopes that th e scheme could be completed ahead of fu nding package right. is to run the study bedroom service ourselves," the University's stated autu mn confided Dr Baker.

Delay Whatever the outcome, Dr Baker hi nted that the Univers ity might make deadline. a goodwill gesture to any unpaid But because of the delay, System Connections sub-contractors companies bidding fo r the who worked on the scheme - after it project may also be asked was able to take cont rol or the to look at repl ac ing the £ 170,000-worth of cabling al ready existing admin phone done for only£ I. system, which cou ld make for a better deal for stude nts.

Profit "When compan ies re-tender "There are issue about not wanting we will ask them how they to proti t from others' misfortune. I would replace the main don ·t know what the receivers are exchange, and see if that gives us a lever," expl ain ed Pro- Vice doing in terms of subcontractors who were not paid, but we wi ll be asking Chancellor David Baker. who is _ _,_ _ _ __ _......~....- - .L.., heading the cheme. those tendering to comment on the situation. especiall y as they may well '' lt may be that they will find it use the same ti nus who have already more attractive to bid for campus done work here," he said . telecommunication as a whole."

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"A hundred thousand welcomes"

cas

----~·FREEHOUSE•.----

By DAVID ATKlNSON

•

Bosses at the John lnnes Centre have rejected claims that a new lab will be used to further controversial research into genetically modified fo ods.

The c uttin g-edge scie nce fac ilit y is o n the verge of agreei ng a £50m deal w ith leadi ng GM compa ny Ze neca Ag roc he mica ls.

O'Rourke himself ~ 10 real ales always avai lable ~

Probably the largest selection of Irish Whiskeys in the country ~ Great value Sunday lunches and ou r 'Taste of Irel and ' menu ~ Sky Sports on the big screen ~ Come and join us for good beer, a great atmosphere and mighty "craic" ~ UEA Crawl Society award wi nner

9 2 POTTERGATE, NORWICH (01 603) 626627

The plans would see a brand new fou r- storey lab complex built on the Norwich Research Park at Colney, which has close links with UEA. But according to JIG's Head of Communication , Ray Mathias, the Jab would not concentrate on GM work, despite the Zeneca links.

"The new lab is not necessarily tied to geneti c modification in any way." "it is being set up to study the

r ___...::__ _

basic geneti c make up of plants and th e outcome of that kind of research can be applied in a whole range of different ways," he said .

Innovative Part of the new building will be entirely given ove r to researchers from Zeneca, which specialises in crop protection products, while a second section will be shared between th e John lnnes Centre and other leading

scientists from the re search park . A further area will be devoted to innovative new compan ies looki ng to develop their work.

The move looks likely to bolster fu rther the relationship between the Centre and the Schools of Biology and Chemical Sciences, who already work closely.

Opportunities

"The new facili ty wi ll provide __.......,._~ml!Jii=I~IIK-~~'\ii~Fmr.--;------, fresh opportunities to do new kinds of science at the Centre, and increase the opportunity to take on PhD and post-graduate _...,,...,...__, students," said Mr Mathias.

And according to Zeneca, that collaboration was one of the key reasons for choosing a Norwich based partner. ''This alliance is a major initiative, and a good example of the public and private sector collaborating in an exciting area of research." enthused the company 's research

~~~~!:!:_~~:2!.~~~~==~~~bi;;;...___.L-.==___.a.J~~ director, Dr David Evans.

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Concrete Wednesday, November 3, 1999

News 3

heavily involved in her defence campaign.

"While Angie has been in prison we've all been writing to her, getting things that she wants, doing a lot of media work in East Anglia, contacting the press; explained Kathryn.

"I have also been involved with arranging expert witnesses for the trial."

Courageous

UEAstudents involved in nuclear sub sabotage trial

By ADAM BANHAM

A group of UEA students have been at the centre of a dramatic court case that could have international implications for nuclear defence.

The anti-nuclear campaigners have been closely involved in the trial of Angie Zelter, Ellen Moxley and Bodil U!Ja for an attack on a Scottish nuclear research base.

The case hit the headlines 'when support by members of the Trident Sheriff Margaret Gimblett told the trial Ploughshares group, including four jury to clear the three, ruling that UEA students. despite causing 拢80,000 of damage Defence they had not acted with criminal intent, because they . believed Kathryn Amos (ENV PG), Rachel international law justified their actions.

Boyd (ENV 3), Hannah Griffin (DEV 3} During the trial, Norfolk-based and Richard Lewis (BIO 2) have been

And she applauded her fellow Trident Ploughshares protesters for their courageous conduct during their four month stay in prison.

"You've got to be so brave and so willing to risk that amount of time in prison to make this go further," gushed Kathryn.

During the trial, the court was shown videos of how the protesters had vandalised the MoD barge Maytime, a floating research lab in Loch Goil.

"Basically they removed every single movable object in the building, _and then damaged it: poured salt water on the computers, syrup, sand and all the rest of it and then threw it all into the loch."

"There was 路a lot of really exciting footage shown in court. lt was really cool," Kathryn added.

But the Government took a different line, warning that the judgement did not give a "green light to break into nuclear sites".

Demonstrate "The Ministry of Defence fully supports the right of anyone to demonstrate peacefully, but criminal activity is of course unacceptable," added a Royal Navy spokeswoman.

Despite the acquittal, the protesters could still face charges because the Government has requested a clarification of the law which could lead to an appeal.

- see Angie Zelter interview, pageS

activist~----------------------------------------------------------------------~

Angie Zelter was given

NOR

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Brotherly love A Phnom Penh road is to be named after the European Union as a "mark of friendship between Cambodia and the EU" .

The warmth of the gesture, however, is being questioned after it came to light that the new "Rue de I' Union Europeene" is actually a notorious street of brothels.

Don't dance In the streets

Nightclub dancers in Togo are having to watch their steps carefully after the government outlawed one of their favourite moves.

The Mapouka dance has been outlawed because ministers feared that it was corrupting young people.

"Togo has many concerns about the development.of its youth. We will not let them be depraved by this pseudoculture; • said Youth Minister, Horatios Freitas.

What's inner-ear?

Kent GP Or Aslam Akhbar made a startling discovery when investigating a woman 's tinnitus this week. " I was horrified to see a fairly large spider snuggled up right against her eardum," explained the shocked doctor. lt is thought the arachnid had been nesting for five days in her inner ear.

You woke up my neighbourhood

Top committtee members of the Crewkerne Noise Abatement Committee in Somerset have been forced by locals to resign their post.

The furore came about when the chairman and vicechairman held a party that kept their neighbours up all

Green light Genetic engineering could ,mean the end of fairy lights, according to five Hertfordshire University students.

The group reckon that scientists will soon be able to create a Christmas tree that lights up itself, following on from the creation of glowing mice, silk and potatoes.

Graduate Student's Club Don't forget elections for next year's committee are Thursday 4th Nov If you want to sta¡nd come and see Jack or Chris in the bar, if not come along and vote!

Events Pool Competition Tues. 2nd Nov. Pub Quiz Tues. 9th Nov. Free entry and Liquid Prizes.

The Band "Movers & Shakers" AKA "Folklaw" Fri. 12th Nov.

Outfoxed

By KELLY KETTERINGHAM

Animal loving students from UEA stood up against a recent 10,000 strong city centre rally by the Countryside Alliance.

The demo, on Sunday, October 24, saw thousands of Countrys ide Alliance members marching through the streets of Norwich , protesting at what they sec as the gradual erosion of rura l life.

Despite heavy rain , angry locals toured the city for hours, protesting about a variety of plans including the outlawing of foxhunting measu res which they believe could claim 16,000 jobs nationwide.

In stark contrast to the large numbers of pro-hunting demonstrators , only a few dozen members of the campus An imal Rights Society and the Norwich Animals Rights Campaign were present to across their views.

But Sara Roenneke, ARS President, was adamant that th ey got their point across.

"There was quite a lot of shouting on both sides, with the more passionate shouting being on our side," she claimed.

And despite differences in opinion , the protest was generally peaceful.

Police "The police behaved quite fairly. At one point the two groups nearly came together, but the police acted quickly and very efficiently,'' explained Sara.

However, Sara and another protester were arrested fo r breaching the peace when they attempted to string a banner on the old library site, although both were later released without

charge.

Regardless of the problems , Sara is confident that the protest was worthwhile.

"I think we achieved what we intended , to gain positive publicity towards our campaign ," she said.

But Liz Mort, Eastern region spokesperson of the Countryside Alliance, insisted that the day was theirs.

"We took our protest to the doorsteps of people in our region 's city, so that they really understand how strongly country people feel ,'' she said.

"Country people in this region feel that politicians are still failing to fully comprehend how the countryside works."

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Freshers given suicide tip.J

By JAMES GOFFI N, News Editor

A FRESHER 'S magazine dished out free on campus has been condemned for featuring a guide to committing suicide.

The 'tude nt g uide , produced by lads ' mag F HM , ha ' an "Ob li vion" 'prcad. that li't.' 'uppo,cdly amusing rea l-l ife tal c' of student death s and detail' mcth{)(_b of killing you r,clf. rat ed w ith mark s out of I 0. lt includes a mock-up of a book ca ll ed '"Goodbye, Cruel World : the e'sential guide for the weak-willed student"" and a panel on how to "construct a baffling suicide note:· Copies of the sic~ handboo~ were stocked in the Union Paper Shop. after US Service,. the being distributed h) commercial wing of the National Union of Students.

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But the guide has been slated h) both Univers it y and Union hmses. who have attacked it a> inaprropriatc and irrc>po nsihl c. '" I am extreme ly unhappy ahout 'tudent; being given thi<' complained Dr Jud y Moorc. head of UEA"; Counselling Sen ice. ··The joking tone i> ju't tri1 iali,ing a 1cry serious i"uc. lt 1' entirely inappropriate.

"Alt hou gh pressure> do exist in student life. there arc support >er, ices to help . Puhlici,ing 'uicidc in thi' way is quite awful."" she continued.

And Union Welfare Officer C'l ~irc Kobcr also criticised the gu ide . ""Although 'tudent' I-. now 11 h:ll FHM is lil-.e, thi' article overstep' the marL··

Sensitive " lt is not a 1cry scn,itive piece. and wmc students wou ld find it very oflc n>ive." >he admitted.

But she defended the decision not to han it from ca mpus shops.

:·M) pcr,onal opinion i' not to ban it. because that wou ld on ly draw attent ion to it and ma~c it more popular:· claimed Claire.

Banned "Acrm.s the country there ha1 e been a number of 'tudcnt union' that hme banned them. but w c have not had an) comp laint' here ...

Despite the strong attac~' on the piece. the maga7ine\ edi tor Anthon) Nogu~:ra j, unr~:pcnturH . accu~ing crilic~

of mi"ing the point. " I think it is <jUite odd that we have a number of 'tudent' who are supposed to be the most intelligent 'trata 111 who don·, understand that thi' piece wa' written in a sarca,ti c tone:· he joked. " lt is to 'hm1 how stupiy suicide is. The people who ha ve go t upset don·, know how to relate to you ng pe o ple." c laimed Mr Noguera.

estle get a break

By DUNCAN GATES

The Union's Nestle ban has taken another hit after one of the biggest groups on Students' Forum announced it would campaign for the boycott to be lifted.

UEA's Conservative Society has struck out against Union policy by promi si ng to overturn the six year o ld ban o n goods produced by the mult inational giant.

They have accu ed Sabbs of trying to title debate by refusing to let the soc iety spend its cash on a publicity stunt to te ll students about the move.

The ociety had planned to di stribute free Kit Kats in the Hi ve. but they were forced to shelve their plans after the Union claimed it would breach Union po licy.

And the Union ha-s also indicated that it wi ll block any attempt to use soc iety fund s to pay for the contraband confectionery.

Accused Conservative Soc chairman, lan Mac ki e, acc used th e Union of being frightened of debate. '" We don't condone what Nestle are doing, but the Un ion is acting

as the nanny state," he stom1ed. " We wou Id rather see a proper information ca mpaign on campus, rather than have the Un ion telling studen ts what they can or cannot buy."

But Union We lfare Officer, Claire Kober. sa id she welcomed the society's efforts to open up the policy to scnniny. " If the Co nservatives want to bring that back into the arena, then that 's line,.. she said. " it 's quite posi ti ve for democracy and it could be quite an interesting debate."

And she defended the Union's refusal to dish o ut society cash to buy the promotional choco late. claiming the Conservati ves had fail ed to put through the proper

paperwork.

"Every soc i·~ ty su bmits a budget, and that's allocated for ce rt ain things. That budget is agreed and you cannot then go back rctro~pectively." she sa id .

Outlaw TI1e decision to out law the sale of Nestle products on campus was taken by a Union mas> meeting in 1993. after Dev Soc a nd the Society fo r Environmental Action protested at Nestle's sa les techniques in deve loping cou ntries.

The Swiss company has been accused of nouting World Health Organisation guidelines for the promotion of baby mi lk, charges which they natly deny.

News s

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Run

for

fun SUPER-FIT STUDENTS could work out and raise money for charity at the same time if they take up an offer from Marie Curie Cancer Care.

The nursin g charity is offering places in the London Marathon to keep-fit fanatics who also want to do their little bit for the local community. " We are asking all sports enthusiasts to sign up for the London Ma rathon and raise money for Marie Curie Nurses in Norfolk," corrunented Amba Kumar, Area Fundraiser for the county.

"This is a fabulous opportuni ty to take part in a nationally famous event and help to keep our home nursing service going in Norfolk," she added.

If you think you've got the stamina to take part -and enough enthusiasm to win sponsorship from family and friends - then phone Amba Kumar for more details on 01603 633806.

NELSON COURT GUEST SUITE

.,.

Bed & Breakfast on Campus Your visiting family and friends can enjoy convenient, comfortable accommodation at UEA:

By MARK EDWARDS

• • •

Single and double rooms All rooms ensuite, with TV and tea/coffee facilities Excellent value with discounts for students, their families and Alumni

For information and reservations, call in and see us at the Conference Office in The Street, telephone 01603 593297 (UEA internal calls: 3297), or e-mail guestsuite@uea.ac.uk

n• uea conference services •

UEA'S INFAMOUS derelict hall of residence, Fifers Lane, looks set to be finally put to use after nearly six years of laying to waste.

Joint owners of the property, Norfolk County Council and Norwich City Council arc close to sealing a multi-million pound deal with a national property developer to use the site for new housing.

The property was home to hundreds of students until 1994. when the University ditched the rooms in favour of the newly-built University Village.

But UEA continued to pay £95,000 rent a year to the local councils. whilst the buildings stood cmpt) and suffered continual attacks by vandals.

Ties The University finally cut ties to the site last year with a £600,000 pay-off to surrender the lease.

UEA bosses justified abandoning the residences - a move which cost nearly £1 million- by claiming that

refurbishing and maintaining Fifers Lane would have cost more in the long run, and blamed councillors for failing to agree an end to the lease which was due to run until 2006.

Outraged The debacle outraged local residents, and the Empty Homes Agency, who branded the site "England's largest wasted home."

They criticised both the University and city and county counci ls for failing to reach agreement on a new use for the site, and threatened legal action to force them to find an alternative tenant for the land.

Now Persimmon Homes - the UK's third biggest homcbuilder have agreed to purchase two-thirds of the property, with a buyer for the remaining third yet to he found.

The developer will demolish the H-block student rooms, replacing them with a large-scale housing project.

Shopping Other areas of the site look likely to be used for a shopping development, although the councils are having trouble finding a buyer willing to take on the defunct RAF housing that makes up the final part of the plot.

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News 7

Student Rrotestors arrested at arms trade exhibition

By CLARE HAMILTON-EDDY, Assistant News Editor UEA anti-ar ms trade activists have proved their fighting strength by causing havoc at an arms exhibition.

Nine students mounted a protest last Wednesday against the Anned Forces Communication and Electronics Association exhibition at a Heathrow Airport hotel, together with other demonstrators from acros Europe.

Two UEA activists were arrested "We all went into the hotel after they handcuffed themselve to dre sed smartly, talked to delegates the bar of the hotel and covered the and gave out leaflets, trying to bar and themselves in fake blood. question their moral ," added Lara.

"They don't have any licences to Stinkbombs sell weapons there, but the Other tactics included banner conference brochure ay there will dropping, setting off fire alarm , be lot of opportunities to do business." toilet graffiti and the throwing of Link bombs.

Disruption "Our aims were to create a disturbance and to raise the issue By disrupting the conference, the with other guests who may be in the protestors hope to eventually force hotel lobby," said campaigner such exhibitions out of the country.

Hannah Griffin. " If it's been chucked out of "We handcuffed ourselves to the Belgium, Holland and the Czech bar, poured theatrical blood over RepubUc, I don't see why it should ourselves and started screaming and be in this country either," stormed chanting."

Lara.

"The police came and cut us off But the hotel that staged the event and we got taken out through the remains unrepentant. exhibition, where we started "I don't think that our reputation chanting again," she added. is damaged," said Koosvan Geest, Director of Sales and Marketing for Embarrass Renaissance Hotels.

According to fellow protestor "I understand what the Lara Clements, the idea was to protestors' feelings are. It's a little embarrass the hotel. unfortunate it causes disruption to "The idea was to sham.e the hotel other guests that are staying in the into not holding it again," she said. hotel." he added.

"The ladies tying themselves to the bar; I don't know what good that does."

"These thing are a little illy, and it doesn't help anyone," he concluded.

Make a difference

Students urged to heiR out local charities

By ADAM CHAPMAN RELATIONS BETWEEN town and gown are set to Improve this week thanks to a Union Initiative.

The entrance of the Hive Is being given over to local charities and voluntary organisation to help them get In touch with students.

Voluntary Services Week has been designed to make it easier for the local community and the university to come together, for everybody's benefit.

Informal "In the put it has been focused on one day in the LCR, but we've decided to do it more Informally. When you do things tucked away In the LCR, sometimes people don't walk through," said Union Welfare Officer, Clalre Kober, explaining the thinking behind the scheme.

"But In the Hive we've got thousands of people passing

through everyday, so we've got four local charities and groups coming In each day, that students can volunteer to help out with!'

And she stressed the potential rewards for students' CVs in taking part. " Students can get a lot of experience from it. They can really benefit from getting Involved," said Clalre.

Community " And it's good for the Integration of the university and students with the local community."

Norwich Handicapped Swimmers Club, which Is

taking part in the scheme, also welcomed the Initiative. " For our club, it's vital to have people of all ages, and we desperately need help from people to just watch from the sides of the pool or get In and help our members," said spokesperson Gillian Skipper.

"People don't have to come every week, because we understand college work comes first, but we do need volunteers." " We've just lost one student who came for two years, and he was brilliant," she added.

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Concrete Wednesday, November 3, 1999

The life of a full time campaigner now seems like a more precarious occupation, a fai r way from the lentileating, dog on a string image of old .

And as Ms Zel ter points out, while the publicity she receives has helped th e campaign , there are still plenty of people in the background trying to juggle the prison visits and paperwork that their cause generates. But she still fee ls that what they do is worth it, and this comes through particularly strongly when she talks about the Maytime emonstrating for a cause you force is judged to be illegal except in protest. believe in is something Ang ie the most extreme cases, and Sheriff Zelter knows plenty about.

Gimblett decided that three had been "On the Maytime they do all the research for Trident nuclear invisibles.

This 48 year old Norfolk acting to disarm the nuclear threat, just woman is perhaps not as a vigilante might try to disarm a They test the acoustic radar sound signals and try to reduce them . lt is an someone you would immediately mugger. picture as a peace campaigner, yet she As a result, although the group had integral part, and we were trying to take out one of the links in the complex attacked the naval base on purpose, hit the headlines last week because of they hadn't acted with criminal intent, her anti nuclear protest as part of the nuclear chain ."

Trident Ploughshares 2000 group.

"The planning for this has been going and so had to be set free. on for years and years. With Trident Since then Ms Zelter has found herself Angie and two other protesters, Ellen Moxley and Ulla Roder, were cleared by and her campaign group in great Ploughshares we have a full group of demand. With interest in the group's activists. I thought we needed to a Scottish court in a landmark case implement the advisory opinion against actions increasing, she feels that her after trashing the Maytime nuclear nuclear weapons, and rather than doing work has been worthwhile. research base "lt is all about trying to live and sustain a one off action , decided it would be and throwing good to set up a whole structure so lots laboratory an ethical life. 1t was hard work getting of people could do this over time." equipment into the project off the ground but it was Zelter has high hopes that if their the sea. wo rth it." campaign can help increase Sheriff Margaret She also explains that the journey to awareness, the final solution may be Gimblett freed the Loch Goil in Scotland , where they just around the corner. "Governments three women over staged the stunt, was not without its and institutions don't do what people point of compl ications. want them to, so they have to do it international law 'We are under-funded, so we had to themselves. We can do it. Obviously that limits the use second hand equipment. lt was governments will have to co me in at the legal use of touch and go whether we would get nuclear weapons. end to ratify it, but we can start the there or not. The dinghy's engine conked out half way over, and by the process ourselves."

Under the International Ms Zelter and the rest of the time we wanted to come back it had Court rul ing , the campaigners at Trident Ploughshare deflated, which was why we had to 2000 are determined to continue with use of atomic inflate the life crafts from the vessel." . - - - -- -- - - - - - -- - -- - - - . - - - - - , their action . The Government has already started its appeal over the decision , and with all political parties questioning the outcome, Ms Zelter realises sh e has a fight on her hands to maintain the judgement.

"I am trying not to get too concerned. lt will be great in that the discussion can go on to another court level. I don't th ink anybody looking objectively at the legal issue can perceive that they were lawful. None of those international hu manitarian laws make any sense if you allow weapons of mass destruction.

So if th e legal arg uments are put I th ink we will wi n. If we lose we can take it to the Lords, and then to Europe."

And with that the ca mpaign rolls on.

And while the political storm created by the court's deci sion continues to anger Ministry officials, Ms Zelter is content to take a back seat for a little wh ile.

Having seen out prison terms on remand in 1996, she feels it is time for others to take a stand.

'W e are getting new members all the time," she enthuses, "and we encourage them to take part in organised civil resistance. lt is a nice safe envi ronment in wh ich to get arrested . As for me, I will of course take [this type of actionf again , but not for a while. lt is not up to an individual to take this sort of action ; it is better to be part of a movement or campaign. We all take our turn , which is what makes it a success."

Local peace activist Angie Zelter made the headlines recently by sabotaging a Scottish nuclear base.

Caroline Jeater spoke to her...

and Ulla Roder

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Concrete Wednesday, November 3, 1999

Letters/ Comment 9

Free drinks or one week the wipe board in the Hive stated 'LGB are you?'

Perhaps that could be 'Tory are you? ' Is it now safe to come out of the political closet after years of a Labour dominated Union?

Having seen the betrayal of students at the last election (one in which I voted Labour, never again) it was great to see somebody taking the initiative in having a conservative students stall in the Hive (Tuesday 19th October). One of their aims (to have a happy hour in the Union bars, where all alcoholic drinks would be a pound, seems like a great idea) it would encourage more people in from 7-8, and save us poorer students money from costs we can ill afford . However, when somebody or some group comes up with this idea it is immediately slammed down upon by those in authority that we dare not question,

F

with that old canard that "it would cost us thousands and the advice centre would suffer", somehow failing to realise that 'Liquid' and others manage perfectly well , and that if they never try it how will they ever find out? I hope the Finance Officer will keep to his pledge that "We need to get the Union back to the position where it is geared around the students, which may mean spending money, but in the end the profit will be high" If he doesn't take on board these comments, he will be, yet again, a promise one thing, do another finance officer.

Yours wanting cheap drinks in our bars, PJ Scaife CHE 3

Cold comfort Campus fridges have been a problem for many years.

One fridge is simply not designed to hold 12 people's food, and so obviously they are overpacked and innefective.

Do you want to get involved in writing for one of the best student newspapers in the country?

• We have regular meetings for contributors every Monday

ROOM 1:33 @ 12:15 Upstairs in Union house Or if you can't make the meeting, pop into the office upstairs in Union House and get involved.

James 'FT' Tapsfield .. uen•~rv Editors: Mark 'heat'Edwards Caroline 'FO'Jeater News Editor.

James 'dole' Goffin IT.I1::.::.,,::.,""'t News Editor: Clare Hamilton-Eddy '""learurB!s Editor: Jack Hanauer """'"'F~ Editor: Nick 'lift boy'Henegan Web Editor: Pete Chapman Ad manager: Jane Kirby bution Manager: James Graham Editorial Contributors: Adam

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Banham, Luke 'nme' Turner, Sarah Hookes, David Atkinson, Kelly Ketteringham, Duncan Gates, George Walker, Debbi Marco, Nichola Sexton, Simon Cogswell, Steve Adams, Luke Waterson, Rachel Cooling, Charlotte Chidley, Sara Roenneke, Will Halsey, Betty Hediro, Alex Kenning, Denny Coote, Chiade O'Shea, Adam Chap man •Copy Editing: Claire Saunders •Cartoons: Pete Large •Photographers: Russell Burton, Nick Henegan, Carollne Jeater, Mark Edwards, Iris Waas, James Tapsfield •DTP: James Tapsfield, Caroline Jeater, Mark Edwards, Nick Henegan

The University has a moral duty to provide a basic level of facilities and at the moment kitchens fall way below that level.

This new scheme is a start, but there is a long way to go until campus facilities are adequate to students' needs.

10 Dim criminals 12 Fox hunting debate 13 Ethics in business 15 Plane safety

c/s Richard Whlteley 18 Photo story 21 Travel 22 Featured

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When it comes to stupidity, criminals rate alongside pop sta~s. Debbi Marco trawled through the history books to come up with some of the finest specimens ... hinking of embarking on a life of crime?

Well it's not as easy as you might first think. You need certain abilities to survive in the underworld, as a Sheffield burglar found out when he tried to steal a BMW. He initially had to ring on the owner's front door to find out how to start the car, and then proceeded to crash into a lamp post halfway down the road .

Let that be a lesson to you all : pass your driving test before you start stealing cars . lt was worse

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still for Colin Brages, who tried to break into a police car in Somerset. Because the windows were misted up, he didn't notice the two policemen sitting inside ... whoops!

But if car crime's not your bag, then what about a spot of bank robbery ? Just don't make the same mistake as these two extremely dim American bank robbers: having drilled through the safe, they hit a brick wall and then carried on drilling, only to find themselves out on the street again . At least

CROP SHOP Cut & Blow Dry

Anthony Colella managed to pull off his bank robbery successfully before getting mugged for his stash of $1300. The streets of New York just aren 't safe an ymore. In fact, Colella was so distressed at being mugged that he went straight to the police station, and was promptly arrested for the original bank robbery. Doh! Another criminal who was far too keen to get in touch with the police was Robin Hardy of Wichita,

"Did you get a good look at my face when I snatched your bag?' asked Peter Crawford."

Kansas. Hardy entered a liquor store carryi ng a bottle of whisky, pulled out a knife and his wal let, and demanded cash. Unfortunately when making his escape he left the wallet on the co unter. The mistake was compounded when an hour later he called the police to report the wallet missing.

You 've got to give some people credit for trying.

Especially the two 78 year old criminals who were caught burgling a house: the one inside was too deaf to hear his friends warning and the lookout was too unfit to escape! Almost as pathetic was the printer who attempted to counterfeit big bucks.

He was caught because he used black ink instead of green on his phoney bills; it turned out that he was colour blind. Just goes to show that those pink and orange bubble numbers they made you look at in junior school did have a purpose after all. ..

Lu, a Chinese man wanted for stealing the equivalent of £10, thou ght he'd got away with his

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crime by hiding in a hole for 12 years .

Unfortunately, when the police searched his house for the last time , they decided to move the wardrobe only to reveal the Chinese man in his three foot deep hole. Better luck next time, Lu. However it doesn't really matter if your IQ doesn't make the grade: the police don't seem to be doing to well in the crime business either. A man under charges of impersonating a policeman escaped from a court by, er, impersonating a policeman.

Almost as bad was the woman who was accused of passing $100,000 worth of dud cheques: she was allowed to post bail with a cheque. No prizes for guessing that it bounced.

You might get round the police force , but judges are not to be messed with. Peter Crawford , defending himself in a New York Court, was sentenced to three years in jail when he asked the witness: "Did you get a good look at my face when I snatched your bag?" Perhaps even more stupid was John Roberts, who begged a Texan judge not to jail him for three years because it was his unlucky number. The judge obliged, and gave him five years instead .

Finally, one particularly dimwitted crook was foiled by strict McDonald's meal times. When he asked the assistant to hand over the money the lad replied that he couldn 't open the register unless the crook placed an order. The thief acquiesced and ordered a hamburger, only to be informed that they were still serving breakfast and he couldn 't have a burger for another hour. At this point the poor crook decided the whole affair was

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......__ not

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worth his while and left.

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prince of wales road, norwich tel: ~ 160路3 ...~ I I I I 3 i

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Featured

www.concrete-online.co.uk

路 Concrete Wednesday, November 3, 1999

Foxhunting is not something that happens somewhere else. Norfolk is home to a number of hunts, and last week supporters and opponents clashed at the biggest demonstration in Norwich for some years. Here Charlotte Chidley puts the pro-hunt case, while Sara Roenneke argues against. oxhunting is portrayed by its opponents as a minority sport enjoyed solely by bloodthirsty members of the upper class, who charge around the cou ntryside looking for defenceless animals to kill . This simplistic picture is wrong.

The aim of foxhunting , and the reason that it became established over 200 years ago, is to control the size of the fox population . Foxes are predators, and if their numbers become too large they become a significant risk to farmers' livestock.

Whether hunting is banned or not, fox population sizes will still need to be controlled .

There are over a million foxes in the UK , of which 18,000 are killed each year through hunting . Out of the total toll of 200,000 to die from unnatural causes, this may seem an insignificant proportion.

Yet one of the advantages of hunting is that it disperses a fox population so that it doesn't suffer from an unnaturally high density in any area, but rather remains at a level that is just tolerable to farmers.

If hunting were banned , the farmers would adopt the necessary means of

F

ith the most recent Countryside Alliance march having taken place here in Norwich just over a week ago, the debate about hunting with hounds is as alive as ever.

Not long ago, it was pertectly legitimate to express views against hunting , but since the forming of the Alliance people have become increasingly anxious about saying anything that may make them sound unsupportive of 'countryside issues'. Many have been manipulated into feeling that if we speak up against hunting, we must also want to close down rural schools, or cut bus services to remote villages. To quote David James of the Nortolk Anima l Rights Campaign: "The Countryside Alliance has been cleverly blurring the issues in their campaign . The real arguments over ru ral social issues have been hijacked to mask their desire to continue the barbaric practice of hunting with dogs."

We often hear that those who oppose hunting are city dwellers with no understanding of the age-old ways of the countryside. I, too, am a lover of tradition , but not if it means harming other creatures. Female circumcision is a considerably older practice in many cultures than hunting is in British culture; that is no excuse for such atrocities to continue.

I have no wish to be stern or insensiti ve. I pertectly understand the desire to go for an exciting ride in the country, and I appreciate the social aspects of meeting up for the hunt. I also know the pertect solution which allows these pleasures to be enjoyed in a cruelty free fashion: drag hunting. At a drag hunt, the hounds fonow a false scent trail which has been laid out along a route suitable for riding . lt provides a faster and safer ride , and minimises damage to the land -

controlling the popu lation size such as shooting , gassing, trapping or snaring , all of which involve the likelihood of a long and painful death. Foxes

are notoriously difficult to kill outright, even by shooting , and are more likely to die from their wounds.

Death from hunting is almost instantaneous, as hounds instinctively bite the spinal cord. This is surely better than having to endure minutes , hours, or even days of pain after being shot.

Moreover, other methods of killing foxes , such as gassing, snaring and trapping indiscriminately kill the young and the old alike.

An advantage of hunting is that the fox population benefi ts from it. Old and sick foxes are more likely to be caught than those that are in their prime, thus limiting the spread of disease, and maintaining a healthy population .

If hunting were to be stopped, many farmers would have no reason to put up with foxes taking their lambs etc. and would shoot almost all of them. An example of this is the Isle of Man, where there is no foxhunting bu t many sheep

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which leads us on to the next claim huntspeople make about the benefits of their sport. I cannot remember the last time I was praised for preserving the countryside when charging across a newly sown field , or disturbing all the wi ldlife in a wood .

"Female circumcision is a considerably older practise in many cultures than hu,.7tiu1g is in British culture; th.~t is no excuse for such atrn,.Jities to continue."

Foxes arA. !raditionally blamed when lambs go m!r-~rng or there are ou tbreaks of disease among domestic animals. Although there is very

little evidence for such accusations, many people argue that fox numbers must be kept down , and hunting with hounds is one way of achieving this - although hardly very efficient conside ring the effort involved in chasing one single animal. However, there are many species whose populations are self-regulating. As it happens , the red fox is one of them. Setting this fact asi de, the questi on still remai ns: if foxes are indeed such A ?f'.!'J.,'oruv<. "-'Vrlfi::'tlr,l:f'e u.'.t.of th e tou r hu nts in Noriolk hunt hare?

Independent surveys have shown that a very small number of jobs are reliant on the hunting industry, and while no social cost can ever be entirely negligible, I cannot help but wonder where the Alliance's objections were when a quarter of a million miners and other workers lost their jobs in the Eighties. Where were the angry voices then? Out in the field, probably,

farms . The fox population has all but vanished along with most of the small woods that hunting people maintain for the benefit of the fox .

"If hunting were to be stopped, many farmers would have no reason to put up with foxes taking their animals and would shoot almost all of them. " People who hunt are sometimes thought of as bloodthirsty barbarians, lusting for a kill.

However, the pleasure is derived instead from the skills of the hounds, huntsmen , horses and riders in the chase, and none whatsoever in the kill.

HuntinrJ involves a chase that a human would find terrifying. However, unlike ours , a fox's mind is prepared for the chase, as it is an entirely natural event from its point of view - unlike shooting . Often foxes will amble along during a chase until the hounds are almost upon them, and hunted foxes have been seen to stop, kill, and eat small mammals in the middle of fleeing from th e hounds. This indicates that they are not as stressed and terrified as a human would be under the same circumstances.

The media portray Foxhunting as a sport for the upper classes; in fact it is enjoyed by peo,ple from all backgrounds and walks of life.

England prides itself on being a country in which the rights of minorities are recognised and the idiosyncrasies of individuals tolerated . Many of those who oppose the call for hunting to banned but do not hunt themselves do so because they believe that wherever possible the activities of a minority should be permitted.

cheering the hounds on to make yet another merciless kill.

If hunting were to be banned , my fellow campaigners and I are told , the hunting dogs would no longer be needed or wanted. Surely, as animal lovers, we would not approve of thousands of dogs being put down?

We certainly would not, but neither do we approve of dogs being hustled across roads and rail tracks, often wi th fatal injuries as a result ; or of them being disposed of at the age of only six or seven when their sense of smell has started to deteriorate.

These dogs are used as tools and tools only, to help satisfy the bloodthirst of a few humans.

Do you know what a foxho und does it you lift your hand to stroke it? it crouches, because a raised hand normally means a blow.

Having made all these argumen ts, I suggest you ignore them , along with those on the other side of the debate. We need look no further than moral common sense: killing for pleasure can not be tolerated in a society which claims to be civilised .

If you want to kno w more about the issues surrounding foxhunting, try the countryside alliance web site at: http://www.countryside-alliance.org/ And the Hunt Saboteurs pages at: http://arrs.envirolink.org/HSAI

Which side of th~ you agree with? Take part in our ..... _...,. on-line survey and cast your vote.

tured

Ill

I The issue of ethics has often been brushed under the carpet by the major corporations but, as Rachel Cooling finds out, public pressure is making multinationals pay more concern to shoppers' sensibilities ...

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'C

hocolate' is the first word that comes to mind when you think of Nestle. And as someone who fantasises about the day chocolate is free on the NHS, Nestle is perfection in corporate form. Or is it?

As a company which controls 40 per cent of the world's food market, Nestle are a visibly powerful business. This makes them susceptible to criticism. In 1988 their direct defiance of the World Health Organisation's codes on the promotion of baby milk substitutes and supplements led to the restoration of a boycott on Nestle goods which had first been implemented in 1977. The WHO code stated that substitutes couldn't be promoted directly to the consumer, but through the medical

profession. Nestle's somewhat loose interpretation of this directive led them to start a spirited promotion of their produce in third world hospitals.

According to Nestle's own estimates, free supplies of powdered milk were donated to hospitals in 45 developing countries, at no cost to the mother or â&#x20AC;˘ the hospital. This was not as generous as it sounds; the company was well aware that when

"Half of the world's free trade isn't between nations at all, but through transactions within 180 multinational coorporations " the mother left hospital her own milk would have dried up, and she would have to buy the expensive formula. As powdered milk is Nestle's second most popular product in terms of dollar sales, this was a highly profitable 'donation'.

According to Mike Aaranson, the Director General of Save the Children, "The concern now felt by many... is that baby milk manufacturers are behaving in ways which undermine the consensus. Their interests are clear as the global baby foods market is enormous."

Nestle feel that this evaluation of their policies is unfair. Their response to criticisms from the businesses, consumer groups, local authorities, trade unions and student unions who form the boycott is to question the motives of the critics.

They dismiss the damning report by the lnteragency Group on Breast Feeding Monitoring as misleading: "If exactly the same work was published ... under a commercial organisation it would be dismissed as fundamentally flawed ."

Moreover, by participating in the boycott, Nestle claim , our student union is contributing to a "persistent misrepresentation" of the company.

Despite the public display of innocence, Nestle must be aware that their actions are generating extremely bad publicity. The strength of feeling against them is such that The New Internationalist 'jokingly' suggested that Nestle's previous chief executive, Helmet Maucher, should be sentenced to five years in a slum district, trying to keep his

13

between nations at all, but between 180 multinational corporations. We live in a world where tl:le annual sales of the top eight companies exceed the GDP of the 50 most overpopulated countries. By concentrating on a few multinationals such as Nestle and McDonald's, we miss the larger picture. We pass over the other 178 multinationals who are able to continue producing products in what could be an unethical environment. The major problem is that we can't say for sure if a multinational company protects the basic rights of its workers. Large corporations are very good at concealing bad practises. Even when multinationals such as GAP allow independent groups to monitor their factories , it's done grudgingly. This is why the voice of the consumer is so important.

The 'Clothes Code' is part of Oxfam's five year Basic Rights Campaign. it's an initiative that demands changes in the clothing industry, to ensure that the rights of workers are respected . In order to implement these changes the campaign relies on the co-operation of multinationals, but it also emphasises the importance of consumer power. A spokeswoman for the Ethical Trading Initiative said that they aim to achieve their objectives by promoting organisations like the World Trade Organisation in order to "implement fair rules and regulations to give everyone a chance to compete in the world of business."

Perhaps the answer, then, isn't to demonise a select group of corporations (such as Nestle} . The emphasis should be shifted from the misconduct of a few businesses towards formulating adequate legislation so that corporations cannot misuse their power. By attempting to implement laws which are universally effective, the Ethical Trading Initiative focuses attention on all companies â&#x20AC;˘ not just a select group of multinationals.

As the ETI spokeswoman said, "The power of the consumer is everything. If you can harness the power of the consumer then they are the ones who dictate how the big companies operate."

There may be 180 of them, but there are, after all, six billion of us.

grandchildren alive on a diet of Nestle's powdered milk. 'Have a Break. Have a Kit-Kat', can never again be seen in the same light.

However, to focus fully on Nestle diverts attention from the misdemeanours of many other multinationals. Nestle is far from the only company with a dubious ethical policy. In 1988, Nike CEO Philip knight admitted that the brand had become "synonymous with slave wages and arbitrary abuse". it was the first sign that Nike were taking their '.:Just Do lt' campaign to the factories . Every day in their Formosa factory, each line of four workers had to produce 700 Nike !-shirts before they could go home. Nike stuck closely to the codes of conduct, which no worker had ever seen.

The toilets in the factory were protected from workers without a permit by five police guards.

GAP weren't much better. Their Mandarin International Factory forced employees to drink dirty water and work overtime. When the workers Bottom left: A spoof Nlke ad protesting at the attempted to form a union, the boss, Colonel treatment of their workers.

Amaya, fired hundreds of union members.

However, at least Nike and GAP have acknowledged their malpractice.

GAP's workplaces are now independently monitored.

Meanwhile, Nike are beginning to disclose the locations of their factory bases. They refuse to give them all out, because apparently that would be "a little like giving your playbook to the opposing team before a game.

You may find students who believe this statement is untrue, but not players or coaches." Despite the questionable sanity of Nike's web page producers, the company does now seem to realise that if they don't accept their ethical responsibilities they "may not have consumers in the next century."

The problem lies with multinationals such as McDonald's and Marks & Spencers. These companies both fought expensive legal battles over their ethical standards. Although the trials focused public attention on the policies of multinationals, they also demonstrated that big business can use money to overcome criticism. In ~~~~~~ the media few producers, even those with relatively deep pockets, will now attack the ethical standards of multinationals.

The final question is whether, through demonising Nestle and a handful of multinationals, we are actually helping improve the attitudes of businesses? According Ring us for further details on 3527, to John Pilger, the well known external (01603) 593527 campaigning journalist, half the world's 'free trade' isn't conducted

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Concrete Wednesday, November 3, 1999

Featured 15

The recent Paddington rail crash has made people think again about how safe they are when travelling. Will Halsey looks at the pressures on air traffic controllers and asks whether privatisation will put planes at risk tudent travel is booming, and the world has never been more accessible to the would-be globetrotter. Airline price wars have frequently been in the news, and the cost of flying continues to fall. With thousands of cheap flights to Europe departing last summer, and bookings already being taken for the year 2000, a fortnight in Spain or Greece is the economical option.

However, with the volume of domestic, short hop, European, and long haul flights on the increase, the skies of the world are becoming increasingly, perhaps dangerously crowded. Indeed, if the everpopular chart group The Vengaboys are going to Ibiza next year, will flying be the safest method of travel?

In a word, yes. Flying is the safest form of transport, far less dangerous than rail, sea and road. However, if the rise in air travel does not level off, further increases in air traffic will compromise passenger safety.

Other doubts surround the issue of privatising air traffic control, an issue brought to the fore after the recent Paddington rail disaster. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's original ÂŁ500 million sell off plan is being reconsidered, but has not yet been dropped. Labour MPs have suggested that air traffic control is "a wholly unsuitable organisation to be offered up to the profit motive".

Indeed, the industry plays such a crucial role in ensuring passenger safety that privatisation would be heavily criticised by many in the profession.

The British Airline Pilots association has described the sell-off as a "gamble" its members "did not want to take". The effects of rail privatisation can only reinforce this opinion. it is up to air traffic controllers to control the crowded airspace, keeping planes a safe distance apart. However, controllers are increasingly

S

making mistakes under pressure, and old airports and antiquated radar equipment creaking under the sheer volume of traffic do not help them.

Despite their best efforts, there are on average two near misses in British airspace every week.

Not all are serious, or even noteworthy; some, though, are frighteningly close to fatal accidents.

"A British Airways 747 flying from Heathrow to New York had to abort the flight and return to Londoo after a 311b heron flew into an engine."

Last year, a Heathrow bound Syrian Airways 747 flew within 200 feet of an Alitalia jet during a period when air traffic controllers were overloaded due to re-routing in bad weather. The pilots of the planes responded slowly to instructions, and were only seconds away from a mid-air collision that would have claimed hundreds of lives.

Similarly, at Birmingham Airport, an Aer Lingus BAe 146 with 105 people on board almost collided head on with a light aircraft. Indeed, the wings tobrushed over each other as the jet attempted to take off while the light aircraft was landing. The pilot of the Aer Lingus plane even asked the controller "Did we hit him?" as the take-off was aborted.

Despite the frequent near misses, there has never been a serious mid-air collision over British airspace, but in San Diego, USA, a private plane collided with a commercial737 in 1978. Everyone on board both planes was killed.

Mid air collisions between planes are not the only worry for air traffic controllers. A British Airways 747 flying from Heathrow to New York had to abort the flight and return to London after a 31b heron

flew a kamikaze mission into an engine. Both the bird and the engine were retired from service, and the heron remains spread all over West London. More worrying, though, was a case in Australia in which a 17 year old boy with an $70 radio intercepted the local air traffic control frequency, and then radioed out instructions to pilots. Two planes aborted landings due to phoney directions from the teenager. In Britain, the frequencies air traffic controllers use are available on the Internet, although there have been no reports of misuse.

Passenger safety is further compromised by the weather, and the pressure from airlines to keep planes moving. Air traffic controllers are fully aware that a stationary plane is losing money, while an airbourne craft is making profit.

Privatisation would increase this problem, because profit would be sought by all, leading to greater financial pressure to maintain the flow of traffic.

However, the biggest problem for pilots, controllers and passengers is poor weather. In fog, pilots have to be given twice as many instructions as in good visibility, effectively doubling the air traffic controllers' workload. In addition, during poor weather and visibility, landing and take off routes are altered. Most accid~nts are attributed to poor weather, although human error under difficult conditions is probably a more accurate explanation. it is ultimately up to the air traffic controller to advise the plane, but they are sometimes helpless in cases of pilot error. A 1990 flight from Columbia to New York ended in disaster when the plane was delayed by poor weather and then ran out of fuel while in a queue to land. The volume of traffic caused the further delay, although priority

would have been given if the pilot had called a fuel emergency. This would have saved 73 lives.

As more people fly, it seems that the dangers of air travel will inevitably increase. The level of air traffic has risen 47 per cent over the last six years, and the sheer scale of growth is perhaps most evident in the proposal for a new Terminal 5 at London Heathrow Airport. The terminal would be roughly the size of ~erminals 1, 2, 3 and 4 put together. This development would further crowd London skies that are already served by four

"Almost all airports, from Newark to Norwich, East Anglia, are taking more traffic than they ever have done before." airports. Similarly, almost all airports, from Newark, NJ, to Norwich, East Anglia, are taking more traffic than they ever have before; in Newark's case, 50 per cent more than the original design intended.

However, despite the increase in both air traffic and air traffic controller stress, the sky is still a very safe place to be. it is significant that when mistakes are made, they are front-page news for days. Accidents are rare because, despite the pressures, air traffic controllers are extremely good at their jobs, and privatisation is unlikely to change this fact. Indeed, in British airspace, the risk-per-flight level is at its lowest point since records began in 1990, despite the big increase in air travel this decade.

Put another way, it will be a good few years before the Vengaboys choose to take a ferry to the dance capital of Europe.

16

17

His TV persona may give a slightly different impression, but these really are the elements that make up Richard Whiteley. (Or at least, this is what you get if you rearrange his name). Jack Hanauerwent to the Countdown studios and met the man himself. .. orfolk gets a hard rap really. When pushed to justify its existence on this planet, most of us have to resort to good old Nelson's origination here and the presence of picturesque Broads. If this fails to convince, it's on to the more desperate arguments: that the (admittedly fictional) Alan Partridge hails from the region, and that hills are bad things (you've got to climb them, after all). Not the greatest arsenal with which to fight off criticism, it must be said.

But fret no more, for there exists a largely unknown snippet of information that will leave any detractors from our beloved county floundering in embarrassment and grovelling for forgiveness. That's right, for If it weren't for Norfolk, the one redeeming feature of daytime TV, Countdown, and its legendary figurehead, Richard Whiteley, might never have graced our television screens. You don't believe me? Well perhaps it will sound more convincing coming from the man himself. lt's a story that begins long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away: 1950s Yorkshire.

"I started off as a kid alWays wanting to work in television," explains the anagram show maestro as we sit in his dressing room somewhere within the labyrinth that is the Yorkshire Television building in Leeds. 'We got TV when I was about nine, and there wasn't very much of it in those days. lt wasn't on very often, but I was excited by it, just like people are excited by computers today. So it was always my ambition to get involved."

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The seeds were sown at an early age, then, but at the time even Richard himself had no idea what form his involvement would eventually take.

"I wanted to be a cameraman at first. I thought cameras were fantastic, and loved trre whole technical thing. So I was interested 1n working behind the scenes in television." lt was a youth spent at a school with traditional values and a great emphasis on the importance of literature that encouraged his move towards the more artistic side of things.

"I was sent to a boarding school in 1he Yorkshire Dales; a very good one as far as I'm concerned.

11 was an old school, 500 years old, and a tough sort of place. The best thing about it tor me was that it had very small classes, and I had very good tuition in English. I did 0-level, as it was then called, at 14, two years early, and then took my A-levels when I was 16. And as a result of

"I did 0-level at 14, two years early, and then took my A-levels when I was 16. And I got a distinction in English." very good teaching I got a distinction in English."

So a pretty productive period. But enjoyable?

"I've got absolutely no complaints. I didn't exactly like all the rugger and cross-country runs we had to do, but it set me up very well."

Indeed, for it was on to university at Cambridge soon after - although that did take a bit of getting used to at first.

"11 was the Fifties and Sixties, and I couldn't believe the freedom you got. I was used to the boarding school environment, but at Cambridge it was

people smoking and climbing into corridors after midnight, and I thought, 'God, that's outrageous!' lt was just a bit of a shock because I'd grown up in quite a cloistered society really." .

Outrageous it may have been, but it was at this time that everything started to take shape, and all thanks to a rather nice little city not too far from the concrete slabs of UEA. "I was editor of the student newspaper at Cambridge, and we were about to produce the biggest ever issue, so I was invited to Anglia TV. I was taken like a VIP from Cambridge to Norwich, and was interviewed on 'About Anglia'.

Afterwards I went for a drink with Michael Partington, the guy who interviewed me, and he asked me what I wanted to do after university. I said that I was interested in TV, but hadn't applied to do the BBC training scheme yet. 'Well, what about ITN?' he said. So I applied there instead."

And that was that. He got a job at ITN, and so began a very long and fruitful career in television.

And Richard Whiteley is in no doubt as to one of the key ingredients of his breakthrough.

"If I hadn't gone to Norwich on that day, I wouldn't have met Michael, he wouldn't have mentioned ITN and I wouldn't have applied. I wouldn't have gone to Yorkshire TV, and Countdown wouldn't have happened for me. So I owe it all to Norwich really."

And don't let any foolish soul who dares attack the worth of our beloved Norfolk forget it.

But of course Mr Whiteley does deserve a little credit for himself. After all, he has achieved a fair bit in the television world .o ff his own back since that fateful day

more than 30 years ago. The 17 years he has spent fronting Countdown, and making it one of the most popular shows on the screen forms quite considerable part of this achievement, and not surprisingly he's pretty pleased with its success. "lt feels terrific. ll's lovely to know that such a fundamentally simple show can interest so many people. And the breadth of the audience never ceases to amaze me either. it transcends all ages, all social classes, all sexes...

All two of them!" He chuckles, the very same heartfelt chesty laugh that can be heard so often on the programme. "lt just breaks all the rules.

Grannies watch it,

a

and grandsons. Squires watch it, and Scottish lairds. Even homeless people watch it. Every time I walk down the street in London it's always the Big Issue seller or a homeless person who is the first to say, 'Hi Richard, how's Carol?'

Although I don't know how the hell they watch the programme if they're homeless. lt transcends all generations and classes, so it's just great."

Richard Whiteley clearly derives great pleasure from his work, but what is genuinely uplifting is that he really seems to enjoy the fact that he is giving pleasure to people. lt's not just a case of being a success,

getting the ratings and making piles of cash which seems to be what drives many TV personalities. There is an old fashioned integrity about the show and the man. Countdown might not be cutting edge, and some of Richard Whiteley's jokes might make you groan with pai.n, but they are both honest and friendly, and that

"One of the reasons why I think Countdown is successful is that I've brought my own way of doing things." seems to make up tor it. In fact this ethic is certainly one of the key elements contributing to the programme's durability.

"I'm no Mr Quizmaster. This is the most successful daytime show; the most successful show," he pauses, thoughtfully, "on TV in many ways. lt's got a five year contract, which is the biggest contract ever awarded in British television, which will take it up to 2004. That will be a run of about 22 years, which is one hell of a long time considering it started off as a four week experiment. So I don't think I can have been false or glib for all that time without people seeing through me. You are what you are, and if people like it or can accept it, that's fine. A lot of people might not be able to bear me, and they needn't watch. They know I'm going to be on; I come with the property I'm afraid.

There's no script. We just go on and do it."

You can't say fairer than that. But as

much as the face of teatime TV might want to dismiss his own input to the quiz as just "being himself', even he can't deny that his own , involvement in Countdown has been fairly crucial to its ascent.

"One of the rea;ons I think it is successful is that I've brought my own way of doing things. I haven't frightened off people by being smarmy or know-it-all. I mean, the game is the thing here, and the contes1ants. But obviously my own style has created a rort of signature for it which other people wouldn'1 have brought."

But that's not to say that Richard Whiteley thinks it wouldn't have worked without him; by no means. Indeed he does not believe that there is any one particliar reason for its popularity. lt's more a case of a combination of factors.

"People don't just watch the programme because it's hypnotic - you see the letters at th.e bottom of the screen and you've really just got to have a go. They watch it because it's old-fashioned and unthreatening. They watch it because they like the contestants and like to follow them through.

Or because they like Carol or me, or me and Carol. And they watch it because they just like playing the game - it's as simple as that."

Well, that's all well and good, but of course there's one essential aspect of this human institution of British television that Whiteley he has so far, consciously or otherwise, neglected to mention: the outfits.

"A lot of contestants don't wear jackets or ties. I can understand that, because it is more relaxing without them, a'ld it is hot in the studio. But I started out wearing them, and as I started, so I'll finish. I'll always wear them."

At this point he gestures to the numerous suits and ties hanging up behind him. Some are striped, some checked, some dotted, and some have sport.ing patterns more reminiscent of the psychedelic sixties, when the birth of Countdown was still a couple of decades away. But all colourful and lively - if not necessarily pleasing to the eye.

"Those are just the current ones," he explains.

"There are about twenty suits there [and many more ties], and actually it's ages since I bought anv. I'm always looking for new ones, but I rarely see anything I like these days. They're all so dull."

So is there any particular criteria that this particular fashion connoisseur goes by when searching out new additions to his collection?

'Well I've always liked stripy things, because they make you look thinner." (lt might be argued here that Mr Whiteley would feel more of a need to resort to these measures than most.) "But apart from that, I just like colourful clothes."

Well they certainly are that.

As to his interests away from television, Richard Whiteley

confesses to being pretty much the same as everyone else - indeed he seems positively proud of this. He likes a bit of horse-racing, a bit of gardening, and at the moment he's busy converting the 400 year old parsonage he owns up in the Dales. Apart from that, he just likes relaxing - and after such a long stint in the stressful world of television he feels entitled to a bit of relaxation.

"I'm at the age now when I've done 30 years of daily TV. I've worked as hard as anybody really, and it's now time to just take stock and enjoy the fun of lite. I like living in Yorkshire, just mooching around, pottering about. I don't have any major hobbies, but just like anybody else I like long Sunday lunches, starting at the pub at one o'clock and finishing at about half-past six. That's my idea of a good time."

Unfortunately, no great revelations about scandalous orgies and all-night gambling sessions then, but does he have any ambitions for the future instead? Well, he says not, but then

"I lik~ long Sunday lunches, starting at the pub at one o'clock and finishing at about half past six.

That's my idea of a good time." almost as an afterthought he brings up the new chat show he's just starting with BBC 1. 1t centres around the concept of everyone in the audience and at home knowing who the guests are, but poor old Richard being left in the dark until they appear from behind the screen. "lt's not life or death for me, because I've got a nice day job thank you very much. But it would be pleasing if it did work. lt's just a bit of fun really, that's all it is - and the joke's on me!"

But fear not. There's no danger of this particular project dragging Mr Conundrum away from his more recognised role. He's here to stay for the foreseeable future, and even the idea of handing the Countdown torch on to the next generation of Whiteleys does not seem to appeal.

"My son's a bright chap, and I think he'll make his own decisions. He's only 12, but t' don't think he'll end up as the quizmaster of Countdown.

Anyway, I might still be doing the job; there'd be no vacancy!" he chortles.

Richard Whiteley is clearly a man with his feet firmly on the ground. No delusions of grandeur going on here. In the nicest sense, he's a fairly normal guy. A typical, no nonsense, down to earth Yorkshireman, good natured, jovial, and with some bloody horrendous jokes up his sleeve. A bit like your old Uncle Frank, but just a little more famous .

And as for Carol? Does he find it daunting working with one of the most popular and intelligent women on TV? Not a bit of it.

"She's good at maths, I'm good at gardening," he laughs. "So what?"

Nicely put.

..-

18 Featured

www.concrete-onnne.co.uk

Concrete Wednesday, November 3, 1999

The UEA photo casebook 拢oh, lt was a quiet Autumn day on the picturesque UEA campus...

Celia ...)

路?"

Oenny Coote gets her head around the throbbing issue of migraines. ot tonight darling, I have a headache," may have become something of a humorous cliche, but for millions of migraine sufferers it's no laughing matter.

Ten per cent of the population is afflicted by migraines, and the figure may be higher because many suffer in silence. Some think they are being hypochondriacs and don't want to waste their doctor's time, and others don't even realise that their headaches are that serious. Migraines are severe, pulsating headaches that last between four and 72 hours. They are usually accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and/or sound or smell. The sufferer may experience hallucinations and some even feel as if they're going blind.

One famous migraine sufferer was Lewis Carroll, and it has been suggested that some of Alice's experiences in wonderland stemmed from Carroll's own experiences during his migraines.

The causes are not clear. Many sufferers believe that the affliction is genetic because their relatives also get migraines. As for the more immediate problem of what brings on attacks, it seems to be different for different people. Psychological factors may play a part, as attacks often occur during times of great stress. So stop worrying about that

'' N

coursework - if you give yourself a migraine then you'll never get it done in time.

Others find that dietary factors affect their migraines. 'You are what you eat', and if you p路ut a lot of rubbish into your body then it stands to reason that you will get a lot of rubbish back.

Some say that an attack can be caused by an allergic reaction to certain foods, the most commonly cited ones being: cheese, chocolate citrus fruits, alcohol, fried food, coffee, tea, pork, onions and sea food.

But before you throw your Dairy Milk in the bin it has to be said that there is little laboratory evidence to support these claims. Although perhaps it is worth looking at your diet. If you consume large quantities of these foodstuffs it could be a~ idea to cut some out. Alcohol has also been blamed for migraines (not just hangovers), so if you drink 10 pints a night, maybe you should stick to five and see if that helps.

Women get a raw deal since they are more likely to suffer from migraines than. men. This could be due to the influence of hormones and the menstrual cycle. Some women have found that they started getting migraines when they went on the pill. Never mind though, ladies; we always have the menopause to look forward to. Most female sufferers find that at that point their

migraines disappear forever.

They always say that prevention is better than a cure, but if you really can't stand the thought of giving up your cheese and wine then there are a few things you can do. First of all it is not possible to overstress the importance of consulting your doctor, because they will be able to give you the range of advice and treatment that is available. If your migraines occur regularly and affect you to the extent that you cannot live your life normally, then they may put you on daily medication. This can be preventative, or it can aim to relieve pain when an attack occurs. With preventative treatments, as with all medicines, there are side effects. Some sufferers complain of weight gain and drowsiness. If your migraines are not too serious, though, the doctor may recommend medication that you can take during an attack to relieve the pain. The first options are plain old paracetamol or aspirin, which have fewer side effects than analgesics (painkillers to the common man) but there are many other treatments on hand to knock an attack on the head - so to speak.

Migraleve, which is available over the counter, and lmigran , which is prescription only, work for many sufferers.

Alternative therapies are becoming increasingly popular. These can include acupuncture, use of aromatherapy oils, hypnosis, yoga, reflexology and meditation, but there are more

obscure methods which you may not have encountered. Feverfew, a perennial plant whose leaves can be eaten, is one of them. Research on migraine sufferers revealed that 70 per cent found their attacks became less frequent or less painful when eating the leaves daily. You can buy Feverfew tablets and capsules from various chemists and health shops.

A final word of advice is to look at your lifestyle and see what you can change before reaching for the drug cabinet.

Personally, I'm going to go and have a lie down now. I think I can feel a headache coming on.

www.concrete-onune.co.uk

Concrete Wednesday, November 3, 1999

Featured 11

...

Snogging in public

L

ips smack. There is a strange gurgling noise, and then a 'schlup' as the · vacuum is momentarily broken. A tongue misses its target and leaves a wet trail down a hairy face. Then the man with the beard starts to dribble someone else's saliva.

Let's face it, snagging is not particularly enjoyable to watch. In fact, it's fairly disgusting unless, of course you are participating in the oral embrace, and then one of the main benefits is that you can keep your eyes shut. The only other time when one would choose to observe a couple engaging in a bit of tonsil hockey is at the movies, and there they spend a lot of time and money ensuring that all the less aesthetically pleasing aspects are swept under the carpet.

In real life anyone with even a shadow of a social conscience and some understanding of their responsibilities toward their fellow human beings will make every effort to avoid flaunting such behaviour in public.

Or at least you would have thought so. But no, there are those among us who are happy to flout all these conventions of decent behaviour.

Such reprobates are happy to snog anywhere, while anyone is watching. One only has to step into a bar to see them at work. With no thought

for the sensibilities of others, or indeed for their own safety, they grope, drool and generally attempt to swallow their other halves for hours at a time.

Many pubs even keep a bucket of water under the counter to curb particularly excessive snagging action.

And Perhaps worst of all are those couples who will do everything apart from have sex in the sitting room while the other residents of the house are trying to watch the television.

There are those among us who are happy to flout all.the conventions of decent behaviour and snog anywhe~e, while anyone is watching When confronted with their horrible degenerate behaviour these filthy devils will often try to justify their actions with vacuous little pieces of trivia like, "Did you know snagging uses up four calories?"

Which just goes to shown that there's really no excuse.

This horrible stagnation of standards in public behaviour must be halted. Next time you see somone snagging in the Hive, make sure you do your duty and tell them exactly where they can get off: in the privacy of their own rooms.

Burning issue.

T

he fate of British beef has been very much on the menu over the last fortnight, and we wondered how many UEA students were following Agriculture Minister Nick Brown's suggestion and boycotting French goods until they agree to allow our beef into France again. So we asked UEA students two questions: a) Are you boycotting French goods at the moment? b) Do you think the Union or University should boycott French goods?

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So it seems that UEA students don't have much of a beef with the French.

Sorry, Nick -·it looks like you're on your own ...

Featured 20

Concrete Wednesday. November 3, 1999

So you think you know about. ..

Food Crises 1. Which minister fed his children beefburgers at the height of the BSE crisis?

2. When Edwina Currie criticised the quality of British eggs what disease did she link them to?

3. Name the British and French agricultural ministers at the centre of the current British Beef crisis?

4. What substances were allegedly found in Linda McCartney veggie products last year?

5. Which country was at the centre of the fizzy drinks scandal earlier this year, when poisonous gases were found to have contaminated certain well known brands?

6. What was the name the butcher who was blamed for the e coli outbreak in Lanarkshire in November 1996?

7. Which infamous nuclear power plant in Britain was linked to an increase in radioactivity in fish, fruit and vegetables recently?

8. Traces of what were found in baby food which lead to a mass withdrawal of produce from supermarket shelves?

9. Which Belgian luxury good was at the centre of their food crisis?

1 0. Soon after the egg crisis, what illness was cheese linked to?

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travel

Famed for its_countryside, Guinness and leprechauns, Ireland has a wealth of things to offer-the visitor. Luke Waterson goes on his travels to discover the inner charms of Schull ... hey say of Schull that once you arrive there, you never want to leave. And approaching this charming Irish town on a hot evening in July, it was easy to see why people feel that way.

The name hardly prepares you for the area's initial beauty as you breach what is affectionately known as Gabriel Pass. One expects some dead end settlement, perhaps a creaking structure with the word 'bar' swinging outside. The road is high here, and as it cuts through the turf-covered rock of Mount Gabriel, a vista opens up that could not contrast more starkly with your preconceptions.

My memories may be slightly tainted by the wonderful sunset that was just beginning, bathing the islands of Roaringwater Bay in a warm orange glow. But the first sight of the Mizen peninsular, Ireland's most south-westerly promontory, is surely a magical moment for any visitor. That evening, looking down across the grassy fields and undulating moor to a skyline of white houses and rocky beaches, I felt like I'd found my haven from the dusty, often incomplete Irish roads .

I was on a cycling holiday. I was tired, I was hungry, I was broke. Schull, on the south coast of County Cork, was a last resort in both senses of the word. I had travelled almost constantly for a fortnight, a,nd needed a job to sustain the rest of my trip. Fortunately." I couldn't have 'come to a

T

more hospitable community.

Schull Backpackers' Lodge is a shady pinewood building, justly renowned for its very powerful showers. More charismatic Youth Hostel staff you never met. Pauline gruffly received me greeted would be too strong a word. She may have stood four foot high in her socks, but they were four feet to stay the right side of. Vera, the owner, was hardened, ash-blonde, and well

'

"Vera was caring to excess. 'You need rest!' she would hiss as I tried to limp sneakily out." used to dealing with every sort of traveller. In their own way they were lovely. Vera was caring to excess when I injured my knee, virtually imprisoning me in my room. "You need rest!" she would hiss as I tried to limp sneakily out, not wanting to waste my time in Schull in hostel bed. I had seen enough of the Mizen peninsular to know I didn't want to miss out on anything .

I explored Schull that first evening, hoping to fulfil my primary goal: getting work. The job contacts Pauline had given me proved outdated; hence late evening found me asking in each pub and restaurant for employment possibilities. No lucl<, but a pleasant exploration of the single

a

main street. Mizen's main town (Mizen'~ only town, other than Goleen) had a population of around 600, which more than doubled during the tourist season. There must have been more 路 shops and bed and breakfasts than houses, and a wealth of crafts, supermarkets, art galleries, bars and eating places. Irish pubs don't have traditional names like 'The Royal Oak', but are simply named after the proprietor. So ~chull had Hackett's and Reegan's among many many others.

The whole place was humming with life; you walked down the pavement and people smiled, nodded, struck up conversation, and generally made you feel as much a part of their small community as you could ever hope to feel. 路For its relatively small area (approximately 150' square kilometres) , the Mizen had an amazing variety of activities and sights on offer without attracting the crowds who flock further north to Kerry and Dingle, often bypassing the southwest entirely. There were the unspoilt beaches of Barleycove and Galley Cove, the remote three-castle head, the seaside shops of Goleen, and the art centre set in a Japanese garden nearby. The historical interest in the area is also extremely diverse. Unlimited daytime entertainment.

On the second day I chose to visit Mizen Head, the Irish equivalent of Lands End. Impressive cliffs tower two or three hundred feet out of the crashing sea, so inaccessible that a precariously perched bridge and the locally renowned '99 steps' are required to reach the lighthouse at the Head itself. I arrived there dripping wet from the mist, only to find I had to pay for the privilege of seeing the cliff close up. On a clear day, we were told, that famous shipping forecast feature, Fastnett rock, could be seen . it seemed difficult to believe on a day where I was struggling to see my hand.

During the Fastnett yacht race locals drive uphere tor laygl) 'tP .s'ee.'ti~ rnaoy bdats will . ' .

-a

capsize. Yes, they have a weird sense of humour - which is probably why I got on with them so well!

That evening, I got a phone call. Adeles, the restaurant with the "best cuisine in Schull" that makes the food for the govern meAt dinners, had just had a kitchen porter run away. Within two hours I was contentedly washing dishes and returning empties as though I'd been doing it for

"Within two hours I was contentedly washing dishes as if I'd been doing it for weeks." weeks with the nicest people I've ever worked for.

When the restaurant shut around 11 pm, I would sit around with Simon the head chef, second chef Giume and odd job man Brendan , drinking the remainder of the house wine and exchanging jokes. Giume was another testament to Schull's allure. He came down for the weekend and has stayed nine months so far.

The thing is that Schull doesn't really suit tourists. it's not that there isn't plenty for them to do: apart from the treats already mentioned, the planetarium is well worth a visit, and although the Mizen peninsular is far from the social centre of Ireland there are all night parties on the pier even when the pubs shut. it's more that tourists will never really get the most out of Schull; those that take a little longer to get to know the place and the PE!Ople are the ones who will really enjoy Schull to its full. Not the tourists, but the travellers.

I could give you a thousand reasons to pack your bags and head off to West Cork tomorrow, if you could afford to. But you really need to discover the Mizen Peninsular for yourself, and form your own personal reasons . Because if there is one place in Ireland that has something for everyqne, ' Schull is that place. 路 路

<.

featured Relief

by Betty Hediro it acceptance? Was it resignation? Whatever it was , it had arrived like an unscheduled train and was sat in the station of his mind co llecti ng baggage. lt was expanding. Growi ng.

"Already it had swallowed half of all th e time there was. But it was still hungry. lt had an appeti te like a bodybuilder wi th an underfed tapeworm. Every hour, every day was just another snack . Just another minor meal stim ulating its metabolism . driving it on to new heights, new depths, new appetites .

Lying still he co uld feel it expanding inside him: spreadi ng down , fill ing what remain ed of his legs with lead . He could fee l it pushing upwards . Up against his diaph ragm : emptying his lungs , making his breath laboured. They had warned him about this, said it cou ld come, but deep down , somewhere, some part of him hadn't believed them . We ll , not that it co uld come like this. Not that it cou ld settl e on you r mind like a x-ray's lead bl anket.

This, then, was something they cou ldn't know about. They sat with yo u and expl ai ned th e procedures: explain ed what each incision was for, what each drip would provid e. And when he'd first come in they'd even described what he looked like inside . But thi s they hadn't described. Perh aps they couldn't describe it. Perhaps they didn't have the word s. But he suspected th at th ey just didn't know about it: that for th em it didn't exist.

Even creating mind picture s of his insides didn't help anymore. For a while it had. Picturing his liquefying insides had helped to start with . The kidneys that looked 90 instead of 22 ; the spleen that had rotted inside him ; his bloated intestines ; his perforated liver; his squashed pancreas. That had helped ... for a while . But it didn't help now.

With each operation he'd lost more interest, lost more of the desire to know what they were doing.

By now, he didn't care anymore. He couldn 't even pretend to care. They sliced . They diced . They did what they, perhaps, felt they had to. He hardly noticed . He'd stopped listening to what they actually said. As soon as their sentence reached the 'to' of "We need to operate again, to ... ", he switched off, metaphorically shut his eyes and leaned back. Well , he tried to lean back, dropping his head the extra inch from the 'attentive' position to the 45 degrees of indifference that his raised bed allowed.

After 29 months they'd almost stopped trying to explain each new operation to him, but procedure was procedure . There were rules to be maintained.

There were precedents to be observed . So, like today, they still came in before each surgery and droned on. He'd started - some time last year using their voices like a morphine drip, letting it wash over him , trying to numb himself out of the world.

There was a female doctor whose voice was perfect for this : gentle, almost lyrical, rather than the false perkiness favoured by some of his doctors. Her voice reminded him of waves against a beach. Not that he remembered if he'd ever been to a beach , but he thought he must have heard waves on TV. Maybe he'd even seen them there once. At some point. At some time . In a

different life , perhaps .

When he'd first asked for the young doctor with 'the voice' to explain all subsequent procedures there had been a buzz amongst the gathered vultures. He'd actually heard the senior counsellor - his voice lurking as always, hiding in the shadows- use the term "breakthrough". Not because he'd actually spoken. He still hadn't tried speaking , he didn't know if he could anymore and , frankly, he still hadn't thought of a reason for finding out. No, it was because it was the first communication he had initiated since being brought here. He'd used his only remaining digits, two thirds of the ring finger on his left hand and its companionable thumb, to gesture for a pen and paper. He'd heard a sudden hopeful gasp of breath (the nurse with th e lips perhaps) and an excited silence amongst the droning bees . He knew they were waiting . Waiting for him to do it again. But he wasn't about to. So he didn't.

Instead he'd looked at th e ceiling , or, rather , he'd

looked at where he imagined - where logic conventions told him - the ceiling was supposed to be . Above him.

The gathered doctors' silence had hung itself a while longer, swinging from its noose, before he'd felt something placed on th e bed by what was left of his hand . lt was a medical pad of some sort.

He'd felt the weight change on the sheet: the sharp creases caused by sharp edges. lt wasn 't much but it told him it was there . Finally, a shadow above his eyes had heralded feeling two fingers stroke his forehead . Perhaps, somewhere deep inside him some part of him smiled. He wasn 't sure. He didn't know. He couldn't co nceive of it. So he forgot it.

The stroking fingers told him that it was !he nurse with the lips . She'd kissed his head one night while he was asleep. Or maybe he was awake . Or maybe he'd dreamed it. He didn't know. He couldn't remember. He didn't mind . She had lips ...

Th at was enough .

Picturing his liquefying insides had helped to start with. The kidneys that looked 90 instead of 22; the spleen that had rotted inside him; his bloated intestines; his perforated liver; his squashed pancreas.

Slowly, with her help, he'd formed th e message th at had caused all the temporary exci tement.

Temporary, because even they eventually realised he was only usi ng the doctor's intonation to try an d fall asleep. He thought that that irony might make the nurse with the lips smile. He wasn 't su re he cared but somehow the thought appealed to him anyway. Momentarily. Then the thought left. Such was the cycle.

Today the cycle was th e gravel-voiced surgeon.

Th e gravel voice witb the habit. The habit of always standing between the bed and the cei ling light so that a fat, almost heavy shadow fell across the bed. Fell across his patient's face . Each of his 'visitors' had their habits: their different ways. The senior counse llor's voice, for example, lived always in the shadows . Somewhere on his left.

Somewhere over by the door.

Th e assistant co unsellor, by con trast, liked to pace to the right of his bed. Six steps from the foot to the head . A pause. A breath, the n turn and pace back. Always the same. Always th e rhythm . But that was good. lt made it easier not to listen to the counsellor's voice. He was virtually deaf on th at side anyway. He didn't think they'd even noticed it.

Maybe th ey had. Perhaps th ey kn ew. Perhaps th ey didn't. He wasn't sure it mattered an ymore.

Th e nurse with the lips, however, always stood to his left . She even leaned near his head wh en she talked. And sometimes he even listened to her words. When she spoke she never leaned so much into th e light as to ca use a shadow on his face, yet never stayed out of it so much as to be just part of the sh adows herself. But th en she was special anyway. She was all owed to touch him.

She was one of the three.

He didn't know what the gravel voice was talking about today. He wasn't listening . He couldn 't care.

Soon one of the three would come in, and, depending on which it was, he would decide whether or not to give consent to the next operation . Consent by 'marking' the form that the gravel voice was about to leave on the bed. Yes, there it was. He could fee l the subtle waft of air that meant the form was descending to its final resting-place. And any minute now, would come the clink - yes, the re, right on time - of the chart, his chart, being placed in its slot at the end of the bed.

For the first three months he'd used to kick his chart out of its slot when he was bored . Or when he needed something to do. Or when things got too quiet. Or too loud . lt was something he cou ld do. Something he could do himself, alone . He'd slide down and use what remained of his right foot to kick it out if there were too many people in the room. He'd kick it out if no on e was in the room , if someone was in the room . He'd kick it out if someone spoke; if no one spoke; if too many people spoke. He kicked it so hard and wriggled so much the first time they tried to switch the TV on that he'd heard the flipchart break. He seemed to remember that that had pleased him . And they had never tried to switch the TV on again .

In fact, the dark shadow that said the TV was there, peering down from the corner of the room , had gone sometime after that. He couldn 't remember when . lt must have gone during one of th e pains. One of the times when people had moved him . When people must have touched him .

One of the times when he went to sleep and woke up later with a new pain somewhere . But after the pain subsided it had helped his breathing knowing that the shadow, and what it represented, was gone.

Gravel-voice is talking again . There are noises.

Noises followed by pauses . A long pause, that shadows an awaited reply which never comes.

The silence of the room moves like the changing shadows. Sliding from more light to less light, it mimics the wings of a butterfly door in closure .

Finally, like his footsteps , he is gone.

Relief.

L

~j11 Communications

I

l. ~. .___ic ___e__r_E_I_e_c__â&#x20AC;˘o_n_ 18th November 1999

a:ertisement from the students union

So what's all the fuss about then?

=.,.............

Well basically, the Union should have 4 Sabbatical Officers, Academic, Welfare, Finance and Communications. Sabbatical Officers are elected to work full time for the Union representing students and being directors of the Union's trading companies, which run the Shops, Bars and Waterfront.

Due to complaints after the original elections in February, we ended up only having 3 sabbaticals. These complaints have now, however, been resolved and we can hold an election for a Sabbatical Communications Officer.

So who can stand?

Any student at UEA who has not opted out of the Students Union is eligible to stand in the election.

'----------' So, the election will run as follows: '-------" Nominations close: 'Question Time' Election

2-00pm 12-30pm

Wednesday 3rd November Monday 15th November Thursday 18th November

Nomination ~orms and information for candidates are available from Reception in Union House, or you can contact the Academic Officer su.acad@uea.ac.uk if you have any further questions

The Students Union realises that some members may be inconvenienced by the timing of this election. Both the University and the Union will offer any necessary support to the successful candidate occasioned by their election

_:

WHAT HAVE THE NUS EVER DONE FOR US? Like the Romans, the NUS is a much maligned organisation. So what has the NUS ever done for us? "Apart from representation, campaigning, training, the purchasing power of a major organisation, deals in shops and getting results for students; nothing really,''

REPRESENTATION .>

The NUS is the biggest student movement in the world, which encompasses the vast majority of student unions from around the country. The NUS represents the interests of all students, and is a heavyweight when it comes to negotiation. lt has 3, 500, 000 members and can only negotiate at the top level because it has the force of that many students behind it. From government down, the NUS is in there, representing you.

CAMPAIGNING The NUS has a long history of campaigning for student interests. From fees and grants to anonymous marking, the NUS is there fighting for students. On 25th November the NUS Campaign Against Student Hardship will culminate in a march through london with tens of thousands of students involved! Only the NUS can provide that sort of campaign!

TRAINING The NUS helps to train the people who run our Student Unions. The Executive benefited from the NUS training scheme, as can all the Forum Representatives.

.

DEALS

When it comes to saving money on telephone calls from Telco, on clothes from Topshop or Burton and music from HMV, then you have to thank the NUS!

SUCCESS And at the end of the day NUS works! Last summer, a number of higher education institutions tried to introduce top up fees. NUS launched a mass campaign - forcing the institutions to relent. Victory for NUS. Victory for students.

Just one example of NUS working.

For more information about the NUS, its campaigns or what it can do for you, contact NUS Officer Antony Little or Welfare Officer Claire Kober upstairs in Union House.

E-mail: nusexec@hotmail.com or su.welf@uea.ac.uk Or visit the NUS website: http://www.nus.org.uk

OBE A DCONTINUES STARTS FRI. 29T • 4T OVE BER UNTIL FROM am- mIN E I Want to put something back into the local community?

- ~·

Want to gain transferable skills through valuable work experience?

Want to enhance your employability and impress employers with an outstanding CV? The annual Voluntary Services Week gives you the opportunity to find out more about the work carried out by local and national charities and _voluntary organisations.

This is your chance to get involved in local projects which can, and do, make a difference!!

Organisations include: OXFAM, MILLENNIUM VOLUNTEERS, INSPIRE, NEAD, WHISS, BTCV, SAVE THE CHILDREN, GREENPEACE, AGE CONCERN and many more!

,- - ----~-路 路

- ~

- - - -- ---- -- - .

- - -- -

-

-

-- -- - - - - --.- -- -

NUS National March for Education 25 November 1999 Starting @ Malet Street, London The introduction of tuition fees and cutbacks have left students facing increased financial hardship. Arecent NUS survey found that 70% of all students have to take part time work to help finance their studies.

On 25th November students across the country are joining together in a National March for Education. The March is to focus on a number of areas - tuition fees, financial hardship and the need for decent pay for students engaging in part time work; while 100,000 students have benefited from the national minimum wage many students have been hit by the youth exemption clause.

The Union of UEA Students is placing the National March for Education at the centre of its student hardship week. The week is taking place between 22 and 26 November and there will be a stall in the Hive all week signing people up to take part in the march.

-.

I am a first year studying Computer Systems Engineering. Before I came here I enjoyed surfing the net, chat rooms and playing computer games on my p.c. I thought a computer course was the thing for me. But of course it is all turning out to be maths and numbers. Really not my scene at all. I am developing technophobia and I am beginning to hate the computer I once loved, and it used to be my only form of relaxation and a way of talking to people all round the world ... I can't bear the sight of it anymore. I bumped into this third year Dev student in the LCR who really inspired me to experiment with a few new ideas. He really turned me onto aromatherapy and herbalism. I think I am turning into a hippy. I feel like I have found my true calling and want t!l study a course in herbal medicine. lOo they do such courses at UEA? I also feel really claustrophobic in my room on campus; I need to be a little closer to nature. The UEA Lake simply does not do it for me. I am from Wales you see, plenty of hills and valleys.

On top of all this I am still feeling really homesick I am missing my pets, my two guinea pig Pinky and Perky, my budgie Bob. My two cats Whoopsie and Poopsie and my rare Argentinean slug colony.

Help me Aunt Aggie.. you are my only hope.

Nat Urelle SYS 1 Aunt Aggie says: There are a number of issues here. You feel pretty homesick and you are a fair few miles away from home. lt is good that you have managed to make contact with some like-minded individuals, nurture those relationships and perhaps go to the LCR more often. If you need to talk about your feelings in more depth, you can talk to an advice worker in the Student Advice Centre or a counsellor, they will just listen to you without judging you; sometimes it is "good to talk".

Sounds like you need to move away from the computer screen to the outdoors anyway, your love of nature and animals seems to be taking you further away from the world of positive ions and virtual encounters. Have you considered volunteering with the RSPCA? Employability is based upstairs in Union House and has lots of voluntary job options. You could think about joining some UEA clubs and Societies that involve animals or the outdoors. Conservation and Wildlife and Bird Soc. do a lot of worthy animaly type things. If you would like to explore your recently discovered more "hippy" side you might want to try Folk Dance, Juggling or even the Yare Valley Morris Dancers.

As for your unhappiness with your course, you need to discuss this with your academic adviser, it may be that you can talk through some of your concerns with them. If you are still sure that you hate the course and would like to change you may want to think about a transfer either to another UEA course or to another institution perhaps one nearer to home?

Herbal medicine however is not an option here. You need to look at other course options, perhaps something like ecology. You could look into doing a an evening class in herbal medicine, homeopathy or aromatherapy at the local college or through adult education. Any transfer needs to be agreed by the institution/ institutions involved and there may be different entrance criteria than the course you are on now. Transferring courses also needs to be done within a certain timescale and there may be financial consequeli~es to your student loan and fee support. See an Advice Worker for further info on this. Auseful angle on this might be to think about where you are going, sometimes a course can be an end in itself, but thinking about future career choices can be helpful The Career Centre would be happy to talk you through your options.

Finally then, you feel hemmed in living on campus. As you have signed the License for the whole period you probably will not be able to break the agreement. However in exceptional circumstances this may be possible. Please seek support from an Advice Worker if you are considering this course of action. The Student Advice Centre has a list called Home Run, advertising external accommodation. currently it has a property on it that might suit you, mobile home situated "6 miles north of Norwich, with friendly vegan man, suit environmentally aware cyclist.. surrounded by woods" rllll ~: don't use your hairdryer in the shower and may the force be with you

Sport 27

Concrete Wednesday, November 3, 1999

RESULTS & LOCAL FIXTURES

BUSA FIXTURES .

All fixtures subject to change BUSA FIXTURES WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10

FOOTBALL Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens

v v v v

Luton Luton Luton Luton

(h) (h) (h) (h)

v v v v

Brunei Brunei Free Kent

(a) (a) (a)

HOCKEY Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens 1 Womens 2

V V V

V V

Free Luton Brunei Luton Cambs

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

v v

Free

cc cc

(a )

V V

Cranfield Essex

(a) (h)

V V

Luton Grenwich

(h) (a)

V

Cambs

(h)

Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens 1 Womens 2

Mens 1 Womens

Mens 1 Womens

UEA 1 UEA 2

UEA

V

V V

Free Free Luton

(h)

V

cc cc

Mens 1 Mens 2 .

Womens

V V V

cc cc

V

Grenwich

(a) (a)

Mens Womens

2-3 2-4 1-2 3-0

CCCC Kent Grenwich Brunei

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

20-23 23-38

Grenwich Luton

(a) (a)

Mens 1

39-14

Bucks

(h)

Mens 1

2-3

Luton

(a)

Mens Women

2-4 5-1

Grenwich Luton

(a) (h)

HOCKEY

V V V

V V

V V

V V

NETBALL

Brunei Free Kent Free Luton

(a )

RUGBY SQUASH TENNIS

Brunei Free

(a)

(h) (h)

City Free

(h)

LOCAL FIXTURES WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 BADMINTON TABLE TENNIS Mens 2

v

City College

(a)

19.30

UEA

v

Telephones D

(h)

19.00

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5 BADMINTON Women

V

V

UCN Kent

(a) (h)

v

V

UCN

(a)

HOCKEY

Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens 1 Womens 2 Womens 3 v v v

V

Mens 1 Mens 2

V

Free Kent

v v v

Jubilee M'boro Old Boys Training

(a) (h) (h)

v v v v v v

L:stoft Railway L:stoft Town Halt Harlequins 2 Old'Buckenham North Walsham Breckland Ladies

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

v v

Fakenham 1 Fakenham 2

(h) (a)

•

14.00 · 14.00

13.00

11 .30

(h)

13.30

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7 BADMINTON

Mens

V

19.30

(a)

RUGBY

Free Free Free

Essex

Cringleford

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6 FOOTBALL Mens 1 Mens 3 Mens 4

TENNIS V

(a) (a) (a) (a)

UEA 1 UEA 2

(a)

TENNIS

Grenwich Grenwich Grenwich Grenwich

(h) (h)

ICL ICL Free Free

TABLE TENNIS Mens 1

Mens Womens

V

SQUASH

TABLE TENNIS Mens 1

Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens

0-1 1-5 0-3

Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens

Mens 1 Mens 3 Womens 1 Womens 2

LACROSSE

SQUASH Mens 1 Mens 2 Womens

(a)

NETBALL

LACROSSE UEA

(a)

Free • Bucks Free

BASKETBALL

NETBALL UEA 1 UEA 2

cc cc

BADMINTON

BASKETBALL Mens 1 Womens

v v v v

HOCKEY

BADMINTON Mens 1 Womens

Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens

RUGBY

RUGBY Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens

BUSA FIXTURES WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17 FOOTBALL

App

v

(a)

19.00

TENNIS (a)

UEA 'A'

v '

"

.. -

East Anglia 'C' ••• •.a

•

'

,

..

.. •

.. .. ..

10 . ~0

(h) "'

•

""'

•

..

2a Sport

www.concrete-online.co.uk

Concrete Wednesday, November 03, 1999

11

Following Ferrari's close call, Simon Cogswell examines the role of technology in modern SP.Ort...

Deflector panel The deflector panel, or barge board, is an aerodynamic device fixed to each side of the car to direct the flow of air around the car to maximise cooling and help stability

hat's it all about then? Sport, that is. Well , in the 'good old days' of meagre wages, PalM news and strong handshakes the answer was simple: two sets of chaps or chapesses going toe to toe in a bid for glory.

But nothing is simple th ese days.

Modern sport is saturated with

W

if he was demoted to a team like Arrows.

As the technology behind Formula One began to spiral out of control the sport's governing body, Federation International Automobile (FIA) , attempted to increase th e importance of driver skill in determining races by banning active ride suspension in 1993.

But such measures have failed to prevent teams from

lt's worth considering how the mighty M ichael Schumacher would do if he was demoted to a team like Arrows gadgets not only to help the competitors maximise their performance bu t also to aid officials in their decision making.

So what is the predominant fo rce in sport as the millennium approaches? Is it the prowess of the individual or the influence of technology?

Just look at the world of Formula One, for cryi ng out loud. Sucess is en tirely based on a team 's technological might, with the drivers merely puppets plonked in the cockpit . and told to point the ca r in the right direction . Of course, many wou ld shoot down such comments. "it's the driver's skill that wins races ,'' th ey wou ld scream. Really? Then why in the name of Ferrari has Damon Hill degenerated from triumphant world champion to sad retirement material , and why has Jacques Villneuve failed to finish virtually every race this season after consistently pushing for honours while at William s? lt couldn't possibly be because they are driving worse cars could it? Well, it's worth considering how well the mighty Mi<;;hael Schumacher would do

developing systems to give cars the capability to go faster and handle better than ever before.

And as with most modern sports, cas h is king , allowing the bigger teams to pull ahead of their less well off rivals.

But as the saying goes, every silver lining has a cloud , as the Ferrari team found out after the

Malaysian Grand Prix. One minute Eddie lrvine and Schumacher were ce lebrating a Ferrari one-two and th e prospect of a fascinating showdown with Mclaren in th e final race of the season and the next th ey were sitting demoralised in th e pits as stewards disqual ified th em for fielding an illegal vehicle. Th e problem was that the car's deflector panel was a single cen timetre too big . In the age of strict technical regulations Ferra ri broke the rule that states (deep breath): "Wh en viewed from below, nothing must be visible except the rear view mirrors unless it is parallel to the flat bottom of th e ca r, or the underbody 'plank'." Phew. Wh ile Ferrari's Sporting Director, Jean Todt, accepted respon sibility for the shambles, he was keen to add that: "As chief I am always going to be the one responsible , but clearly this is a technical problem and we will be looking into the manufacturing process of th ese barge boards in great

recent athletics World detai l thi s week."

Championships in Unsurprisingly, Marenello Seville, wh6'fe an appealed and unsurprisingly automated system of th e appeal was upheld. A starting races and calling victory for common sense or false starts made its co rporate sponsors? international debut.

In sports such as Formula Instead of the starter One that rely so heavily on firing th e pistol to start technology, co ntroversy of the race they simply this nature is inevitable, but pressed a button to start recently the focus has been an automatic process. on the 'gizmos' used in other Unsurprisingly, when the sports. machine called two false Many suggest that where starts on top international video replays are used, a athletes and therefore greater degree of fairness disqualified them , its has been in troduced into reliability was called into decision making . Cricket question. Even before umpires can now say with this system was brought near 100 per cen t certai nty into th e public eye its whether the batsman was predecessor, a sensor on been run out or not, while the starting blocks that 路 referees in Rugby League informed the starter of a have the opportu nity to look false start, caused at conclusive video evidence r,::~~;::~~::,::::;::;;:;""lr--11-.....,_J controversy. when judging whether a One such instance was L.!::=========!.......拢!l.._ _L_ _J Linford Christie's player managed to put the ball down for a try. There are situations in which the video is disqualification from the final of ever increasing calls for video the 1OOm in th e Atlanta inconclusive. Geoff Hurst's Olympics in 1996 tor two false replays to be introduced into a legendary secon d goal in th e variety of co mpetitive sports, but starts . Much of the evidence 1966 World Cup Final between is th is trend necessarily a good since brought forward has England and West Germany is thing? shown that the second sta rt still contested today. 'Despite all could have actually been Perhaps not. legal.

Th e furore over th e role ol In sports tech nology has continued such as over recent weeks as cricket and officials of the Rugby rugby World Cup implemented a league, in system of punishing which th e players for violen t behaviour computer and video analysis no action is not particularly fast that the referee was unable to one has been able to offer flowing , halting the game to see. conclusive proof that the ball allow officials in the stand to One such victim of this actually did cross the line, as it make a decision does not make 'punishment in hindsight' was came down off the underside of a signi ficant difference to the Wales' Colin Charvis who was the crossbar. In the end, all that speed of the game. But in the banned for two weeks after the really matters is that th e case of football or rugby union, very fi rst match of the Russian linesman judged it to in which th e action is frenetic , it tournament for punching an be a goal ; whether it did or is possible that breaking up the opponent. didn't cross the goal line is a play wo uld have a detrimental There are occasions when a matter consigned to sporting effect on the spectacle. player co mmits an offence that history.

Video evi dence supposedly is so severe that simply being The fact that people believe gives completely fair and sent off by the match referee is technology to be foolproof also objective refereeing , but not harsh enough a penalty. In puts it at a disadvantage. Just probl ems inevitably remain . Th e these instances it is only right like the human decision-maker camera supposedly never lies, that video evidence be used to th e machine can also make the but no matter how many justify the imposi tion of an ''wrong" decision . Such different ca mera angles you appropriate punishment. instances were prevalent in th e have there will always be Modern technology makes it easy for players to be punished for their actions but at present the referee 's decision is final.

Such evidence is used against players wh en they do something wrong , but it is currently not used to overturn wrong refereeing decisions. Surely it is on ly fair that if players are to be co nvicted by the use of cameras that the same technology can be used to vindicate th em.

Sport is becoming increasingly high-tech as the stakes for winni ng rise. Competitors struggle to gain every advantage th ey can over the ir opponents, bending both the ru les of the game and the spirit of fair play in th ei r quest for victory. New technology definitely has a rol e to play in sport for the future but it must be careful ly regulated to make sure that it is a positive one.

The camera supposidly never lies but there w ill always be situations in which video evidence is inconclusive

www.concrete-online.co.uk

Concrete Wednesday, November 03, 1999

Sport 29

Here comes the bribe?

Soccer star Ronaldo is facing a slight hitch in his wedding plans.

The buck toothed Brazilian Is supposed to be marrying model Milene Domingues in December but thanks to his future mother in law there may be a delay.

She opposes a pre-nuptial pact being drawn up by the striker's lawyers.

~

Getting shirty

Concrete makes its fortnightly_ visit to Carrow Road

Symons headed home after City failed to deal with a succc>>ion of corner kicks.

Pressure

By NICHOLA SEXTON and GEORGE WALKER

FOLLOWING THEIR dour 0-0 draw with Sheffield United, during which they were unlucky not to grab all three points, City went into battle with promotion contenders Bolton Wanderers.

The match saw Norwich deliver an outstand in g display on Sunday. October 24. with teen sensation Dare I Russe ll scoring his first two sen ior goa ls to finally give the Carrow Road faithful something to cheer about.

Eadic and Forbe> created plenty of chances by run ning the Bolton defence ragged, particu larly in the fir!'.t half.

Norwich took the lead >.ix minute> into the second half when veteran defender J immy Phillips mi>e ued and made a poor clearance that all owed Russell to steal po~scssion on the edge of the Bolton area.

Sublime Wit h two sublime touches Ru;sell left the defence standing and fired home into the corner of Jaaskclainen 's net.

Wanderers almost ret urned to the No rth wi th a point when they equalised in the seven ty-fifth minute with a well taken Ricky Gardncr goal.

But the winner came eight minutes from time when Robcrt s' blocked shot fe ll to Russell. who was happy to thump in the rebound .

With everything at stake and passions running high . Bolton

substitute Paul Warhurst was given his march ing orders for a second bookabl e offe nce after a rash tack le on man of the match Russell.

After the match del ightcd bos> Brucc Rioch said. ··we deserved to win , we could hme won before half time:· "' Having Eadie back has made an enormous difference:· he added.

Just three days later Ci ty were in ac tion again. this time against Stockport Coun ty.

After a bright start from Co unt y the Canaries settled into the game and pushed for an opening goal with both Forbes and Eadic forcing saves from Carlo Nash.

City had the perfect chance to score on the half hour when a fine through ba ll from Eadie found Roberts, whose shot narrowly missed the top corner.

Beleaguered But they didn't have to wait much longer to reap the rewards of their pressure, a~ County's beleaguered

dcfcm:e finally cracked and Flynn headed into his own net from a teasing cro>s.

Norwich completely dominated the >econd half. creat ing plcnt) of chances but failing to deliver the killer blow.

Dominated A':. usual in City games this >eason. the decisive goal came in the dying moments, but this time luck was on their side as an Eadie cross was scuffed into the path of Robert> who blasted home from 'ix yard':..

De>pitc their recent run of good form City \\ent into their away match aga in st Fu lha m last Saturday in pensive mood.

Having been heavily beaten by the Londoners on numerous occa,ions already thi> sea>on there were fears that the purple patch would come to an end. it looked like thi' would be the cm.e a> Fulham took the lead in only the >cventh minute when Kit

For the remainder of the half the Canaries were under constant pre,sure and were lucky to go into the break only one down.

City looked vastly improved in the second half and reaped the reward> with a 53rd minute equaliser from the ever reliable head of !wan Roberts.

Norwich managed to ho ld on until the final whistle to extend their unbeaten record to five matches.

STAYS DIVISION ONE

P W D L GS Pt 11 .Bolton 12.Norwich 13.Portsrnth 14.Grimsby

Sour times Footle Manager Carl Jenner, has defied tradition by replacing half time oranges with lemons.

The bitter alternative is supposed to "sharpen " the performance of his under 16 football team based in Aldershot.

Out of toon Irate Geordies are set to take legal action against Newcastle United after they almost trebled ticket prices.

If club bosses get their way, 4000 of the St James' loyal faithful are set to be forced to pay £1 ,350 for seats that now cost £500.

Lawyers are ready to step in on the fans ' behalf but the Newcastle board insist that the hike is necessary to push for European honours and pay for the future expansion of the stadium.

Nookie no no

CITY 10.Wolves

England's early exit from the Rugby World Cup is set to effect more than iust the pride of the nation.

Clothing manufacturer Robert H Lowe paid to put the tournament's emblem on its shirts and planned on laughing all the way to the bank.

But now the bank is seeing the funny side as the company is set to make a loss of £1 million because the shirts have failed to sell.

14 15 15 14 15

5 5 5 5 5

6 5 5 4 4

3 5 5 5 6

14 22 15 19 15

21 20 20 19 19

NORWICH CITY TOP SCORERS

lwan Roberts

7

Dare! Russell

2

Darts champ Phil Taylor is set to endure rigorous training regime that includes a self imposed ban on sex.

The seven times Professional Darts Association winner takes on British Darts Organisation champion, Ray Barneveld, in a unification match on November 7 and wants to be in prime condition.

18 stone, Taylor is locking himself away from the world for a week of non stop practice in a bid to claim the £60,000 prize and the accolade of being the undisputed champion of the world.

•

...

..

Concrete Wednesday, November 03, 1999

CCCC steal P-Oints in BUSA nightmare W·I93DMen's tirsts 2-3 ccccl TH E MEN 'S Firsts faced an aggressive and determined Christchurch College Canterbu ry in their BUSA tie, last Wednesday.

Unfortunate ly for U EA the ir commitme n t w as no t e no ug h to overco me CCCC s pass ing a nd tacti c al supremacy.

The o pe ning 20 minutes were c haracterised by some sc ra ppy pl ay, w it h UEA guilty o f some wayward passin g that made it im possib le fo r the m to pe ne tra te CCCC's tig ht defe nce.

UEA's first scori ng opportunity came midway thro ugh the half when a fi ne move dow n the m iddle set Geoff Robcrts free, on l) for him to -. hoo t na rrow ly w id e.

Ca nt erbury added sa lt to the wound two minutes later '" they took the lead after their trid.y left "ingcr dis tracted the UEA defence and played a cro"-ficld pa" to an unmarked forward who smacked the ba ll in to the net.

UEA pushed forward as they desperately searched for an equaliser.

Breakth rough

UEA push forward in sea rch of the equaliser

•

Bu t they we re unab le to breakthro ugh. as the Ken t side pushed the UEA attacke rs w ide. preven ting th e m fro m ac h ieving good shooting pos iti o ns.

In the re ma in ing hi g hl y cha rged minutes o f the half tempe rs began to fray. a nd the re fe ree had to ste p in to

ca lm players dow n.

Fo ll owi ng some stern word s d uring the half time break UEA came out fi ghting a nd managed to crea te so me earl y press ure w ith dy nam ic play in midlic ld from Nc il Harrison.

Squandered But they were unable to com·c n it into a goa l as they squa nde red oppo rtun ities from bot h open pl ay and set pieces.

The breakthrough final!) came on -+5 minutes \\'hen Rupet Snelling picked up the ball on the right. stroked a pass to Geo fT Robcn , who mad~ amends for hi, ear lier miss b) calmly scoring .

Just five minutes later CCCC retook the lead after UEA's defence

was ca ugh t napping.

In a peri od of e nd to e nd ac tion it was not lo ng be fore UEA levell ed the game after the referee awa rded a pe na lt y stro ke as Sn ell in g was call o usly tr ipped as he burst thro ug h o n goal.

Sndling's pena lt) was a weak one. hut it 'li ll managed to creep over the line despite the best effo rts of the ~ eepe r. it looked like the po ints woul d he shared but \\ ith on ly l"1ve minute~ to go C'CTC shoc~ed UEA with an outstanding late winner.

Disappointed After the match disappo in ted captain. Rob Kay. said "it wa' not a good performance. we just didn't turn on the >tylc toda) ...

HIGHLIGHTS

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Nei I Ha rri son was a devasta ting fo rce in mid fie ld. tac k ling bac k and a lwa ys loo king to pu sh forwa rd .

Ru pet Sne lli ng\ skil l on the ri ght wi ng left the Cante rbury defe nce standing a llowin g Geoff Ro bcn s Lo po und the ball home .

• Sport 31

Concrete Wednesday, November 03, 1999

•

...

UEA outsmarted by Cambridg!

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UEA 31-52 Cambridgel

By NICK HENEGAN, Sports Editor

A COMPETENT and clinical Cambridge side dispatched UEA's netball 1sts on Wednesday, October 20.

Despite some impressive play from UEA they were unable to sustain it for the full four quarters which allowed the visitors to depart with a flattering victory. consistently outwitted The fU"St quarter saw frenetic the Unfortunately. for the hOme action throughout with both teams Cambridge defence. ide Cambridge's stamina was The break could not have come trying to assert their authority and superior, a fact that allowed them soon enough for UEA with it was UEA who took an early to extend their lead. lead after some inaccurate frustration beginning to spread By now UEA's shooting was hooting from Cambridge allowed around the side. inconsistent but to their credit Cambridge flew into action from them to counter with pinnace. they kept on fighting with each score being greeted with the start of the third period quicker in their movement and more rapturous applause.

As hands ~armed up handling decisive in their passing than their.

But the game was out of reach improved and the pace of the They soon opened up a 15-point as Cambridge hit the 50 mark, a game became even more furious. gap wit some exceptional forward lead of over 20 points.

UEA were expertly turning movement leaving the UEA defence defence into attack thanks to wide open. centre Cathy Wallace spraying Midway through the quarter After the match, disappointed passes around the court and Cambridge where running away captain Hannah Joblin said, "It Rachel Taylor consistently finding with the tie, showing otsanding was a great team effort with I00 the forwards. fitness and tactical play. per cent commitment. 1t was At the end of a close quarter, in certainly a tough opposition but I which there was never more than a don't think that the score three point margin between the At the start of the final period reflected the performance." teams, the score Cambridge held a UEA were 26-40 down and had it "I'm sure that we will be in the slender two point lead. all to do. cup again" she added confidently.

UEA needed to up the tempo in the second quarter but some inaccurate passing and slack marking allowed the visitors to go into half time leading 19-24.

Furious

Disappointed

Superior

HIGHLIGHTS

Outwitted This was despite some clinical shooting from Hannah Joblin and Caroline Sherwood who

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....

UEA riot

UEA ' S ATHLETICS cl ub were quick off the blocks in their first meeting of the season , outrunning strong opposition to sec ure multiple honours .

In the Great Ya rmo uth 1Okm Road Race which took place on Sunday, October 24, clu b stalwart Wayne Lincoln grabbed the Norfo lk Co unty title Meanwhile t he Ladies team took th e team bronze after fantastic pe rformances fr om Jess Draskau, Andrea Lancaster and Rebecca Brimmage There was just enough time to soothe their aching muscles as the 17 strong s quad travelled to RAF Marham on Wednesday, October 27 to compete in the first of nine RA F East Anglian Cross Cou ntry League races .

EA crush Bucking amshire to stay unbeaten in BUSA i;!II§:ij Mens firsts 39 - 14 Bucks College I

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In the men ·s 9.5km race Kevm Murphy put in a powerful and controlled ru n to storm across the line in first place leaving his nearest rival s trailing wav back down the course .

Chris M ller finished in the second scormg spot for UEA as he disp layed com mitment and dnve to f inish a cred ible 20th.

The next two runners home were Chris Leakey in 48th spot and lmran Kahn in 65th place, completing the men 's points scoring an d entertaining the crowd with their surg ing sprint finishes .

The women 's team faired even better as Jess Draskau claimed victory in the 4.8km event wh ich , helped by outstanding performances from other members , guided them to team triumph .

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Draskau outran stiff competition to blaze home with a convincing vic tory.

Katherine Trehane pile d up the points for UEA as she fi nished a deserved 7th after runn ing a tremen dous race .

The win was seal ed by Fran Green an d Emily Collins who crossed the li ne in th e othe r po int scoring positions.

Women 's captain Em ily Collins was deli g hted w it h t he result say ing , " The re were many n otable performances , putting us in a powerful position for t he rest of the series··.

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THE MEN S Firsts maintained their unblemished BUSA record with a well earned victory against Bucks College.

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