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New Concrete survey reveals widespread dissatisfaction with campus catering outlets EXCLUSIVE By JAMES GOFFIN, News Editor
CATERING BOSSES are making a meal out of eating on campus, according to a <;oncrete Investigation. Students are far from happy about the two main campus eateries, The Diner and Breakers 2, both of which came in for a drubbing from most unpalatable re.sults for restaurant managers - who currently receive a ÂŁ120,000 a subsidy from the rsity - will be substantial criticisms levelled
A massive 74 per cent rated the outlets' burger and chips menu as being unsatisfactory, with 31 per cent condemning it as very poor. "The quality is obscenely bad," commented Sam Marfleet (EAS 4) .
Cold Emma Ward (LAW 1) agreed. "The chips in Breakers are always cold," she moaned. And the far from fast service was also criticised in the survey, with over a quarter of replies - 26 per cent - branding it very poor. Only 7 per cent rated it as good or very good. Briony Thompson (EAS 2) was one of the respondents angry
about the treatment dished out to customers. "The service is absolutely appalling. Nothing is ever right and it is always cold ," she stormed. "They run out of stuff a lot," complained Julie Blint (SOC 3). Students also gave the thumbs down to Breakers' brash mix of loud music and plastic chairs, with over half describing it as worse than okay, and 23 per cent slating it a~ very P,OOr.
Other news: - Hotness to host UEA quiz 2 - Rag ball raises ÂŁ2000 7 - Draft of new Union constitution revealed 4 However, despite their damning criticisms of the food , service, and decor, students did recognise that Breakers was
cheap. Only 9 per cent of students thought the grub on offer was very poor value for money, with the remainder dividing evenly between good, okay, and poor. In stark contrast, students rubbished the Diner's cash to nosh ratio.
Poor A huge 64 per cent thought value for money in the campus' main restaurant was poor or very poor, with a paltry 7 per cent saying they thought they were parting with a fair amount of money for their meals. Elsewhere the eaterie faired better, with the biggest group of students rating it ok on most indicators. But many respondents still called for improvements to the Diner's service. - Continued on page 7
lhe event teaches you how to make a fortune forging film memorabilia
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Concrete Wednesday, November 17. 1999
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Holness set to host UEA quiz nigh_t By ADAM BANHAM
WE 'RE NOT calling your bluff - top tv quiz host Bob Holness really is coming to UEA, and he'll give you the chance to win a blockbusting holiday for two. A nti anyone w ho doc, n 't ge t the c hance to as k fo r "a P. p lease: Bob .. - a prit.e th at is - >ho ultl st ill be happy. as the even ing wi ll a lso he awash wi th plenty of c heap drinks. case of WK D eac h, but then the masters in the theori es of Greek The whole eve nt is ;,ponsorcd ind iv idua l winner w ill wi n a my th o logy. sc ientific ge niu ses by vodka drink . WKD . and is C lub 18-3 0s ho li day fo r two o r brain surgeon s. guaranteed sc hedu led to ro ll o nto ca mpus w ith .ÂŁ2 00 spend in g mo ney," Uni o n sabbati ca l Cla irc Kober. o n Tuesday 30th No vember. as excla imed C laire. " it' s no t go in g to be pa rt of Live in the Hi ve. Un ivers ity C hallenge: it wi ll be Empty-handed Quizmaster si mp le to give everyhody a But uncle Bob won ' t let chance." C hai reel by vetera n anyone go home empty- handed . qu iLmaster Bob Ho lness. " ho Top prize Sai d C lai re : "Everybody who shot to fa me o n students' en ters gets something, it might Ho wever. be warned - if you favouri te Bl ockbus te rs. and he a ho ttlc of WKD o r it mi ght end up bei ng o n the winning cu rre ntl y kee p' th e peace be a T-shirt . a wallet or a keyteam, friendships w ill have to be between Alan Co ren and Sand y rin g so mething like that." put aside as each co nt c, tant does Toksv ig o n lun cht ime show Ca ll Q ui z ent ry is limited to 300 batt le agai nst the ir team mates to My Bluff. the shindig sho uld peop le . w ith eac h ind ivid ua l scoop the top prit.e uf a giv~ st ude nt s thl! chance to expec ted to be pan of a team desi rable C lu b I R-J(b ho liday. prove their anorak status. cun;,is ting of betwee n fou r and " The ove rall winning team But to win the o ne-off quiL ..,jx member .... wi ll rccci\c a [ 150 ca,h. plus a co nt estants won't have to he
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SYS P-roject set to boost Norwich tourism A MULTI-MILLION pound media project being pioneered by UEA computer boffins looks set to place Norwich at the forefront of the tourism industry. The Charismatic project- funded by the European Commission to the tune of £4 million- is a collaboration between UEA's School of Information Systems and the city's high · tech firm Tclevirtual. meet the people, see historic re· SYS Prof David Amold is certain The unique project will allow e· enactmcnts and recreate bits of that the scheme will have real tourists from all over the world to history. benefits for UEA. take a glance at the delight of And Mr Child revealed that after Norwich in the present and in the past. all via the web. the scheme has been piloted in " It should increase the reputation "These virtual worlds are orwich. the system will be rolled populated by a range of high quality out all over Europe. of the place and it should contribute 'This is a very big project which virtual humans who have the ability to our research rating ,'' he commented. to not only !ook and move like at the sma llest level of ambi tion will give a boost to tourism and to "It is also of benefit to the humans, but to talk at the highest University to be strongly involved level and to understand requests,'' historic cities" explained Tim Child. Managing ''At the top level it will produce a with the local region on these kind of research topics." Director of Televirtual. completely new fonn of theatre," And to coincide with the new en thused Mr Child. venture, SYS chiefs have launched a "I hope that it will benefit Norwich. lt's nice that the practices new Media Engineering course to As well as being available via the train graduates for this up-and· intemet, the computerised tour will of development give the first fruits coming indu try. only the third to where they are being conducted," be on offer to the public in special theatres, where they wi 11 be able to course of its kind in the country. he added.
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PEOPLE'S POET and star UEA prof, Andrew Motion, has broken ranks with the literary establishment and revealed details of his earnings. And according to the Poet Laureate, lt Is only thanks to his part-time work at UEA that he can continue with his writing. The job as Professor of Buckingham Palace. After tax, he said. Creative Writing, and head of that just about covers my "I could probably get more the University's prestigious stamp bill - I get so many money now for some of the writing courses, earns the letters as Poet Laureate," he things I do. But I'm not really wordsmlth £30,000 a year told Mslexla magazine. Interested In earning vast the biggest chunk of his sums." earnings. The last chunk of the The sum dwarfs the £2,000 In the Interview with the writer's pay packet comes the poet receives for his literary rag, Prof Motion also from his work on work, and the £5,000 a year outlines his other Income, biographies. fee for being the Poet which Includes a £5,000 Laureate. revenue from public readings, and around the same amount Motion has already from literary journalism. published two well-received According to Prof Motion, lt's an area of his Income books on Larkln and Keats, the amount of cash he gets that has risen since taking on and Is now working on a for being the nation's poet the national post. study of Thomas Grlfflths merely pays off his postage " I can charge more now. lt Walnrlght, for which he is costs. used to be £300 for a 1,200 receiving an advance of "There's the £5,000 from word review. Now I'd get £500," £25,000 over three years.
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Cold flame A pensioner from Hemel Hempstead got a bit carried away defrosting her fridge this week. Annie Welsh set her house on fire when she lett a candle in the appliance to speed up the de-icing protest - but the flame burnt through the lining and the fire took hold.
Ringing tone A traditional red phone box has become a tourist attraction, but for all the wrong reasons. Sex-crazed couples are flocking to the booth to pay homage to its location's name - Licky End. " Residents enjoying a late night stroll with their dogs have been horrified by what they see," said local postmistress Jill Byatt.
Taking the piss John Carlin from New Jersey has had his driving licence restored after judges agreed he shouldn 't have been punished for refusing to take a breath test. The court accepted his excuse that he would have wet himself if he had blown any harder, even though he admitted drunk driving. " l .would have taken the test, but I couldn 't," he explained. " I kept telling the police I had to go, but they wouldn 't listen.''
Fight school Campus bosses will be hoping that students at UEA don't follow the example of angry pupils at the Sangalo Institute of Science and Technology. · Students at the Kenyan institute beat their principal to death, after accusing him of mismanagement. Over 100 students took part in the attack, with 11 being arrested. Good odds don't you th ink?
Rough justice Villagers from Lanjoron in Spain have been hit with what must rank as one of1he most oppressive laws ever. The mayor has passed a bylaw making it illegal to die, because they 've run out of places in the local ceremony. Exactly what the sentence is for breaking the law is not cle<!r.
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UNION POLITICOS are planning a dramatic re-write of the organisation 's constitution . Under the plan' - seen hy Concrete - the current system of Union G..:n..:ra l M..:eting; and Student 1-nrum wou ld be dropped in favour of a Student Council. meeting three time' a semester. The Union's elected posts \\OUid he st reamlined. with the \\'omen\ and Race Awarcnes> Officers dropped. and Communications Officer renamed th e Ge nera l Secretary.
Draft scheme
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(30 seconds from Virgin 1\lcgastore or 2 minutes from the market)
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The draft scheme alv> rntrnduccs the concept of ··bylaws""- rcmO\ ing ~C) areas from the con;,titution . changes to 11 hi eh curn:ntl) require appro,·aJ from the L ni\l't;,i t) and a pror\lJ1JOil nf ... tutknh. and lea\ ing th~m up to a 111 o-thirds majorit~
\OIC of the new Student Council. Affected areas will include sabbatical officer-.· joh descriptions. and the c.\ act make-up of the Counc il itself. According to Union Acad..:mic Ofllcer. l.isa Eldrct. \\ ho is overseeing the re,·amp. the plan is to bring power bac~ to the L nion.
Approved ""At the moment C\ er~ thrn:c 111 the con;,trtutron ha' to he .rppro' eel h) the l " ni,crsrt~. 11hat \\C"d lt~c Ill J,, ;, h;l\ c the• cnrc nf it dPf'rn\ e·J h;,
the Universit) and the rest decided h) Student Council.""
New systems If the Uni ve rsity approve th e plans. the ne11 systems could he in place h) the end of this academic year. ""V.c arc hoping it wdl he in place before the next round of ckctions:· said Lisa. ··But 11 c need to make sure 11 " \Hilt en 11 ell. to avoid the problems 11 ~ "vc had 11 ith the c"liiTent ~..: nn .. l!llltltlll.
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November 17, 1999
Staff condemn shoP- refit By ADAM BANHAM THE £100 ,000 makeover of the Un ion Paper Shop and Post Office has been attacked as a waste of money that has rui ned the shop for customers. According to s tall in the s hor:-.. thl: L:xpcnsivc ne w till sy:-.tcm is makin g cuslontcr:-. wa il lo nger to gel se rved. And the .. i.mprovcd .. layo ut has left stud e nts havin g lo tra ve l into th e c it y to ge l :-.ta ti o nery and ot her su ppli es.
Battling 0\er a mon th >i ncc the s tart of term . staff in the shop a rc s till batt ling to get the comp uterised tills to work properly. Prob lems revealed by Paper Shop sta ff. who have asked to re main anonymous, inc lude:
• T he till system is un reliable and often fails Po pula r items like newspa pers are not recognised b~· the system • Service is slowed by the need to enter barcodes by ha nd • It ta kes longer for people to pay a nd get change
Staff ha ve a lso had to dea l wi th complaint:-. from custn 1ncrs about the reduced range of stat ion ary and other items avai lable 111 the reva mped shops. But i\nd v Marriol. Union Finance Officer. has defended the ne\\ S) s tem · and even announced plans to ex te nd it to the UFO. .. lt "s a brand ne\\' system being pioneered by the co nsortium NUSSL. \\'hich is pan of NUs:·
Trial phase .. We arc tryin g it o ut. and we a rc committ ed lO it. There are always a few g litchcs in a trial phase. but they arc being s moothed out:· he promised. And he denied that the system wa:-. slowi ng down cus tome r service.
.. The s hop looks a lo t hcllcr and it runs a n awful lo t hcttcr:· "There a rc queues at the minute. hut ha\ ing said that there a l\\ ays used to he queues:· commented Andy. He also defended the ncv. dc~ign of the two shops . .. The s hops rlows better. Before th e re wa' alway' a pile up w hen people wanted to get rou nd the back a nd thin gs ... .. Th e s ho p is intelligently se t up and it looks a lot nicer:· he claimed.
Corporate image ..The next project w ill be to look at the UFO and things like that. to bring eve rythin g into one big corporate tmagc.
Cut& B
Sick gimmick A PUBLISHING firm has been condemned for using an attempted rape to publicise a book set on campus. Pulp Books, which publishes UEA graduate Jon Buscall's Col/ege.com, has issued publicity for the novel linking it to last month's campus attack. novel," saying that recent Pal mer shrugged off the The story follows the lives of a group of freshers during events " mirror" the plotline. criticism, claiming it was her lt goes on to compare the duty to sell books. their first few weeks of term, ag~inst th~ . backdrop of a real -life assault with a Fiction senes of v1c1ous attacks. passage from the book, and implicitly criticises campus "They really out to Plotline security. understand what we are In a press release for the The stunt has been blasted doing. We are a book, the publishers claim contemporary publisher by the University and the that " life eerily imitates Union as crass and selling fiction relevant to . - - - - - - - - - -...,.,..- - - - , insensitive. people's lives," she said. " This is a cheap And she denied that the attempt to grab tone of the gimmick was publicity out of an offensive. incident which is still "I don't think the person under investigation, attacked at UEA would be and which could offended by it," insisted Ms clearly cause upset," Palmer. railed UEA Privacy spokesperson, Annie Ogden. " She still has complete And Union Welfare privacy." Officer, Claire Kober - Police are still appealing agreed, labelling the for students to come forward publicity " disgraceful". with information on the " lt's the ch'eapest crime. If you know anyth ing stunt I've ever seen," that could be of help, call PC she said. Tony Ryan at Bethel Street But publisher Elaine CID on Norwich 7687~9.. c
Tenns and Conditions £10 cut & blow dry la for walk- In cUenta onty and the appointment clients are £ 15.00.
Tel. Crop Shop Norwich Ltd. 622062
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Concrete Wednesday, November 17, 1999
Law school refuse to reReal .Rrinting_ROiiCY. By CLAIRE HAMILTON-EDDY, Assistant News Editor LAW SCHOOL bosses have been slammed after failing to respond to st udent complaints over t he policy of only providing course material in electron ic form. Despite receiving a petition s igned by 350 disgruntled law students opposi ng t he scheme, Law chiefs have dismissed pleas to change the s ituation, insisting t hat co urse dossiers and works heets wi!l only be d istributed via the web. Even a heated meet ing with Un ion officials and student re ps failed to persuade academics of their case.
Consultation "At the meeting we basically said that it was not fair that the policy had been made without student consultation," said Lisa Eldret, Union Academic Officer. " And we said that there had been so many problems with printers that it is taking ages to get stuff printed out." " Obviously we also pointed out the financial implications," she added. But despite their efforts, students are still going to have to save their coppers and be prepared to face long queues for printers. But Dean of Law, Or
Caroline Ball, remains adamant that the faculty cannot return to its old policy of free hand outs io lectures. "We have agreed to review the policy but only in the short term to relieve the particular problems of inadequate provision of printers and the subsequent waste of students' time." "We cannot return to the general provision of large quantities of free materials," she insisted.
Alternative And she denied that there would be any need for alternative methods once the printer shortage had been sorted out- even claiming that students are now happy with the setup. " We are investigating the
possibilities but as I pointed out at the meeting, there are fairly massive logistical issues to be considered," said Or Ball. "The petition was signed some time ago, and responses to recent inquiries suggest that there are fewer concerns regarding the present arrangements." Students, however, do not seem to be convinced by the schools approach to tackling their concerns. " lt takes time away from other things as you have to spend so much time getting the handouts," complained fellow student Keith Hutchinson (LAW 3). "I think that a lot of students are not bothering to get the hand outs now."
Hit he ceil·ng_ fBYchasm between male and female academic staff UEA BOSSES have been lambasted for failing to ' do different' and buck a national trend of pay discrimination.
in recent years - for instance. we now have 16 \\Omen in the professorial grade. four times as many a~ there \vere five year~ ago."
the senior grades. by providing constructive and sustainable solutions:· added Mr Beck. And he said the Univcrsit) was commiued to minimising sexual discrimination. "UEA has had equal opportunities policies in place for man) years:·
Registry chiefs rate male tutors as worth an average of £4.797.56 more than their fcnialc counterparts, according to figures rclca-,cd by lecturers· union. NATFIIE. Constructive lt rates the Uni\ersity in the top University. "llowcvcr. the o,·erall numbers "lt simply confirms what we third of discriminatory universities. remain small and we would wish to and abo\c the national average alread) knew - there is still a glass see a higher proportion of women in figure. which has male pay pad.cts ceiling abo,·e which it is \Cry difficult for women to boosted by around £4.300. transcend:· she said. Sex discrimination "lt is a trend that should ''T here's a massive proble m of be in reverse.'' sex discri m inat ion. from the top to But defendi ng UEA's the bolt om of the ent ire sy-.tcm," position, Director of comp lained NATFHE's Tom Personnel. Richard Beck. Wilson. said the Universi ty was "It ·s got many causes. but working to address the whatever the reasons. none of them problem. are justified." he stormed. "There has hcen an increase in th~ numbers of Afld Clai~e .Koher, Union Welfare et Ill Jil ~arsh till. f<T lh · female stall in scmor grades U.UWU!:I:l~!l.::l.t.ll::la.J:JWlJI.Il.ULI.U~.......
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CAMPUS SURVEY RESULTS
- Continued from page 1 "They are supposed to be catering for students on campus, but only two out of 13 people on my corridor use it," said Gemma Holland (LAW 1). "The prices are ridiculous ," commented Mia Vigar (SOC 1). However, despite the attacks, UEA's Director of Residences and Services, Jenny Grant , remains bullish about standard of catering on campus.
Business "it's quite clear looking at the level of business that people actually like it," she claimed . "But it's also clear that students are very short of money, so I understand they have a rea l
concern over value for money, and that's something we want to look at." And she insisted that students would see big improvements soon. "We feel we've done a lot of work on the finances and structure of catering and we are now very focused ." "We hope to set up focus groups with all students. We will be looki ng more carefully at the needs of our customers ," promised Ms Grant. But Claire Kober, Union Welfare Officer, thinks students deserve better service now. "I think everyone would say and this survey proves - that catering is completely
inadequate." "lt doesn't service the need there is on campus and the fact it does so badly in terms of revenue is a direct result of the fact that the quality is so bad ," thundered Claire.
Service "Students really don't care about what is happening behind the scenes - all they want is quality of service delivered to them." "They want something edible, cheap, and that is efficiently served and fast. That doesn 't always happen ." • Survey method: 148 people were surveyed in face to face interviews over three days.
very ·Q00d
THE DINER •
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How would you rate the food quality in the Diner? • I
How would you rate The Diner for value for money?
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November 17, 1999
SE, W BRITISH ••• With his book Bring Home The Revolution, Jonathan Freedland has brought the issue of constitutional reform to the fore. James Goffin spoke to him when he came to UEA.
T
hink of The Sun, and you're more likely to think of Page Three girls than in-depth analysis of the British political system - but that's exactly what readers of the tabloid have been treated to over the last few weeks. The fuss has been caused by a new book by journalist Jonathan Freedland, Bring Home The Revolution, which takes a fresh look at our style of government in a way that has caught the imagination from all sides of the debate - even earning him the title "that wretched man Freedman" from Telegraph commentator Auberon Waugh . And if you believe the hype, it's a book that has been devoured by both Tony Blair and William Hague, and has become required reading for anyone wanting to get on in politics. it's also a book that has its roots not very far from UEA , just 30 miles down the road in Thetford. In a nutshell , the book calls for an American Revolution in Britain - or more
precisely, for us to reclaim the ideas from this side of the Atlantic that sparked revolt in the colonies in 1776. As part of a 10-point plan to reclaim democracy for "We, the people", the book recommends the scrapping of the monarchy, a fully elected replacement for the House of Lords, and a massive increase in the number of elected officials, all tied up with a written constitution. Anyone even vaguely familiar with British politics will be aware of these issues, but what makes Freedland's book different is the way his arguments are put forward. Bring Home The Revolution is no stuffy textbook, it's a slim, attractive paperback that reads more like travel journalism than political diatribe. And , according to the author, that's one of the reasons why the book has made such an impact. "People like Charter 88 [the constitutional reform group] are very good people and they have really thought through their arguments, but
were only ever able to make their case in a dry academic way. They didn't connect their whole list of demands with the way people actually live. "The book is about how Americans have changed the way they live at a day to day level, through their political culture. And by pointing that ou t what I have tried to do is show a flesh and blood human approach in what has been an arid constitutional studies area:· explains Jonathan. He also suggests that circumstances are now right for a debate about the basics of how Britain is run . In the last two weeks alone we have seen th e (virtual) end of the hereditary peers in the House of Lords, an increasingly political Prince Charles taking part in publicity stunts over Chinese human rights and foxhunting , and a vigorous public debate about republicanism in Australia . ''These things are in play now, because the Government has begun a program of devolution, because the last four or five years of Princess Diana's life made questioning the monarchy an acceptable thing to do, and because we are facing a huge dilemma over the single currency. "People are in a mood to discuss the biggest questions, which are: What kind of country are we? How should we be governed? Who holds power? Who's in charge? Before we weren 't in much of a mood to discuss big questions, but I
think now we are." it's fitting then , that Freedland was this year's speaker at UEA's Thomas Paine Lecture. Held jointly with the Thomas Paine Society, th e bi-annual event examines how the legacy of one of Norfolk's best-forgotten sons is relevant to modern society. Paine was born in Thetford in 1737, the son of a corsetmaker, but went on to be a guiding hand in the creation of the Ameri can
Essays to put forward his views (a generous offer bearing in mind that he is the kind of Guardian journalist the Mail normally wouldn 't waste its spit on) , it was also quick to bring in Frederick Forsyth to rebut Freedland's arguments: "Relentlessly he echoes the eternal subtext of the Blairite gospel; this is a bad , bad country, inhabited by a benighted people, ruled by a ruthless
People are in a mood to discuss the biggest questions, which are: what kind of country are we? How should we be governed? Who hol·ds power? Constitution, before leaving for France to help get rid of Louis XVI and create the first French Republic in 1789. lt was Paine's agitating pamphlet Common Sense that first really set the republican cause alight in America, and, together with his later writings, sets out the basic ideas upon which American politics is based. These ideas are that power co mes up from the people and is not exercised down on them , that everyone is equal, and that we all have immutable rights. For Freedman, bringing those ideas to bear in a new system of British government shouldn't be too much of a struggle. They are, after all , British ideas. "This is our deepest heritage. Thomas Paine was someone from round here. He was an Englishman from Thetford , Norfolk and there were hundreds and hundreds like him. They came from here and made their ideas live in America. "But these ideas are very deep in the British soul , and they come out in very odd ways: in our humour - our sense of humour is sceptical of authority; our nonconformism - the way people dress, pierced ears and noses and lips; and we are a very dissenting , sceptical , maverick, nonconformist people. ''These ideas that I am suggesting are really a kind of institutionalised version of these values, and they strike a chord . it's like a chord from our past that we've become out of tune with. it's like trying to get people to remember an old melody - they know it, but it takes some getting back to. it's not teaching people a new tune." For some people, however, its a tur.e that gets the same kind of reaction as dance music gets from a pensioner: that's not music, it's just noise. Although the Daily Mail allowed Freedman the chance to write one of their Saturday
peasant-shooting and port-drinking secret establishment and in urgent need of liberation and 'reform' by a bunch of middle-class, redbrickschooled, semi -educated pseudointellectuals of the New Labour fanaticism ." Freedland's enthusiasm for bringing the American Revolution home remains unblighted, however. His love affair with the country and what it stands for started when he was only four, when he set off with his toy suitcase and teddy bear intent on travelling across the Atlantic in his grandpa's pocket. He didn't get there for several years, but when he did he found a country at ease with itself and with its politics, a patriotic country that could unite around one idea. "Britain has suffered, and we are less patriotic, because we don't have an idea we can unite around expressed in a flag or a song. Nationalisms of ideas tend to be the thriving and successful ones." "In America there 's an idea. it's not about blood or ethnicity - that's why you can be lots of different colours and talk different languages and still be an American. it comes together over th e single idea of self government, that we should govern ourselves. Even though I've been denounced by all the rightwing flag-wavers , I consider the book to be an extremely patriotic book because it's a plea for Britain to find an idea around which it can be extremely united and proud ." As Britain becomes gradually more infiltrated by American culture, from McDonald's to Friends, from Starbucks to the Simpsons, perhaps it is only a matter of time before a few of Tom Paine's ideas also start to return. Soon , perhaps, Jonathan Freedland's teddy .bear will be able to stay at home.
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Concrete Wednesday, November 17, 1999
Letters/ Comment 9
Conservative Sharp agenda tongues fter reading the last issue of 'Concrete ', I was filled with joy. I had thought that students were an apathetic bunch but how wrong I was. Not only is the UEA Conservative Party going to give us back our Kit Kats but also we'll be able to drink more cheaply. I like a Kit Kat or a pint once in a while but surely there are more important things to concentrate on. The Tories' poster also stated that they'd campaign for free entry to the LCR and right at the bottom, abolition of tuition fee's and the return of the student grant. Surely the last two points are more relevant than a watery chocolate biscuit. With less money going out and more coming in, you poor first and second years could buy all the beer and KitKats that you desire plus pay to go to the LCR each week and you'd still be better off than you are now. Just something to think about whilst you're supping your subsidised pints in the Union Bar. Martin Brock, LLT4
A
was really quite appalled by the article published in the November 3 issue of Concrete titled, "Gripe: snagging in public". How dare someone make such an accusation as if they were speaking for the majority. Personally, I believe that kissing is perhaps the most natural thing that two people who show affection towards one another do. Maybe the person who wrote the article does not realise this. And what exactly is decent behaviour? Surely kissing in public is not as downgrading as the journalist would have us believe. And why may I ask, if the journalist is getting so up tight about watching people carry out a normal part of adult life, are they watching and passing judgement on what someone can or cannot do? I thought we were living in a democracy where opinion is free. However, when your newspaper tries to portray an opinion set by your narrow-minded journalist as being socially unacceptable, why should the masses be subjected to such propaganda?
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Mark Kreckler
Above the law? ny Law students out there will know the farcical situation currently existing in their school, but I thought the UEA population as a whole should be told. You've probably already read in Concrete that we now have to pay for our lecture handouts. This is just one of the Dean's crude attempts to save money. Next, they have decided that for the majority of the time, the Law Library at Earlham Hall shall be shut (and this has nothing to do with the departure of the Librarian, as it was due to be shut next year anyway!) This facility is of as much use to many Law students as the main UEA library, but yet again we have been made to suffer due to the school's economic constraints. Further problems include the fact that many students have had
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'Beardie-weirdie' Chapman manager: 'Smuggler' Kirby Manager: IJ i tilrru:U! 'Old man' Graham writing Editor:
units cancelled at the last minute, giving them few viable alternatives. Also, lecturers have no qualms about taking long periods of time off (and I am not referring to the ones on long term sick leave!) during term time. If students tried doing the same, they'd make sure it was stopped. And who knows what will happen to the law school when the lease to Earlham Hall expires in 2002? Would it be too cynical to suggest the faculty has begun a process of self destruction in order to save the job of finding new premises or save the University the expense of building a new faculty? Name and school supplied
- See News, page 6
Kris 'Don't forget me' Siefken •Editorial Contributors: Adam Banham, Lucy Sacre, George Walker, Alex Kenning, Denny Coote, Debbi Marco, Julia Lee, Will Halsey, Douglas Harding, Adam 'Pervert' Chapman, Kris Siefken, Simon Jones, •Copy Editing: Claire Saunders •Cartoons: Pete Large •Photographers: Russell Burton, Nick Henegan, Caroline Jeater, Mark Edwards, Iris Waas, James Tapsfield, John Williamson, James Goffin •DTP: James Tapsfield, Caroline Jeater, Mark Edwards, Nick Henegan • Page 22: Still Life © Simon Jones 1999.
Catering in crisis As our survey in th is issue reveals, students are simply not satisfied with the standard of food on campus.
And the results look even worse when you consider that well over £1 00.000 in subsidy is pumped into these socalled eateries every year. With over 3,000 hungry students on campus wanting to buy decent food, you would have thought that these outlets would be returning a profit.
So why is Diner fare still such bad value? And how come Breakers 2's service is so appallingly slow? lt's time someone took a serious look at how these places function.
Having a
all
Congratulations to Rag on the success of their All Hallow's Eve Ball. lt's been hard to pick up the pieces, but the society's definitely back in business.
We look forward to the next event!
Graduate Student's Cl b 16th NoVember Pool Competitio Free entry with liquid prizes
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26th November
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10 Tarot cards 12 Enviro-taxes 13 Pure genius 15 Euthanasia debate
Need some guidance in your life? Ever thought of consulting the tarot cards? Will Halsey discusses his future with campus tarot card reader Rosmarie Blackthorn... ard number three: The Future ... Absence. Disappointment. Strife. Removal. Dispersion. Diversion. Opposition. Separation. My interne! tarot reading looked decidedly ominous. Fortunately, the real thing was very different, and while the truth of it all remains open to question , many people regard tarot as an important source of guidance in their lives. I approached my meeting with professional tarot reader Rosemarie Blackthorn with interest, apprehension , and a good deal of scepticism. UEA graduate Rosemarie is used to this , and accepts it. "Some scepticism is healthy. I have problems with people who accept every1hing ." She began studying the tarot three years ago, and after 18 months her knowledge was formalised by Joyce Collins-Smith, who is famous for her spiritual work with the Maharishi in India. (They are known in the UK for their work with The ¡ Beatles, although the Gallagher brothers have yet to request a reading .) Now a fully fledged reader, Rosemarie explained how those who seek the tarot usually have problems, and use the reading as an alternative therapy. Contrary to popular belief, the tarot is not used primarily to predict the future . "People do know how to solve their problems, it is merely a case of finding the best route ," she says, and apparently the deck of special cards is one of them. The tarot is made up of two decks, the 56 cards of the Major Arcana and 22 which belong to the Minor Arcana, combining to form a pack of 78. it began as a deck of playing cards used for gambling in the fourteenth century, and the game is still played in France today. Which deck you use is vital to the mystical side of the tarot. There are many different varieties, such as the Marseilles Tarot, the RiderWaite Tarot and, my personal favourite, the Tarot of the Cat People. Readers use different sets of cards depending on personal choice, belief, and religious persuasion. Some dGcks are also easier to understand or interpret than others. Rosemarie owns five, and admits that she is "a bit of a tarot junkie." "One tarot I saw in Canada had three different 'lovers' cards' ," she recalled. "One for heterosexuals , one for gay men and one for lesbians."
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I decided to plump for a more mundane variety, and on Rosemarie's suggestion I chose the full 21 card spread. This covered everything from my current emotional state through to my long-term future influences. At this point my feelings were a strange mix of scepticism and nervousness, combined with a determination not to be affected by it. They were only cards, after all . The spread, like most tarot cards, was read in threes, and I chose my 21 while Rosemarie appeared to try to lower my expectations by revealing the occasional "sarcastic" nature of the cards - meaning that they state the obvious. The first three cards gave a snapshot of
" I didn't think I looked like Austin Powers, but my choice of cards suggested women were throwing themselves at me." my life and, inevitably, they were sarcastic. The first card from the major arcana represented learning , seeming to fit in nicely with my status as a student. Having previously discussed my degree at UEA, it did not seem like the most profound of revelations. "You 've got the Four of Pentacles, which basically means you 're strapped for cash," continued Rosemarie, and although when dealing with a student this statement should be sale, the healthy loan in my bank account meant the tarot had made its first mistake. Things did not improve. ''The Two of Cups suggests you have just embarked on a new relationship ," was the next reading. Wrong again , and when I told her about my girlfriend of two years Rosemarie conceded, "There are many different interpretations of the cards".
c/s Chris Smith 18 Photo story 21 Travel 22 Featured words
The second set of three looked at my emotional state, and the reading seemed to be getting on the right track. "You have the Page of Swords, which tells me you are very analy1ical, and can also be quite cutting at times. " This was more like it, but then it all started to go pear-shaped again, thanks to the Queen of Pentacles . "Have you made friends with an older woman?" I was tempted to say I was flattered , but not interested; instead I merely replied in the negative. Rosemarie concluded that I had a very balanced view of life, which is probably fair. The next set was 'what I want in life'. "The Page of Ones is about public recognition for your achievements , such as getting degrees ." Although pretty accurate, telling a university student they want to get a degree does not take enormous mystical power. And to inform me that I desired to make things better in my life, especially financially, did not exactly suggest other-worldly insight either. My love life soon returned to the fore . "The Knight of Cups is very interesting . Usually it signifies the arrival of a new lover, but in this instance it may mean you are out for new opportunities". I don't think I looked like Austin Powers during the reading, but my choice of cards suggested women were throwing themselves at me. Sadly, there was no need for supernatural powers to see the inaccuracy of that particular interpretation . Rosemarie did redeem herself to an extent by suggesting a desire not to fall into a pattern or career too quickly, and a possible wish to travel around the world first. But without wanting to sound too cynical, again this seems like quite a safe prediction for a first year student. Next was what I expected in life, with the cards again suggesting travel, and also swift change. My methodical problem solving is "definitely the Seven of Ones". But aside from this, what I see for the future does not appear very clear, which is fair enough. 'What still surprises me' was the next set of three. ''The Hermit is about being on your own. The Three of Ones is also about new beginnings, and about new ventures in communication. You've also got the Eight of Cups, which is about leaving your past." All of this could be interpreted using the transition to university, again seeming to suggest an apparent lack of unearthly insight. The final two sets concerned my future. First, my short-term future , with the key cards being
the World ("ends of cycles, completion and fulfilment") , and the Wheel of Fortune. Sadly, this did not mean that I was shortly to encounter Nicky Campbell, but was instead a reminder that "what goes around comes around ... when things get tough, you must remember that things get better''. While it is easy to criticise the tarot, taken as advice , this does seem like good common sense. Here was definitely a positive side to the reading. Regarding my long-term future, the appearance of The Emperor apparen tly suggested that I need a good relationship with my student adviser. Again this seemed quite obvious , but does make sense. And although I have never quite seen my adviser as an emperor, I'm sure he will guide me through my degree well enough. So , that was my reading . Unsurprisingly , Rosemarie stated that I was a defensive person to read and , considering my scepticism, I could hardly have come across as anything else. However, it was a fascinating experience, and while it did not convert me to the ways of the tarot, it certainly portrayed the medium in a new and interesting light. Indeed, as an oral therapy , I could see this being an effective problem solver. But considering that I'm a cutting intellectual and a methodical problem solver with a balanced view on life, I don't think 1'11 be returning to the cards in the near future. Unless I develop a problem concerning older women , that is .. . Rosemarie gives readings in the University LCR on Thursdays, and also does home visits. The cost ranges from ÂŁ5 to ÂŁ25.
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Beer, Wine, Spirits, Pasta, Tuna, Beans, Fruit, Cereal, Salad • whatever you want and we'll deliver it too!!!
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Coocrete Wednesday, November 17, 1999
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The government have scrapped the fuel escalator policy and interest in the environment seems to be in decline. Julia Lee and Jan Kaucher argue that it is still important to put green issues first. .. ast week the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, announced that the Government was dropping the so-called 'fuel escalator' policy, which guaranteed that fu el prices would rise by six per cent above inflation every year. This was a policy that had aroused vociferous dissent. Lorry drivers were up in arms, car owners were quietly disgruntled, and th e rest of us tut-tutted vaguely as we tend to when confronted with tax increases. Thus the end of the escalato r was widely welcomed. But was it really the right move? Just days after the scrapping was announced, news broke that for the first time in over two decades the volume of traffic on British roaas has failed to rise, suggesting that the escalator policy may have been starting to work. A return to relatively cheaper fuel, however, means more traffic; more traffic means more greenhouse gases; and that, in turn, means an acceleration in global warming . Five, maybe 10 years ago, we were all terribly interested in the environment. The Eighties saw
"In the Eighties we began to recycle, we turned off the lights and some of us even started using public transport. But now the environmental fervour has gone." the eradication of CFCs from aerosols and fridges . We began to recycle, we turned off the lights and some of us even started using public transport. But now the environmental fervour has gone. We recycle in a half-hearted kind of way, and on the whole we make pitifully little effort. Labour's rethink is symptomatic of the general apathy that . has set in. The Government attitude is summed up by Michael Meacher, the Environment Minister: "We have to carry people with us. You can 't lay down a set of environmental or social diktats and expect the population to agree." But whether or not the Government are putting short-term electoral gain above environmental interests, we
are the ones to blame for making it worth their while to rethin k price rises. We look set to suffer the consequences of our short-sightedness. Last year was the warmest on reco rd , and every decade the temperature is rising by 0.2-0.3 degrees Celsius. lt doesn't sound like a lot, but according to Or Oavid Viner, a scientist in ttie Climate Research Unit here at UEA, it's "a lot more" than it should be. Sea levels are rising, not, as many people believe, because the polar ice caps are melting (although they are), but because the seas are simply expanding. Th e result is that low lying countries are in danger of losing large areas under water. Bangladesh, which had a series of extremely severe floods last year in which thousands died and many more were made homeless, stands to lose a fifth of its land to flooding . Global warming has been blamed , and given that this is a country which can't even feed itself at the present time, it seems fairly clear that if some major changes don't occur very soon, Bangladesh will be in even more dire straits in a couple of years time. Of course, it is not just a case of rising sea levels. Global warming is thought to be responsible for the increase in dramatic weather conditions which we are experiencing. According to recent research featured in the New Scientist, it might e¡;en be that El Nifio, the recur'ring weather pattern that brings extreme climactic conditions, is speeding up due to the increase in the overall temperature of the world . This could mean we'll be witnessing many more of the hurricanes, droughts and floods that are occurring at the moment in the future. But even leaving aside El Nifio, the picture is not good . Earlier this month a super computer predicted huge temperature rises over the course of the next century, and Ute Collier, the WorldWide Fund for Nature's climate campaigner, explained the implications. "Events like Hurricane Mitch and the cyclone in India [where over one thousand people are known to have died] will happen more and more often." The prediction that Britain is set to get 10 per cent wetter by 2010 seems negligible in comparison, even though this
is a pretty dramatic change too. lt is sadly, although almost certainly, the case that the Government and people of Britain will only take drastic action when we find ourselves seriously effected by the changes - but that may not be as far in the future as you might have thought. As the world gets warmer, diseases which were only a problem in tropical areas are spreading north. New York, for example, had a much publicised encephalitis epidemic earlier this year, wh ich was unheard of in the past. The disease , which causes inflammation of the brain
"The unusual island is 20 times the size of Manhattan, and is being monitored by the Chilean Air Force in case it hits the mainland." and led to several deaths in the city, is spread by mosquitoes, which generally can't live as far north as New York. But because of a suspiciously warm spell, they decided to take a trip to see Time Square. The whole city had to be sprayed with insecticide to eradicate the flying virus-carriers. Also partially blamed on global warming is the growth of Malaria, which kills more people than any other disease except tuberculosis. As Or Viner, who has written a paper on the virus, says, it may never be a major problem in Britain "because we have the technology to combat it". But that is by no means to say that we needn't
worry about the affliction, unless we are unconcerned about the one million people whom the World Health Organisation estimate it kills each year. Another event which temporarily brought environmental issues back to the fore is the huge iceberg which recently sheared off the ice sheets of Antarctica and is now floating in the South Atlantic. The unusual island is 20 times the size of Manhattan , and is being monitored by the Chilean Air Force because of fears it will crash into South America. But while this fracture may be connected to the well documented melting of the icecaps, Or Viner does not see th is area as the main source of concern . "Antarctica is currently very, very cold. it's just going to become very cold," he explains. Motoring organisations interpreted the escalator policy as Blair and company using environmental issues as, appropriately enough, a "smokescre~n " to enable them to make a fast buck for the Treasury. lt certainly is interesting that the Government has not been taxing the fossil fuelled electricity companies six per cent above the rate of inflation . Every day the world's climate is getting warmer, wetter, windier and wilder, and it is only too evident that the results can be as bad as disease and, in the very worst cases, death . lt is also worth noting that there is believed to be a 20 to 30 year delay between the emission of greenhouse gases and their effects being felt. So perhaps it is time for an extremely swift return of environmental issues to the very forefront of our consciences, before things get a hell a of a lot worse.
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·The legalisation of euthanasia is an issue that arouses great passions in those on both sides of the debate. Here Douglas Harding argues that the time has come to allow people to choose when they want to die, while Paul Reisling holds that euthanasi~ is wrong in principle and impossible to regulate.
ro-eu t my age (I am nearly 72) I have known a lot of deaths. Some have been sudden, but most have been drawn out and have involved considerable suffering. I have heard people say that, in this modem age, there is no need for the dying to suffer. But only a very ignorant person talks like that. The world's leading experts agree that 15 out of 100 patients cannot have their pain and distress dealt with adequately. The Morphine Information Service put the figure at more than 30,000. Euthanasia happens all the time. Some doctor thinks that one person's suffering has gone on long enough and a lethal injection is given - but the lethal injection is not mentioned on the death certificate. This is what happened to my wife. I was glad that her suffering had ended at last - but who should have made the decision that her life was not worth living? Who is the only person who really knows? Certainly not the doctor, and not me. She was not strong enough to commit suicide - which is legal. Had she asked me to undo the
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bottle of tablets for her I would have been liable to 14 years in prison. Suicide is legal; helping someone to c'ommit suicide is illegal. Is this crazy
Concrete Wednesday, November 17, 1999
or what? 'Euthanasia' means a good death. I know of that too. A Dutch woman learnt that her cancer was advancing and incurable. She told her doctor that she wanted to take control of her life and looked to him for help when she found her situation intolerable. She persuaded him that she knew what she was saying and meant it. She then had to repeat her arguments to a second doctor and persuade him. She managed to do this and was given the assurances she had asked for. There was an immediate improvement in her attitude. She became much more relaxed and confident. The weeks.went by and she made the most of them. But the pain increased and so did the drugs. She was approaching the point where she had to accept constant pain or a permanent comatose state.
and sent for the doctor. A little while later she was dead.
"I want euthanasia to be legal to help those with an incurable · condition, and who are suffering unbearably, to die if that is their wish. " The most important fact for me is that she was the one in control. She was not an illness. She was a person. She made the decisions. No wonder more than 90 per cent of Dl!tCh people want to retain this system. Opinion polls in this country show more than 80 per cent of people are in favour of voluntary
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anas1a She made her decision and told the doctor. She asked her friends and relatives to visit her and said her goodbyes. Then she told them to leave
am well aware that many of you reading this piece will support the legalisation of euthanasia. In fact, it seems that at the moment a majority of people may support such a move. But now I am going to ask you to step back for a moment and objectively consider the issues again. After all, the matter warrants extremely careful attention: legalising euthanasia would almost certainly lead to thousands of state sanctioned 'murders' each year. There are two aspects to my argument against euthanasia, and I believe that if you accept
euthanasia, and that includes 73 per cent of Roman Catholics. The Pope disapproves, and I have no problem with that. I am happy to promise not to interfere with his dying if he does not interfere with mine! The Voluntary Euthanasia Society - of which I am a member - was founded by a group of doctors, churchmen and lawyers to press for a change i_n the law. We want it to be legal to help those with an incurable condition and who are suffering unbearably because of it to receive medical help to die if that is their wish. If we treated our dogs and cats the way we treat some of our fellow humans we would be prosecuted. This is not just a matter of pain. For me the most important issue is that of personal freedom. If you do not want to have anything to do with voluntary euthanasia that is fine. lt is your life and your choice. All I ask is that people who share my attitude should have the same right to choose.
relative - choosing when someone's life should end is an idea I cannot conscience. lt is all very well, then, supporting euthanasia in principle, but when you .start looking at individual cases the issues become far less clear cut. And as you start making legal allowances for various situations and conditions, the possibility of dangerous loopholes looms ever larger. Think of the doctor who was recently in court for allegedly . murdering 15 of his patients. If euthanasia legislation was in place it may well have made it easier for him to conceal his alleged crimes .
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anas1a either one it is impossible to support legalisation. The first aspecf is primarily ethical, because, let's be blunt, euthanasia is all about murder. To prematurely end a life is to break one of the sacred rules of the civilised world, and one of the sacred rules of Christianity. The Bible says 'Thou shalt not kill' for a reason: life is a precious gift granted for a very short time, and it is certainly not our place to decide when our own, or anybody else's should end. Life is simply not ours to take away. Besides, when you think of the alternative - death - it seems that virtually any kind of life is preferable. The second aspect is far more practical than moral. Even if, in principle, we accept the notion of euthanasia, the practical difficulties of creating watertight laws to regulate it properly seem insurmountable. lt is not simply a question of
deciding we want to legalise and saying, "Okay, it's legal now." There are a myriad of 'grey' areas to be addressed. First of all, who is to be allowed to choose when they die? Alzheimers is possibly one of the most debilitating conditions
"Even if, in principle, we accept the notion of euthanasia, the practical difficulties of creating watertight laws to regulate it properly seem insurmountable." known, and it is often argued that sufferers would be prime 'beneficiaries' from euthanasia legislation. But, given that the disease affects
mental processes, how do we tell whether the person is making a true choice as to whether they want to end their life? The same goes for most other mental illnesses, and is even .more relevant for diseases that are accompanied by depression: it is very difficult to say whether the person is in a fit state of mind to make such a decision. · There are further problems surrounding where we draw the line. In Holland recently there has been controversy over the prospect of 12 year olds with terminal conditions being allowed to choose whether to end their lives or not. Surely, if we are to allow terminally ill adults the 'merciful option', we should also make provision for children to have the same choice. But how? Should the parents make the choice for the child? The idea of someone else - even a close
There is a real danger that what would be intended as a 'humanitarian' law would be open to abuse and exploitation. These, then, are the two aspects of my argument. If you agree that murder is unethical, · or have doubts about whether watert.i ght euthanasia legislation could be formulated which would avoid the abuses I have set out above, then I believe you have to conclude that euthanasia should remain illegal.
Which side of the argument do you agree with? Take part in our on-line survey and cast your vote.
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Culture Secretary Chris-Smith, the man with governmental responsibility for the·BBC and the Lottery, purports to be one of a rare breed: a truly princ·ipled politician. Jack Hanauer tries to see past the presentation ... t is desperately sad that most of us are deeply ingrained with a distrust of politicians. Time and time again we hear of broken promises and policy reversals. Occasionally we learn of more actively nefarious dealings, such as the instances of cash for questions, insider dealing and financial impropriety that have come to light in recent years. The introduction, led by Blair's New Labour, of the politics of image and appearance has not exactly helped either; leaving us all with the suspicion that just about every politician is more concerned with pulling the wool over our eyes than actually instigating reforms. lt is depressing that in many instances our cynicism is proved to be justified. But perhaps even more saddening is that, if indeed there are statesmen and stateswomen out there who do have genuinely admirable aims, our long nurtured scepticism prevents us from giving them the recognition and support that they deserve. lt is conceivable that Chris Smith MP is one such politician. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport was born in 1951 and lived in Watford for the first 10 years of his life. But it was as a teenager, growing up in the decade of flower power, that he first became interested in politics. "In the 1960s there was a sense of possibility; there was a hope about the future of the world; there was a sense that you could actually change society by taking democratic proceedings and engaging in the democratic process," he explains. After studying at Cambridge and Harvard, he began working as a Housing Development Officer, and it was not until1983 that he was first elected as Member of Parliament for Islington South and Finsbury, which remains his constituency to this day.
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"Talking to Mr Smith you. do get the impression that he has a preprepared answer for every question you might throw at him." In the 16 years since his arrival at Westminster, Mr Smith has been involved in a number of worthy causes. He founded the all party group on AIDS in 1986, and still serves as the group's Vice-Chairman. In 1991 he became a trustee of the John Muir Trust· "Wild places for nature and people" · and four years later he joined the National Trust Executive Committee. He is currently President of the Socialist Environment and Resources Association, and in 1993 he was named "Green MP of the Year" by Green Magazine. During his time in opposition, in true politician style perhaps, Smith spoke passionately about his own and New Labour's great ambitions to remedy the "malign impact" of the Tories, and to bring a 'Golden Age' to Britain. There would be a dediqition to the "the goals of equality and
liberty", a· promise to embrace "public and private, individual and community", and a concerted effort to "roll back the tide of poverty''. All very pleasing to the ear, but hard to tell whether it was genuine, or merely the experienced statesman's canny use of rhetoric to win over the voters. Either way, there would be a demand for much more than just prorrises and soundbites when Labour assumed power, and Chris Smith .was given his high profile job in the Department of Culture, Media and Spcrt in 1997. One of the first problems to be faced was the chaos of the National Lottery, a dilemma which the Secretary of State admits did demand some serious attention, although he claims that the · situation is much healthier today. "We've made a lot of changes over the course of the past few years; I think very much for the better. Firstly, in terms of overseeing rJ the Lottery. We've changed the previous system which had just one person, the Directcr General of OFLOT, in charge, to a set up of five lottery commissions which are already in plare, and which I think are very much taking a grip on things." . Talking to Mr Smith you do get the impression that he has a pre-pre pared answer for any question that you might throw at him, and that he is never going to be quite as revealing as you would want. "In addition to that, we've also made a lot of changes to the way in which the funds for good causes derived from the National Lottery are distributed and used. We've put in place a new lottery distributor, which is funding projects related to health, E!ducation and the environment. There are some very good initiatives v.ttich they are now undertaking, and that has enabled the existing distributors to become much more proactive in what they do, and look to the overall geographical spread of where the funds will go. I think we've got the balance more or less right between support for charities, for health and education, for arts and sport," he says with the careful composure of the experienced politician. "lt probably wasn't quite right at the oliset but we've been able to change that and I think it's now something which most people fee comfortable with." This is arguable. Over the past few months it has been emerging that a large number of new museums funded by the Lottery are in serious trouble. Billions of lottery pounds· have already been spent on cultural projects in areas not normally associated with tourism, and 'Tlany are already faCing the prospect of closure. lt's problems such as these that strengthen the populist argument that lottery money s1ould be spent on health and education. . The debate is set to run and run , but the lottery is an area that also sheds light on the character of Chris Smith himself. Many people do believe that the Cultural Secretary has highly worthy ideals, partly represented by this wish for the regeneration of deprived communities through the creation of
His views concerring the roles of media and the the Tories drive themselves into a rut in extremist arts in our society fit in with this emphasis on the corners, the clearer that will become." importance of a healthy balance. lt is true that the Culture Secretary's comments "I think it's important that we try and ensure that on New Labour are remarkably reminiscent of the best things in i fe - things of real quality - are the style of communication adopted by · made available to the widest range of people. automatons in bad Seventies sci-fi serials. But And that means tt"at people have access to not despite that, there are signs that both in respeci just the culture of Neighbours and Eastenders, to his party and the policy of the Culture . but the culture of everything from the British Department in general, he does say what he genuinely feels and believes. Museum and the r~ational Gallery through to the highest quality of music and drama." Even when talking about his homosexuality he lt was with this phl9sophy in mind that earlier in focuses on the same areas of equity, liberty and social justice to which he refers so regularly in the year the Government made it free for children to go into·a li the national museums and his political discourse, and it would seem overly galleries. Funds have also been made available cynical, even in the world of politics, to view this simply as a -ruse to dupe the public. to enable those who don't normally have the chance to go to the theatre or concerts to do so. "I will certainly stand up for the rights of lesbians . "There are a whole series of things we are doing and gay men when I feel it's right and proper to to try and make sure that the idea of excellence do so. But it's not something I want to make 'my and access go hand in hand • that things of real exclusive political purpose. Throughout my quality are availat1e to the highest possible career I've been heavily involved in a whole host number of people.• of things quite outside the issues of lesbian and Chris Smith is ho~eful and optimistic that the changes taking place at the BBC at the moment will strengthen this drive. "I've made it very clear to the BBC that I see their role increasirgly as being about broadcasting programmes of quality, rather than just chasing the ratings all the time. And I have to say that the things Greg Dyke has been saying since he was appointed Director General gay rights. But I think it is important to be able to Designate I find very heartening. He's bee.n demonstrate the point that homosexuals are every bit as capable of doing a decent job • be it saying that he wants to ensure that the BBC spends less money on consultants, policy as politicians, as university administrators, or in advisors and bureaucracy, and more money on any other profession in the world • as anyone making programmes. That is absolutely in tune else." His attitude towards his own homosexuality and with everything that I've been saying over the last couple of years." · his public 'coming out' appears to be equally We'll just have to wait and see what the man reasonable and principled. dubbed 'the cheerful philistine' by some will do "I simply decided that it was important to be open during his stint in charge of dear old Auntie. and honest about these things, and say 'yes, I'm Chris Smith clearly intends to culturally invigorate gay. So what?' and then get on with the business the nation, and to make sure that these "things of being a member of parliament," he explains that make life wonh living" are there for all. But with justifiable pride. "lt's now 15 years since I surely even so staunch a supporter of New . decided to stand up and say something and Labour would have 't o admit that some of his when I first stood I had a majority of just over party's policies ha·1e not exactly gone hand in 350. I currently have a majority of fourteen ·and a half thou·sand." hand with his personal aims. Take tuition fees for Not surprisingly, Chris Smith claims that Britain is example. How can a system that has made it harder, not easier, for the less well off to go to in a very good cultural condition, but given his university be condJclve to the cultural edification strong Christian beliefs he is not entirely satisfied with how prominent religiQn is in the UK. "I think of the whole of society? Once again, Mr Smith doesn't even flinch . it's very sad that far fewer people attend church "The introduction of tuition fees was necessary to in a formal way now than was the case perhaps ensure that the funds could be raised nation-wide 50 years ago. But surely the important thing is to expand the number of people able to come whether Christian values and Christian beliefs into higher educaton. If we had simply continued are maintained by people in their personal lives and their personal thoughts · and I think for a lot as before, the number of university places available to people would have been severely of people they still are, and I h9pe will continue reduced, and that was not something that we felt to be." was right. We wanted to ensure that more people Many would regard his sexuality and Christianity as incompatible, but the Cabinet Minister has got would go to university. At the same time we wanted to make sure the system of fees that was an answer for them too: apparently Christ doesn't put in place was fair, and that's why there's the ·say any1hing for or against homosexuality in the repayment system for student loans." Gospels, and that's what counts. In Smith's eyes, ttere is no question of New Chris Smith seems like a man · whether or not Labour being just a more slickly presented you share his religious, social and/or political Conservative party. beliefs • who has honourable intentions. He claims his main drive in life is, "A desire to see "I think there's a v.orld of difference between New Labour and the Conservatives, particularly if change in society, in the way in which society you look at some of the things the Conservatives helps the people within it, particularly the people were saying at their conference in Blackpool. who are least able to fend for themselves," and They are becomin;J rabidly anti-European, they one cannot help but admire this sentiment. But of want to privatise healthcare and they want to course he is a politician, and what's more, one of eliminate large parts of the Welfare State. New the flag-bearing politicians for New Labour; the Labour is about traditional Labour values," he party of dazzling covers, but not necessarily impressive contents. says, seeming to recite from Tony's own guidebook on how to be a Labour lackey. That means • sad, unfortunate and very possibly unfair though it is • that even Chris Smith needs "lt's about equity and soci?l justice, and providing public services. There's a world of difference to be regarded with a good deal of scepticism in my book. between what the Conservatives are now becoming and what New Labour is, and the more Let's just hope he proves me wrong.
"I think it's very sad that far fewer people aHend church in a formal way now than was the case.50 years ago. "
tourist attractions. But his virtues are sometimes seen to be offset by a lack of realism (also possibly represented by the lottery funded attractions) and a perceived sense of his being out of touch with today's society. A report that the Minister attempted to introduce Opera into nightclubs is one example of this possible failing, although Smith is quick to dismiss both the story and any suggestions that he has his head in the
clouds. "That was a bit of over-egging by a couple of journalists. What we have done is put a fund in place to make sure that people do get a chance to experience the arts • in some cases in unusual circumstances. That may mean bringing a group of musicians into a school, or into a hall in a housing estate, or into a shopping mall; to bring music to where people are living their everyday
lives, and give them a bit of an artistic experience. In many cases it's something that creates real interest amongst people, and hopefully leads to them wanting to find out more about what it means to go to a concert." This approach does seem reasonable, and he.is v_ery quick to make clear his appreciation of the importance of pragmatism. "Politics, ultimately, is about marrying idealism
with realism. it's about having ambitions, objectives, values and then trying to fashion practical, realistic, sometimes difficult decision making in the real world in the light of those values and ambitions. This is the stuff of politics. lt's an endless process of marrying the two. And you have to hold fast to your ideals, because if you lose sight of those, politics ultimately loses its meaning."
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18 Featured ·www.concrete-onnne.co.uk
·concrete
Wednesday, November 17, 1999
The UEA photo casebook The news broke in the middle of reading week...
eav Denny Coote takes a deep breath and looks at the problem of asthma ...
W
e have all· had an asthma experience, whether we suffer from the disease or not. The condition is so widespread that most people know somebody who has it, and may have even seen someone experiencing an attack. One of my most vivid memories from primary school was of a friend's terrible asthma attacks. Whenever I saw her reach for her inhaler I panicked and wondered if this was going to be a 'bad one'. Asthma is a growing problem. it aff.ects around 10 per cent of the UK population, and the figures keep on rising. The disease often starts in childhood, with the most common age of diagnosis being four years old. However, it can occur in adults as well; two of my flatmates were very surprised when the doctor recently diagnosed them as asthmatics. The affliction is caused by an inflammation of the air passages in the lungs. This inflammation affects the sensitivity of nerve endings in the airways, meaning that the lungs are easily irritated. During an asthma attack the lining ofthe passages hecomes swollen, causing them to narrow, and therefore reducir)g the flow of air in
and out of the lungs. This is what causes the wheezing and breathing problems that occur during an attack. For most asthma sufferers the illness is somethiAg that they can live with fairly comfortably. Thankfully it rarely proves to be fatal. Medication can be taken to lessen the severity of attacks when they occur, which usually takes the form of a bronchodilator drug from an inhaler. At present there is unfortunately little to prevent asthma in the long term. Some people find that their. attacks are triggered by an allergic reaction to something, although they are not always sure exactly what the allergen is. A series of tests can be carried out to try and determine the identity of this offending substance. Then, if they are successful, all that they_have to do is avoid the
My student loan hasn't come, so I can't even buy any food ...
rea allergen. But this is not as simple as it sounds. The main irritants are pollens, hO!JSe dust, house dust mites, animal fur and feathers, although in some cases it could even be an aversion to a particular food or drug. The problem is that these allergens can be hard to detect, and even harder to eradicate completely. With house dust it is practically impossible for anyone to keep their home completely dust free • unless they cover everything in plastic, and that's hardly an attractive option is it? Breathe easy, though, because a new trial vaccine against asthma has proved successful in recent tests. 12 asthmatics were injected with the vaccine, which was taken from bacteria in soil, and it was found to dramatically reduce symptoms in eight sufferers. The success of the study lends support to theories that high standards of hygiene have led to an increase ir, allergic diseases. The theory claims that high levels of cleanliness mean people aren't being exposed to the microbacteria which helps the immune system develop. So although we may all smell as sweet as roses, .
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1n we are leaving ourselves susceptible to allergic diseases such as asthma. Bear this in mind the next time your hygiene-mad flatmate tells you· to take a bath! . The scientific thinkin..g behind the theory is that the bacteria found in the soil, known as SAL 172, contains a stretch of DNA with characteristics common to other bacteria. 11 is thought that this stretch may be one to which young children and adults are no longer exposed. At the moment it has not been used on its own, but it is thought that if the particular section of DNA in question can be isolated and turned into a vaccine, asthma sufferers may be able to banish their affliction for good. The sufferer's immune system would strengthen and be less prone to allergic diseases, and it is hoped that there would be fewer side effects than with established treatments. But it's early days yet, and even if the vaccine does prove successful in the tong run, it may not solve aft sufferers' problems. For a start, there are many causes of asthma, and attergens are only one of them. There is also evidence that asthma can be genetic, and attacks can be triggered by other factors such as exercise and tobacco smoke. Many believe that the rise in air pollution is another major contributory factor. However, it does seem as though scientists are heading in the right direction, and we could be on the verge of a major breakthrough in the fight against asthma. But don't start holding your breath just yet.
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www.concrete-onune.co.uk
Concrete Wednesday, November 17, 1999
Featured 19
I
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Seminar silences ou've sat there for 10 minutes. Drool has developed at the side of your mouth and sleep is collecting in the corner of your eye. You are in a seminar on a cold Wednesday morning , hidden away inside the inhospitable locale of Norfolk Terrace D. During this first 10 minutes you've listened to a young woman , whose name you should know but don't, read from a piece of paper, verbatim, exactly what was written in the one book you have read as preparation. The one book you have all read as preparation. Naturally, she agrees with every single word that has been written in this text, yet delivers it at an unintelligible volume. She delivers it without vocal inflections, without enthusiasm and without originality. Your attention slips away and instead you begin to devise a plan which will allow you to tell that woman you like that you like her. Yet that was the easy part. "Any questions?" Asks your seminar tutor and there follows an eerie silence. Nobody makes eye contact, nobody even pretends to be thinking of a question. And suddenly I hear a tapping as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. The sound is my anger as once again I have to start off a debate - a particularly one sided debate I might add - and perpetuate it for at least an hour. What is the point of turning up to a seminar if you have no intention of opening your mouths?
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Are you aware of the pointlessness of your presence? I feel like saying something blatantly absurd and outrageous like, "That Hitler, he was a nice chap," just to get a rise out of you . A seminar is supposed to be an opportunity to discuss ideas and theories, yet too often it seems that I discuss my ideas and theories and everybody else writes them down , uniformly fail to share any of their own, and then get a better mark than me on the essays. Surely something is amiss here. And am I rewarded for the effort and constructiveness I display in my seminars? No. Why is this? Because the seminar doesn't actually carry any marks for my degree.
Burning issue
"I discuss my ideas, everybody else writes them down, uniformly fail to share any of theirs and then get better marks on the essays."
A
fter he delivered his pre-budget report, Gordon Brown's stock with the media could hardly have been higher. So we decided to see what UEA students think of dear old Gordon. Is he doing a good job? And will he be the next leader of the Labo ur party?
So I will finish my degree with a lesser grade than these other, silent types who will go on to snatch from me the best career opportunities, and yet I will be the most qualified due to the transferable skills I have developed . Will anyone care? Hell no. In future speak up, share a thought or two and the time will pass at pace - trust me on this for I speak the truth. Otherwise spare us your silence and stay away because I'm not a text book,. you bloody thieves.
Jimi Matthews, HIS 3 He is a lying cheat. fiddling the figures as he has done with the NHS. No, hopefully not.
happen .
Evelyn Underwood DEV PG He got us into the IMF and has managed some good economic reforms. He is far Letter than the Conservative Chancellors we had before. Yes. I think he could be.
Andrew Goodson ALE Ill He's fantastic . I love that little red suitcase. No, he's far too right wing.
Name wrthheld Who is Gordon Brown?
Malcolm McCarthy SOC.: 3 My view of him has changed. He is not as bad as I thought he was in the past. No. I can 't see Tony Blair allowing that to
So it seems that opinion amongst UEA students is divided over t he futu re of Gordon. Apart from those who just have no idea who he is, of course.
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Concrete Wed nesday, November 17, 1999
Featured 20
Horoscopes
So you think you know about. ..
Celebrity Sex 1. Which two gingers broke up last week after their publicity stunt affair went wrong? 2. Which film star was American President JFK said to have had an affair with? 3. Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull were found in a compromising position with what brand of chocolate bar? 4 . Which magazine did Zoe Ball and Norman Cook flog pictures of their wedding to? 5 . Which former Wonderbra model has Rod St e wa rt reportedly been dating recently? 6. On w hat film set did Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman meet? 7. Which Spice girl was Robbie Williams said to have canoodled with in one of his many celebrity conquests? 8. Which pop duo serenaded each other to number one in the Eighties with Especially for You while secretly dating in real life? 9. What was the name of the prostitute Hugh Grant was caught with in LA? 10. In which cit did Posh and Becks marr U!IQna ( O~ UMOJB au!ft!O (6 uettouoa uoser pue anHou!I,'J 3!JA)t (g ::J 3!UeJ3W (L J3PU04110 sAea (g 3:1pde::J (!l W34110 S3Jnl:l!d PIOS 3Sj3 3U03WOS 4fiOOlllle'OI pasnj3J A3411,UP!P A31U (t> JeB SleW (ÂŁ 30JUOW UAI!JeW (z 113M!IeH !l39 pue suett3 S!l4::J( ~ SJ3MSUif
crosswor CLUES Across -+.
Course fabric made of wool and shoddy (6) 6. Eng li sh versio n of ba;eball (8) 9. Chi ld"s toy (6) 10. A person renouncing relig ion
(8)
11. 15. 17. 18.
Types of weave ( I I ) Female Leo (7) Liquid to clean )Our optic (3,4) Judge. re feree. decision maker
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22. Jn,tnJment used to he ir you listen (8) 23. American garden rlant (6) 2-+. Make cynical (8) 25. l lor'e' arc 'tahkd here (6)
Down I. A Rhododendron llowcr (6)
J. Liquorice llavoured !SJ -+.Adieu iSJ 5. International police force (~I
7. To have a 'igourom spirit or cnthu,i<hlll (-+ J
8. Bow/prow of a ,h ip t-+l 12. Zoe Ball. Chri' Evan,. Chris Tarrant (-+.6) 13. Public holida) in hancc to celebrate 'torming hi,toric e\en t (8) I-+. Go here to get )OUr medicine Oll 16. [kcomo.: to thin, anorc\ic? IX)
19. Pan enclosing the hrain (6)
20. /\'ign hy measure(-+) 21.Siang wo rd for grub (.f)
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travel
... Are not, as you may have thought, paved with cream cheese. Oebbi Marco savoured the delights of Philly. et's face it, Philadelphia is probably best known for the box office smash to which it lent its name. Travellers often overlook it in favour of more prominent US destinations such as New York, California or Florida. But don't be so quick to dismiss Philly, the city has a wealth of history and culture and you can 't help but enjoy yourself when you are there. Philadelphia is on the East Coast of Ame rica, sandwiched between New York and Wash ington DC , which gives it a bil of a geographical inferiority complex. However, it is great for travellin~L with New York only two hours and $25 away, and DC not much further distant. The word Philadelphia means "Brotherly Love" and the signs on the shopping mall doors declare it is a city that "loves you back". lt certainly is an easy place to love, with its magnificent skyline and all the things there are to see and do. A great place to start is Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Independence Hall is where the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and legend has it that the crack running down the Liberty Bell happened the very first time that it was sounded, ringing out America's freedom from British ru le. A walk around the historical area of the city leads you to the houses of Edgar Allan Poe (a nineteenth century writer) and Betsy Ross (the woman responsible for designing the American flag). For art lovers it is best to check out Olde City where
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"The signs on the shopping mall doors declare that Philadelphia is a city that 'loves you back'." there is a range of small independent art galleries and on the first Friday of every month they are all open and dfshing out free wine. Even if you don't want to see classic works by artists such as Van Gogh, Monet and Salvador Dali, you must try the Philadelphia Art Museum, if only to enjoy a Rocky style sprint up the famous steps and get an eyeful of the great view of the city. Also, every Wednesday there's always live music in the main hallway. But if that's not your sort of thing, you can while away your time wandering around Centre City absorbing the local culture. The Italian market is definitely somewhere to go: with an astonishing variety of sounds, smells and ... chickens, it is a brightly coloured and fun place to shop. And if you are planning on doing some hard core shopping then you 've come to the right place. Philadelphia is one of the few states in America
that has no tax on its clothes and shoes, which means, along with the strong pound, your chances of finding a bargain or two are high . With only a couple of shopping malls in Centre City, you might
want to catch a bus further out to visit the King of Prussia mall; the biggest in the state of Pennsylvania. lt isn't easy to get lost in Philadelphia. The city's designer, Benjamin Franklin, set out the city on a grid system , and the numbered streets run north to south , while the named streets run east to west. 11 doesn't take long to get the hang of it, and you can always come back to Broad Street, which is the main artery of the city. Philadelphia does have good public transport; using buses and the subway and trolley system you can get around for under two dollars, but walking is the best way to see the eclectic mix of architecture and the
numerous sculptures and brightly coloured murals. With all this walking around you are bound to get hungry and there's no shortage of things to snack on in Philadelphia. There is a food truck on practically every corner selling everything from Chinese food to hoagies - hoagies being huge baguettes crammed full of every foodstuff you can imagine . But you can't leave Philadelphia without trying pretzels and Philly cheese steak. Pretzels are big and doughy , particularly flavoursome when covered in salt and mustard , and a bargain at only 50 cents. Philly cheese steaks are a more serious matter, and there is great rivalry between the two most famous family businesses that make them : Gino's and Pat's. Ask anyone in Philadelphia · they are bound to have an opinion on whose are best! In Philadelphia, when the sun goes down the sound goes up. There's something for everyone, whether you like jazz, swing or hip· hop. South Street is the main tourist area by night and day, and it is always jam packed with bodies. There are lots of bars and a couple of clubs down South Street, which are worth checking out, although some of them do have a cover charge to pay. The 700 Club is definitely one to visit for a drink and a dance. lt is a
"Pretzels are big, doughy, and particularly flavoursome when covered in salt and mustard." converted house and you feel like someone's invited you round for a party, although it is a bit strange to have a toilet on the dance floor (no, not one that you can use!) . Zanzibar Blue is the most famous jazz club in Philadelphia, and many top names play there • but, as always, top stars equals top prices. If you're looking for something different, the Five Spot Oust opposite the Youth Hostel), offers swing dancing lessons for $5 and they always have a live band upstairs for you to practice your newly-learned moves after the hour is up. For the all night party animals, the Palmer Club is where you should head. Open until 6am (most other places close at 2am) , it is the best after hours club in the Centre City. The gay scene in Philadelphia is small but solid. There is a self-allocated area of the city, affectio:-~ately known as the Gaybourhood , which harbours clubs such as Woodys and Sistas. it's a friendly area and fun , if that's your scene. Shampoo is another club that accommodates all sorts of people from gay to straight to transvestites, if you're looking for something off the wall, look no further. Philadelphia is definitely one of the best destinations in America. lt offers the perfect position on the East Coast for travelling around the country from and is cheaper and friendlier than New York. A visit to America is not complete until you have visited the Key Stone State, and as WC Fields said, "On the whole I'd rather be in Philadelphia."
...
Still Life? by Simon Jones 'm not mad . I go to th e pub, I watch TV, I don't get to the cinema as often as I'd like, I moan about noisy young kids and the state of the co untry. I change my vague stance on Europe every month, I can't cook ve ry well. I talk about the weather a lot, and have even been known to wear a cricket sweater. I'm just your average, middle-aged, middle-class bloke. Not that I'd ever admit that, of course. I do, however, wea r a ful l-length, wh ite lab coat. And I do spend my work ing hours in a laboratory: although I seem to deal with paperwork more than test-tubes these days. Yes, I'm a scientist. But I'm most definitely not mad. They say that if you question you r own sanity, th en it is a good sign of a sound mind. Th at is not my field , thou gh, so don't ta ke my word for it. Anyway, I dith er. 路 I may not be mad, but the man I am following down this starkl y over-lit co rridor I am not so ce rtain about. He is a good friend of mine - Peter is his name. But I am ahead of myself, I see. I haven't started with th e basics - it would seem I do hold some trai ts of The Scien tist.
I
lt all began just over a month ago, I believe, when I was taki ng my usual break in my lab sessions to grab a bite to eat in th e canteen . I was nibbling away at my sandwich , contemplating the intricacies of ham and cheese, when Peter sat down opposite me and promptly delved into his own lunch . Somehow, I do not recall how, we ended up embarking upon one of those theoretical co nversations certai n people have a tendency to indulge in every so often. "What if," pu t Peter, "I invented a faster-than-light spacecraft? On its' maiden voyage, looking ou t of the portholes, what wo uld we see? We wou ld be travelling faster than light, so what would we actually be able to see?" "Can't say I've ever th ought about that one, Peter," I rep lied: again , this wasn 't exactly my field of research. As usual , however, it appeared. that Peter had put cons iderable thought into the matter prior to raising it. "Well , as we are travelling faster, we would catch up with old light, su rely? In which case , to us , time outside the ship wou ld appear to be going backwards ... we would see th e entire universe playing itself out in reverse - th e Earth rotating th e wrong way' Just imagine it! And then , as we slow down again , time wou ld slow down , halt momentarily, then continue forwards as normal. Can you imagine it!" I chewed on my food , then looked up. "What about light that was still travelling towards you? " Peter looked perplexed for a moment. He stared blankly at the far wall , then ad mitted he had not considered that. We progressed to discuss various other equally unlikely scenarios , before I raised the fatefu l topic - which would ultimately ca use such difficulty. "Take mirrors," I began cryptical ly . "Just ordinary mirrors. Now, we think they are reflections of light, yes? Well, what if they are actually just windows portals - into another universe , one which mirrors and parallels our own, perfectly?" Peter shook his head. ''An interesting idea , granted . But flawed - if such was th e case. we
should be able to cross into the other universe somehow. But we can't get through the glass of the mirror without smashing it, as which point the image is lost.路路 "Ah yes," I replied with fervou r, "but what if it isn't really the glass yo u are touch ing wh en you press your fingers to the mirror? What if it is actually your reflection 's own fingers? He would be pressing with exactly equal pressure, at exactly the same poin t and time , so you would not be able to pass through ." "What if you did someth ing different to what your reflection did. then?" "Well , theoreti ca lly you could then pass through the mirror. But I've always found my reflecti on quite accurate to myself." I smiled. Peter grinned. We departed to our separate projects . I thought nothing more of the matter, but a week later Peter revealed his desire to write a paper on the idea. I tried to dissuade him - it was the stuff of pseudo-scientists, those hacks who spend most of their time seriously debating whether th e Starship Enterprise would defeat an Imperial Star Destroyer in co mbat, I've always considered that sort of study a terrible waste of talent - the Enterprise would clearly not stand a chance. lt is not worth further consideration . Neverthel ess, Peter co ntinued to investigate my fleeting , dreamlike notion. A few days later, I again saw Peter, this time standing by a vend ing machine outside th e mai n building. The sky was darkening as the clouds were th ickening , and the bright day was rap idly turning dreary. "Peter! Made contact wi th the other side yet? " He turned to face me, somewhat taken by surpri se . "Oh , no, not yet. I'm doing my best, though . Some very interesting theories have cropped up out of this. Say we did manage to break the reflection - cause both sides of the
mirror to act differen tly? lt wo uld mean that everybody would have a doppelganger - a real , living breathing clone, who would think identically as yourself' Yet, gradually, as time passed , things would slowly alte r. Differen t partn ers wo uld result in different offspring. We'd perh aps be the only generation to fully appreciate the wonde rs of a parallel world ... 50 years down the line, everybody would look different. Ou r time wo uld go down in history like myth' Legend! Can you imagi ne it? Great Scott, can you imagine it?" I stared directly at him. "Peter, have you gone mad? You just said 'Great Scott!'. Are you going to bleach your hair and grow it long and fluffy next?" "What? No! I'm making great progress here. lt is all in the mind. Do not ridicule me, Stephen , do not!" I didn't see or hear from him again for another two weeks. I heard sto ri es from people that worked in his department , overheard whispered stories in th e canteen . Jokes were thought up , labels of 'mad scien tist within' attached to Peter's lab door. He became an object of rid icule. Tales abounded of Peter staying in the building all night. The night watchmen related wi tnessing him with his fingers and face pressed up against the surface of a mirror. I even started to believe some of the less ridiculous claims . This evening , I was just unlocking my car, one of the many identical vehicles in the staff parking lot, when a hand fell on my shoulder. I started and turn ed around. lt was Peter. He was still dressed in his lab coat, and his hair was dishevelled . A rough and uneven stubble covered much of his face and his eyes were wide and glowing, despite his evident fatig ue. "Peter!" I exclaimed . "How are you? I haven't seen you for days." I looked into his eyes. There was a strange glee in th em , a spark of Godhood . "What is it?" A sudden movement, and Peter was holding aloft
And now here I am, being led down this corridor towards Peter's lab. My main desire is to resist his grasp and return to my car, but I don't know how Peter will react: he is too agitated.
a small , battered old Rubik's Cube. "I did it!" he cried . I glanced at the cube. "No , there's still a blue square out of place." Peter looked confused, then smiled, and rapidly wi thdrew the puzzle from my sight. "No! Not that' Not this!" He revealed the cube again , and held it just in front of my face. "Th is, this doesn 't belong here! This doesn 't belong in this world! This un iverse !" He looked at me wi th great sinceri ty, and th en repeated, in deep and portentous tones: " This doesn 't belong here." "Peter, have you been getting enough sleep?" "Listen to me! This cube is not my own . Well, it is, but it is not mine! I succeeded in exchanging my own with my own - rny refl ecti on's, I mean'" "Excuse me?" "This cube was passed through the. mirror, that's what I mean! lt was passed through and dropped onto the carpet, and I did the same, towards the opposite edge of the mirror. lt was perfect ve rtical symmetry , we both passed them through, dropped th em, th en picked th em up at exactly the same time!" I said nothing to this. Nothing obvious came to my mind - it wasn 't a situation in which I was used to bei ng. I did , however, want to get in my car and drive away, quickly. "I see you don't believe me. No matter. I will show you. Come with me." With that, Peter clutched at my wrist and dragged me, objecting feebly, towards the building . I looked around for help, but could only see the rain beginning to fall . As we entered the building , lightning flashed and thunder reverberated about the green , landscaped hi lls. lt was all very appropriate. nd now here I am, being led down this corrido r towards Peter's lab, seemingly by a madman . My main desire is to resist Peter's grasp and return to my car, but he is too agitated : I don't know how he would react. So I go with him still .. We are now outside his laboratory , and he has turned towards me. "I can see in your eyes you do not believe me," he laments. "Soon I will prove to you th at I have broken th ro ugh . Wi ll you come with me ... ?" He swings open the metal door to reveal the darkened room within. "Very well, " I reply . I stare once more into his eyes, but see only my own refl ecti on. I follow him inside. Positioned precisely in the cent re of the room is a large, rectangular mirror. Peter rushes up to it and kneels down before it. "The method is not scien tific, Stephen. lt is religious. One must believe th at he can break the synergy of the refl ection. lt is through force of mind that this can be achieved." I nod in hearty agreement , and posi tion myself so that I can easily see Peter at the mirror, as well as his quite normal reflection in it, whi le still being strateg ically near to the door should a hasty escape by required. Peter has now raised his left hand in front of the mirror. His reflection is so far being very we ll behaved, and is doing nothing out of the ordinary. "In a momen t," announces my apparen tly unstable colleague an d friend , "I will move my left hand left, and my reflection will move his right hand left, consequently breaking the illusion of reflection and enabling us to make contact, an d pass over into each others' un iverses. lt is a matter of faith , understanding and self-control. Anybody can do it, you just have to believe that you can. Try it someti me! " I stare. His left hand moves , and I am not sure that I bel ieve what is happening before me ...
A
Submissions for this page (short stories, 1800 words max, and poetry) should be made to Kris Siefken in the Concrete office, or emailed to su.concrete @uea.ac.uk All rights revert to author upon publication, although subsequent publications should ackn owledge prior appearance in Concrete.
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CUT OUT AND PUT IN YOUR WINDOW OR TURN THIS POSTER INTO ABANNER FOR THE MARCH
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Grants for expeditions up to ÂŁ1500 Expeditions can have physical exploration and/or human development aims. Also willing to assist with funding for expedition reconnaissance visits. Twenty individual travel awards each year of up to ÂŁ100. Travel awards can be for professional and/or personal development aims. Information from the TEC secretary, Janet Havers Dean of Students Office, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ Tel: 01603 592491 ore-mail: j.e.havers@uea.ac.uk Presents Afternoon Sleaze Bar at the Arts Centre 4-7pm Every last Sunday of the Month Next date: Sunday 28th November On Offer: Coffee, Beer, Newspapers, Magazines, Books, Easy Cheesy tunes, played by DJ Baby barb, including Dusty, Sneaker Pimps, Bob Marley and more...
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Free from the NSLP Trainers 23rd November 1999 6-lSpm-8-lSpm Conference Room Union House E 'I i-leel@• fir ..,.lletails, wsip 1J i ~ Stldelt Amce Celtre i U• lloae
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Dearest Aunt Aggie Greetings to you. I am a second year with a big problem last year it ·was all a bit of a rush looking for a house, for some reason everyone started looking in February, although we weren't actually going to move in until September. I guess I did not really think the whole thing through and did not really know the people I was going to be living with if only I had known what they were really like. Let me describe them to you. Philip: quiet, academic, stays in his room a lot, a bit moody. Has a strange penchant for smelly cuppa soups and likes to leave dirty crusty mugs all over the house. If you mention washing up or housework to him he just looks at you as if he might burst into tears and locks himself in his room I don't think he has ever had a shower since we moved in, sometimes the smell is unbearable. Butch: Loud, sociable, wears too much aftershave, spends hours in the bathroom, uses up all the hot water, likes to come in at 3 in the morning singing loudly and puts on his stereo. Brings different women back to the house with some regularity and makes those kind of middle of the night noises you can't help bearing though thin walls. Nauseatingly optimistic, when asked to be a little more considerate he says "chill baby, lite's too short". Cloud: Yes you have guessed it, patchouli dreadlocks, stinking joss sticks, Pink Floyd and plumes of tunny smelling smoke everytime she opens her door. She cooks lentil curry everyday, never washes up, seems oblivious to day to day chores. When challenged you are met with a vacant smile and a "yeah man ,whatever". I can't believe I was so unlucky to end up with this bunch There is no room for negotiation with them, I just want to leave. Show me the light at the end of the tunnel! Anna LEAS 2
Dear Ms L You are not alone, this problem is very common at this time of year. Unfortunately there does seem to be a bit of a panic culture at the university amongst the first years to sort out their second year accommodation really tar too early on. This makes it hard for people to be 100% sure about the house or Mure housemates, which often leads to people wanting to leave later on. This year the Student Advice Centre and Housing Bureau are running a Housing Awareness week on 20th • 24th March 2000 and advertising properties for September 2000 in the first week of May, to try and encourage students to consider these issues and look for houses at a better time. In your specific situation, it depends on what tenancy agreement you have signed. Usually, a group of students not living with the landlord will have signed what is known as an Assured Shorthold Tenancy, which is usually for afixed period of time. If you have signed this type of agreement it is very hard to leave the property, as you are legally obliged to pay the rent for the fixed period. You will only be able to leave if there is an "opt out" clause in the contract, or if the landlord/ lady gives you permission to release you from it. In the latter case, the tenant is usually expected to pay their rent until a replacement tenant is found. I would strongly advise you to get any such agreement in writing, clearly stating what your obligations are after you leave the property. Also, it depends whether your tenancy is joint or single, with a joint tenancy there may be some liability for your remaining housemates to pay your outstanding rent. Be very careful about leaving and signing another agreement until you are sure you have been released from the contract, you could end up paying two rents! You really need to establish where the landlord stands and think carefully about whether your housemates particular habits are completely unbearable. After all there is no guarantee that if you move elsewhere you will find better housemates. If you do end up moving out and need to find a replacement tenant and/ or alternative accommodation for yourself, you can look and advertise on the Student Advice Centre Student to Student Noticeboard. All in all the situation can be rather tricky and before you take action you should make an appointment with an Advice Worker in the Student Advice Centre. Final thought As you are flying through the air at agreat speed from the non stick frying pan your granny bought you before you came to university into the flaming fire of your burning bridges you may not get the chance to see the grass you thought was always greener.
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advert1se1nent
The Union of UEA Students presents aday of personal safety
Have you left your window open?
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Sport 27
Concrete Wednesday, November 17, 1999
BUSA FIX URES BUSA RESULTS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3
All fixtures subject to change BUSA FIXTURES WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17
FOOTBALL
FOOTBALL Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens
v v v v
cccc
(a)
Free Bucks Free
(a)
Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens
v v v v
ICL ICL Free Free
(h) (h)
HOCKEY v v v v v
Brunei Free Kent Free Luton
(a) (h)
(h)
V
V
Brunei Free
(a)
V
(h) (h)
Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens
V V
'
V V
Royal Free Royal Free Free Free
(a)
(a)
v v
V
V
Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens 1 Womens 2
V
V
V V V
Cambridge UCN Free Free UCN
(h)
(h)
(h)
Mens 1 Womens
City Free
(h)
Mens 1 Womens
(a) (h)
LACROSSE
UEA 1 UEA2
V
V V
Cambridge Free
(h)
(h)
UEA
Mens 1
V
Essex
(h) (h)
69-51
CCCC
(a)
Mens 1 Mens 2 Womens 1
2-1 4-1 1-0
Kent Bru nei Kent
(h) (a)
(a)
UEA
LACROSSE NETBALL
0-35
B'ham
(h)
UEA 1
32-39
Herts
(a)
28-17 5-0
Essex Essex
(a)
4-1
Kent
(h)
RUGBY Mens 1 Mens 2
(a)
SQUASH
DMMK Free
(a)
Mens
3-14
Kent
(a)
V
V V
Free Brunei
Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens
1-1 0-1 0-3 0-4
BASKETBALL HOCKEY
(a)
Luton Luton Luton Luton
(h) (h)
(h) (h)
UEA Women
43-38
Essex
(h)
Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens 1 Womens 2
6-1 6-0 6-1 1-1
Luton Brunei Luton Cambridge
(h) (a) (h) (h)
Cambridge
(h)
43-43
Luton
(h)
29-34 0-28 30-20
Brunei Brunei Kent
(a) (a)
LACROSSE V
Oxford Brooks
(h)
v
NETBALL RUGBY
Cambridge
(a)
0-19
Mens 1 Mens 2 Womens
(a)
TABLE TENNIS
TENNIS Mens Womens
Mens 1
Kent Kent
(a)
(a) (a)
FOOTBALL V
TABLE TENNIS (h)
(a)
Women
UEA 1
TABLE TENNIS
Bucks Bucks Brunei CCCC
BUSA RESULTS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10
LACROSSE UCN
7-2 6-3
BASKETBALL HOCKEY
UEA UEA
0-1 3-0 3-2 0-7
TABLE TENNIS
NETBALL UCN Kent
Mens 1 Women
Mens 2
BASKETBALL
NETBALL UEA 1 UEA2
V V
UCN Free UCN Free
BADMINTON
BASKETBALL Mens 1 Womens
V
HOCKEY
BADMINTON Mens 1 Womens
Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens
FOOTBALL Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Women
BADMINTON
RUGBY
RUGBY
Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens 1 Womens 2
BUSA FIXTURES WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24
TENNIS V
cccc
V
Grenwich
(a) (a)
Mens Womens
UEA Men
'v V
TENNIS
Free
cc cc
9-8
(h)
UEA Women
5-1
..
cccc
(a)
Grenwhich
(a)
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2a Sport
Concrete Wednesday, November 17, 1999
George Walker investigates the P-lace of rivalries in SP-Ort in the run UP- to England and Scotland's play-off c~ash he battles between England and Scotland have been epic and bloody over the years. And no, we're not talking Me/ Gibson running around in a kilt here, this is football. So as the draw was made for the Euro 2000 qualifying play-offs last month it seemed inevitable that England would draw 'the old enemy' for this crunch tie. Although many complain that England should never be in this position, the fact is that Kevin Keegan and his team will have to outplay their fiercest rivals
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over two legs to secure the right to compete in Belgium and Holland next year. The rivalry between the two nations is well established, and in the past the fixture has
There was the time Scottish fans invaded the Wembley turf in 1977 and demolished the goal , an event that played its part in the annual 'friendly' between the two -nations being
The rivalry between the tw o nations is well established, an in the past the fixture has provided some unforget able moments. provided some unforgettable moments, a few of which had nothing to do with the game.
phased out. Of course, there have been more savoury highl ights, such as THAT Gazza
goal in Euro '96 and the famous 3-2 Scottish victory in 1967, just one year after England won the World Cup. Although it seems that racism in football has to a great extent been eradicated, it would be naive to believe that it is extinct. There is always hostility between English and Scottish fans , a fact recognised by exEngland stalwart Terry Butcher. "When we played Scotland in 1987 I had just won the title and the Skol Cup with Rangers, so I thought there would be a 路 good reception at Hampden. But the fans were unbelievably hostile. it really hit home how much the rivalry meant to the Scottish people." The importance of this rivalry is illustrated by current Norwich City boss and veteran of many an England/Scotland clash , Bruce Rioch. Says Rioch , ''The passion, the路 emotion, the rivalry were really something , and put more fire into your belly than any other international. The rivalry in the dressing room was intense at club level, and you would often play England v Scotland five-a-
side in training ," he added. You need only look as far as Germany to see how some of the most undesirable elements of the human psyche rear their ugly head. One of England's fiercest rivals , the Germans have proved to be a nemesis over the years and it seems that a generation of football fans have been brought up to hold a grudge against the Germans. A
patriotism is prevalent in sport because it is a non-political national conflict. The fact that a nation's sporting representatives are completely separate from the nation's political interests is very attractive. The Rugby World Cup exemplifies this in that a considerable number of English supporters backed the French when they played New Zealand in the semi-final at Twickenham,
If anyone was going to be involved in violent clashes during the England a nd Scotland games it was going t o be the players. series of jokes and stereotypes outside of football has developed and are to some extent encouraged by the media. Remember that Daily Mirror front page during Euro 96? Undoubtedly sport incites stubborn loyalties towards a nation or even a club. Why is it that while George Graham was managing Arsenal, Tottenham fans harboured hatred for him and his so called "boring" style of football, yet now he has moved to White Hart Lane, the Spurs faithfu l have a love of his "efficient style"? As they say, love is blind. England versus Scotland matches have always triggered a fierce sense of patriotism and, to an extent, mutual xenophobia between the two countries. The strange thing is that, in an age where patriotism is intrinsically linked to right wing politics, the behaviour at these matches is seen as part of the experience. After all, when else could you carry a Union Jack around the streets singing the praises of Britain without being branded a Nazi? Even stranger is the fact that it is not only accepted but encouraged! The national media invite you to cut out and display flags in your front window, while fai ling to subscribe to the hype invariably leads to derision. So why does sport, more than anything else except another EU directive, prompt a sense of patriotism that is rarely seen in everyday life? Well, there are many theories as to why we as a nation are so patriotic when it comes to sport. Although politics has crept into the world of sport in recent years, one argume11t is that
despite the ongoing disputes surrounding beef exports. Despite the negative points associated with it, patriotic behaviour does have its positive effects on sport. After all , genuine, good-natured rivalries add interest, and make the games much more exciting. Certain fixtures have gained almost mythical status due to the highly charged rivalries that surround them. Just look at our domestic football and the famous Merseyside and North London derbies. Indeed, some might say that it is this very my1h that has a negative effect by prompting hostility between fans. But in the context of today, when violence between fans has more or less been eradicated, it is a sad few rather than the majority who use the cloak of patriotism as an excuse for fighting. Although, on the evidence of this season, it is the players who are the ones that cannot handle the pressure of the big stage. Indeed, the players themselves were the main ones involved in violent clashes during the two England Scotland games. No matter what we think about rivalries in sport in general , the England/Scotland rivalry only had a positive effect on the fi rst two games in prospect. it will doubtlessly add an edge to, and increase the excitement of a fixture that is so important to British football. And it's worth rememberi ng no matter what the result is, at least one British team is guaranteed entry through to the European Championships next year.
Sport 29
Concrete Wednesday, November 17, 1999
Henman aced British tennis prodigy Tim Hen man's hopes of playing in the ATP World Championship later this month were left in tatters after he crashed out of the Stockholm Open In the second round. The Briton slumped to a straight sets defeat at the hands of unknown American, Jan-Michael Gamblll and is now only fourth reserve in the weeks leading up to the prestigious tournament. The most worrying thing for Henman was that he found the target with just 49 per cent of his first serves, and hit only six aces.
Shaq attack
Concrete makes its fortnightly visit to Carrow Road By LUCY SACRE, and NICK HENEGAN
NORWICH CITY'S Daryl Sutch was certainly the hero of the day in their clash with Nottingham Forest, securing victory with the only goal of the game, and his first league goal for the club since September 1997. Norwich do;ninated play for large periods of the first half, frequently testing the shaky Forest defence with a series of well delivered crosses into the visitors' penalty area. it was therefore no surprise when , after 27 minutes, a delightful cross from man-of-the-match , Darrcn Eadie found the unmarked Sutch, whose second touch found the back of the net. Forest managed to rai e their game slightly in the second half. but despite periods of pressure, they seemed to lack any rea l edge and rarely tested Andy Marshall in the Norwich goal.
Opportunity Their only gen uine opport unity to equalise came in the fina l minute, when Andy Marshall's volleyed clearance astonishingly struck the head of City defender Darren
Kenton, and the ball fell to Forest's Dougie Freedman, who snatched at the ball first time, striking wide of the open City goal. Following the decidedly unremarkable game, Norwich manager Bruce Rioch was delighted with the three points that his side took, thanks largely to abysmal Forest defending.
Disappointment · But he expressed disappointment at not scoring a second to write the game off. Rioch also praised his players for working well collectively to secure the resu lt, which left a disappointed David Platt with plenty to think
about on the long journey home. City extended their tremendous unbeaten run to seven matches as they drew 0-0 with Swindon Town last Friday night. Bottom club Swindon battled hard in an uneventful and unexciting match . but were unable to get past Andy Marshall and the orwich City defence .
Reliable o rwich \ best chance came in
CITY STAYS DIVISION ONE
the first half when Eadie whipped in a defence splitting pass . only for the U>ually reliable Roberts to nuff the shot wide.
Stole But the highlight of the game came in the dying minutes as Swindon player-manager Jim Quinn. came ofT the bench and almmt stole the points. In the 88th minute the veteran striker. who is 40 next week . hit a rasping shot that ricocheted off the cross bar.
NBA stars Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley caused chaos during the clash between the LA Lakers and Houston Rockets as they started fighting on court. O'Neal flew at Barkley in a flurry of punches after the Houston star slammed the ball onto his head. The Laker smashed Barkley with a left, and the players then brawled on the floor before being separated by teammates. O'Neal said, " He did something I thought was unsportsmanlike and I reacted."
Gazza's football royalty Paul Gascolgne has made an audacious bid to buy the Queen's royal box seat after Wembley stadium is demolished to make way for a state of the art venue next year. The ex-England and Middlesborough midfielder has bid £5,000 for the velvet chair when it Is sold among other Wembley artefacts. A spokesperson for the Internet auctioneers who are organising the sale said, " It'll be fitting if Gazza gets it, he's a Wembley legend."
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30
Sport
Concrete Wednesday, November 17, 1999
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We are an equal opportunity employer.
UEA lose out to lone goal in tight figb! '*•Ni:f.)!IMen 's 2nd 0-1 Luton
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By ALEX KENNING THE MEN 'S Football Second XI were unlucky not to come out of their BUSA match with at least a point as a sole strike from Luton decided a closely fought tie. T he matc h, w h ic h took place l a~ t Wed nesday. saw UEA fig ht brave ly throughout the 90 minu tes, but they were even tually unable to crack a reso lute and hard tackling L uto n defence. In a tight match. the two tea ms' the heart of the UEA de fence were chances on goal were limited thanks again called into action, consistently preventing Luton extending their to a very congested central midfield area. lead as they pushed forward. The second half saw UEA adopt During the early exchanges Lu ton we re the first to break a more allacking allitude as the need fo rwa rd but UEA's o utstanding fo r an equa li ser hecame defence preven ted the opposi tion's i n crea~ ing l y urgent. striker unleashing a shot. The solid defence and mid field gave the UEA forwards freedom to push on towards the Luton goal. But midway through the first As UEA's increased possess ion pe riod the deadloc k was broken in and attacking incisiveness began to unexpec ted fash ion as the UE A wear dow n the visitors' defe nce, defence was caught napping. chances started to appear. Luto n whipped in a co rne r Broke free straight to a head, and the ball was d ul y kn oc ked pas t the stranded On th e hou r mark Pa ul keeper. Sk iving ton had a rasp in g drive Th is spurred UEA to undertake a saved by th e sp raw lin g Luton series of fo rays into the oppos ition keeper, and minu tes later James Heneghan broke free from the half and they were unfortunate not to eq ua lise after a frenetic goa l defence only to blast the ball mouth scramble that cu lminated in wide of the post. the ba ll fortu nately bei ng c leared off " We pl ayed we ll and worked the lin e. rea lly hard ", sa id di sappo inted captain Luke Adl um. " It was un lucky that we didn't get ln the minu tes prior to half time something fro m the game, we Duncan Hedges and Mall Bennell at should have got a poi nt" he added.
Deadlock
Lead
e runn1n
l:t·N'@u•UI UEA Men 7-2 Kent I THE MEN'S badminton team added to their impressive run in BUSA competition, easily brushing aside a poor Kent University side. UEA were given an early advantage in the match which took place a fortnight ago, as Kent arrived with only four players instead of the obligatory six. This immediately gave the games, 15-0 and 15-2, inspired home team a 3-0 lead, a Paul Tee and Graeme Johnson to emulate their team-mates. margin that Kent found to close Outstanding impossible throughout the afternoon. UEA's first pair, which They duly polished off the consisted of Lee Gerrard and second Kent pair in Matthew Pears, started as outstanding fashion, winning they meant to go on by in straight games and only resoundingly beating the top losing eight points. Kent pairing with great Due to the. points UEA had teamwork and powerful gained before they even stepped on to a court, Tee and shots. Johnson 's victory sealed the Their victory in straight
tie. But Kent refused to give in as both their pairs managed to overcome UEA's third pairing of Sunny Lim and Andrew Bowden. Bowden and Lim were unable to get their game going as they were narrowly beaten 17-14, 15·11 by the Kent firsts and 15-12, 15-12 by the seconds. Gerrard and Pears again showed incisiveness and skill to brush aside the v isitors second pairing 15-3, 15-3. But the most Impressive was still to come - the performance of Tee and Johnson against Kent's best
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players. The UEA pair looked unstoppable as they combined speed and precision to blow away their opponents 15-6, 15-7. The convincing 7-2 victory left UEA second In Merit League 1 with three wins out of four.
Experienced Following the match delighted Club President, Lee Gerrard, said "We have a few new names In the team this year who are improving, while the more experienced players are coping after the change from last year."
.... Sport-31
Concrete Wednesday, Nove mber 17, 1999
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Take the lead
A NEW Jnitiatlve designed to encourage more people In the Norfolk area to take up sports leadership and _coaching was launched last week at Norwich City Football Club's training ground.
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The Norfolk 路 Sports Coach brochure presents a coaching education programme, providing information on coaching programmes around the country to ensure that existing and potential coaches have access to courses and support. The brochure Is produced by the Norfolk Sports Development Forum, which comprises representatives from local authorities, sport education and governing bodies, and Sport England. Forum member and Assistant Director of Sport at UEA, David Cosford said "Norfolk has a county wide Strategy of Sport and the brochure will enable part of this strategy to be Implemented:' Adding, "Norfolk Sports Coach alms to meet the needs of the sporting community, giving sports coaches the oppo!"funlty to take part in professional development programmes and providing courses and encouragement for those who are Interested in becoming coaches."
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r1a o ... By ADAM CHAPMAN
UEA BOAT club put in another powerhouse performance at Tiffin Head a fortnight ago, with both senior crews achieving convincing wi_ns. The annual event, which takes place on the Thames at Kingston saw the Men's Senior Four win the 4.1 km race for the second year in a row. The men's crew managed to controlled row to come first with a defend their record by beating off competent time of 16 minutes and 7 stiff competition from Kingston and seconds. Surrey Universities, and, in fact. Amongst the competition were dominated the race from start to Bedford, Norwich and Yesta Boat finish. Clubs all of whom were seen off admirably by UEA. Impressive Vice-President of the Boat Club. lt was also an impressive day for John Etty, was extremely pleased the Men's Senior Four B crew who with the result, the Men's crew's put in a good performance to come first win of the sea~on. in a commendable third place. Extra training Success was also on the cards for the Women's Senior Four whose "After a disappointing performance over the past year haJi performance at Cambridge last been nothing short of outstanding. month the extra training seems to Building on their wi n at have really paid off. The Boat Club Cambridge Head they put in a put in an exceptional day's work" .
The victory came at a time of high achievement for the university. with three members being chosen for Great Britain qualifiers over the course of the coming year. Women's captain. Hannah Bloxham and crew member, Natasha Howard, both of whom
reached the semi-finals of Henley Women's Regatta last year. as well as sculler Richard Kelsey. all took part in the prestigious trials at Peterborough. The team trials, inconveniently scheduled for the day after Tiffin Head. proved to he a rewarding
experience for the UEA trio. all of whom are returning in December for the next set of races.
Olympic squad The lucky rowers who are picked could well end up being chosen for the Olympic squad at
Sydney 2000. The success of UEA over the past year has been largely due to an overhaul of the club with a greater emphasis on new recruits. "We realised the potential of new blood at the start of the year". said John Etty.
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UEA secure ROint against old rivals Cambridg.@ ll[.l3MD
Women 's seconds 1 - 1 Cambridge
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By NICK HENEGAN , Sports Editor AN OUTSTANDING defensive performance allowed the Women 's Seconds to gain a well deserved draw against old ri vals and perennial nemesis Cambridge. The BUSA halllc. which took place last Wednesday, saw a commilled and exceptionally well organised UEA side control large period' of play and prevent Cambridge from making any impression. The f'i r>t ha If was a battle of the defences as both teams路 back lines were under incessant pres,ure. UEA did particularly well. keeping the tech nica lly better and stronger Cambridge
forwards at ba) in exceptional fashion.
Step up This was particularly impressive as four third team players were mak ing the step
up to the Seconds. The home team were glad to hear the half time whistle as it gave them a chance to recompo'c themselves after 35 minutes of pure determination and hard work.
The second half continued in much the same vein as the first with Cambridge piling on the pressure and UEA soaking it up.
Incessant Despite the fact that the UEA defence. particularly Laura 0' Hare, coped we ll with the incessant Cambridge pressure, Carrie Herron in the home goal was call ed into action on numerous occasions. She was on constant guard and made many vita l saves. UEA broke the stalemate midway through the half as a surging run from m idfield set Caroline Malony, who was making her debu t for the seconds. free on goal. 路 She calmly slotted th e ball past the stranded Cambridge keeper to make it 1-0 to UEA.
Upper hand This really riled the visitors, and for a per iod fo llowi ng the goal UEA had the upper hand and were unfortunate not to double thei r lead. But Cambridge came back and in the final minlllcs of the game their pressure finally paid dividends. Winning a short corner, their 24th of the match, lhe ball was played in and for once UEA were unable to defend and Cambridge equalised with a scrappy goal.
Courageous Vice captain, Tcssa Charnaud, said of the match. "it was such a courageous performance by every member of the team. it was certainly a team verses a group of individuals out there''. "The way we played we certainly deserved a draw if not a win". added Tessa.
Inside:路 Korfball's Championship glory - page 31 ... Badminton's BUSA boost - page 30 ... City outfox Forest to climb table - page 29 ... scorecard - page 27 .