Furious residents say window bars could create fire dangt_r By SARAH HOOKES
Angry residents of Norfolk and Suffolk Terrace are claiming that their rooms have been made more dangerous by work that was supposed to improve 路 safety. The students are furious that metal bars fitted to windows cut off access to a potenti all y li fesaving fire escape route on to the residences' roofs. And they also claim that measures to to discuss the problems, but insists that they prevent the windows being opened more than had no choice but to fit the bars. 45cm will transform their rooms in to ovens "We explained the situation, and we are by dramatically reducing ventilation in the now in an unavoidable position where we summer months. have to stop access to the roof," claimed University Estates staff began fitting the Accommodation Manager, Lawrence Daly. bars last summer following pressure from the Last year campus bosses fitted mesh Government's Health and Safety Executive to screens to windows to try and stop students slash the number of accidents on campus. venturing onto the terraces, but abandoned them alter residents simply removed them Petition at a cost of 拢1 0,000. "Clearly the blinds were not doing the job, B4t now students have presented a 340signature petition to accommodation chiefs and another solution had to found urgently or demanding that they look at the issue again, we would have been prosecuted by the and accusing them of riding roughshod over HSE," said Mr Daly. student opinion. But residents still believe that the "They've failed to directly address University are over-reacting and should let residents at every point," railed Jeremy Hardy students take responsibility for themselves. (LLT 4), who helped organise the protest. Several students were turfed out of their Other news: rooms without warning earlier this month to - EAS Clark slams students' have the measures fitted , while others literacy skills 3 returned alter Christmas to find the bars Constable noise 'torture' 8 freshly installed. The biggest anxiety, though, is the removal of a fire escape on to the roofs. 'We're all mature adults, we don't need the "If there was a fire in the corridor, there's bars. it's just common sense," reasoned no way to get out," worried Annika Eburt Mara Friedland (WAM 2). (LLT1). l:mma Price (MTH 3) was similarly The character of the rooms has also been unmoved. ruined, according to some students. "There are plenty of other places on ''The bars are so constricting . lt feels like campus that are more dangerous than those I'm in a prison ," complained Natalie Batcock roofs - we could fall off the narrow walkways, (SOC4). but you don't see them worrying about that." The University has now met with students - See Leaders, page 9
I
2 NEWS
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Concrete
WE DNESDAY, FE BRUARY
16, 2000
Got a story? Let us know at the Concrete office... tal: 250558 email: su.concrete@uea.ac.uk •
TOR EAS lecturer Clark lays in to students' literary mistakes By CHARLOTTE RONALDS A UEA lecturer has lashed out against falling essay standards, claiming students are more interested in being " street smart" than literate. Robert Clark, Senior Lecturer in English · Literature, has accused modern students of being obsessed with the mass media at the expense of good writing. " What they want is their Higher Edcuational own computer, CD player or Supplement - the lecturer's the latest movies, not a set of Bible - Or Clark complains about students' Tolstoy and Dostoevsky," railed Or Clark. " unsophisticated use of
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lish ",to be andstreet sayssmart" they "Eng aspire under the belief that " the more barbarous the utterance the higher the salary."
Barbarous And the cheeky scholar even quoted from a recently submitted essay, branding it " awful". The passage, from a paper on Robinson Crusoe, read: "The novel seemed to satisfy certain lie anxieties of
the time, who sought escapism from the cash motivated and urbanised society that was swiftly becoming England through a narrative about man 's return to nature."
Furious Students are furious that they have been rubbished in public by one of their top lecturers. Jim Whalley (EAS1) seethed, " I work at least 15 hours a week to finance my degree. " To have my essay scores penalised because of bad grammar is absurd." And Becky Perkins (EAS 1) was annoyed that Or Clark " sweeping made such generalisations" about literacy, but did concede that " his views contain some truth." But · Or Clark has no intention of for
his remarks. " All generations of old men seem always to complain about illiteracy in the young. " All my remarks have to be read in that light," he said. Although he did concede the students have other pressures to contend with in preparing work.
Living " I realised after writing the letter that I had forgotten the most important factor: many students are working to "make a living (of a poor kind) and are short of time to reread and revise essays ," admitted Dr Clarke. " But I have students who score 68 per cent on all aspects of their essay except the writing, and then make such a hash of it they come in at 54 per cent. " This is evidently a chronic waste," he added.
Ogen all hours
TIME-STRAPPED STUDENTS are about to have their studies made easier by extended ! Library opening hours and new postgrad facilities. I In a step towards to 24 hour open in g. Libra!') bosses ha \'c announ ced plans tcl open the library on trial dates durin g the Easter break. fun her:· ..AI Easter there will be a lot or J exam>. so we fell that it would be prc"urc on students because or
most helpful if we remained open at Easter:· ex pia ined spokespe rso n UEA Annic Qgdcn. ~
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Demand "There is always a great demand for the Library to stay open for longer throu gh our sugges t ions hox · and · through the surveys we do each year:· added 1s Ogdcn. Unio n Academic 01'\icer. Li sa Eldret. is optimistic that the trial is the first step on the road to 2-1 hour
Homemade soup Toasted sandwiches Food and finest coffee available all day 12 ST GEORG ES STREET
opening.
(near Cinema Cit y)
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.. You ha\'e to loo~ at budgets and stall cos ts. but I think that it is a >-tep in the right direc ti on:· she sa id. The ex tcndec..l hours come a>- part of a three year reorganisation plan which has also transformed flour 0 I of the library in to a new postgrad study area. .. The po,tgraduate stUd) room is a reall) good idea: · enthused Li >a.
Popular .. it has been fully hooked for a month and there arc people on a waiti ng li~t.
.. lt i>- o lwim~> l y proving to be really popular. .. for tho:-.c S\\Ol~ eager to make an early \t;Jrt on revision. the lihrar) will be open on the Apri l 17-19. April 26 28. and the \\Cc~end' of Apri l 1."·16 and 29-.>0. • The Libran ilft, \\ill he out ol act inn m er th e "cckcnd of -1-5 \larch for lllailltl'llC\IICC \\or~.
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NEWS 3
Ticket to ride LLT bosses Rledge to widen access · but leu charge for extra courses By CLARE HAMILTON-EDDY
STUDENTS FACE being charged up to £200 a year for taking extra language courses, UEA bosses have admitted. A nyone opting to take an additional un it in the new School of Language, Li terature and Translation (LLT) will in future have to cough up £100 a semester to sit in on mainstream classes. The move flies in the face of promises made at the time EUR was being dismembered, when bosses pledged to widen access to language teaching, and has angered students taking the courses.
Ridiculous "The thought of having to pay £I 00 on top of tuition fees is ridiculous," stormed Naomi Cle ll and (SOC 3), who has been landed with a bill for her unit. " It's definitely going to put students off doing other courses," she complained. And Naomi - who is taking a year long course - accused the school of bungling the introduction of the fees. " In September, it was fine . There was no mention of any money." " However, j ust before the end of term in December, my French lecturer said that
she was not sure if I was meant to pay £ l 00 or not," she explained. School boss Janet Garton admitted that there have been problems introducing the charges, but insisted they were necessary. "We decided at the beginning of last semester to start charging, although it wasn' t always enforced," revealed the Dean. But she also announced a u-tum on the move, postponing the charges until next year - but insisted that all students taking courses over their credit limi t would then have to pay for them.
Encourage "We get frequent requests from people to take a Jarfguage course on top of their normal credits," said Dr Garton. ''We want to encourage this because
we think that it is good if people do languages, but we can ' t teach languages for free as we have to pay the teachers," she insisted.
Subsidise " I' m afraid that in the long run . the resu lt of some students not paying would be other students having to subsidi se it. and that wouldn't be fair either." And she denied that the charges were a response to cash trouble within the school , which is set to end the year £130,000 in debt. " It's not just LLT. Some schools are reacting to financial constraints by saying you can't do anything extra." "We are not trying to balance the budget by charging students for their courses."
NOR
ALCOHOL ASIDE, music is probably the thing that students spend the most money on, and to make it easier for you to spend your hard-earned - or the bank's - the National Union of Students has set up a 24-hour telephone line and website. The service sells tickets for gigs across the country at competitive prices, and can keep you up to date with all the latest must know tour dates and music news. To celebrate the launch, the site's sponsors Walkers Doritos are giving away £1 00 worth of gig tickets for any concert around the country. To win, all you need to do is jot down your details together with the Internet address of the new service and send it to NUS Ents, 45 Underwood St, London, N1 7LG, and then you could be seeing all your favourite bands. The phone number of the Ticketline is 0115 9129192, and it can be found on the web at www.nusents.co.uk/ticketline
ICH
4 NEWS
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CONCRETE W EDNESDAY, F EBRUARY
16, 2000
Athletes in Wichita, Kansas were running from police after a plan to mark out their route went wrong. The Hash House Harriers had left a trail of flour on city streets, but passers-by mistook the powder for anthrax, following a chemical attack in 1998. The runners apologised for the panic, and claimed they had only used flour because it is biodegradable.
Frog wiser Glasgow man Andrew Cromar is hopping mad after a judge ordered him to remove three plastic frogs from his front garden. The decorative amphibians - which croaked when anyone came near- were said to be driving Cromar's pensioner neighbours mad. Mr Cromar described the verdict as a " miscarriage of justice".
Flying high A Dutch airport is being sued - because it refused to licence a brothel on the premises. Burlesque house chain, Yab Yums, says that as Amsterdam's Sch ipol already has a casino, it should allow a bordello when prostitution houses are officially legalised next October. The upmarket establishment would stop short of selling sex, offering massages on marble tables cascading with warm water, and a light buffet.
Spotless Hold on before you do the spring cleaning. Five-year-old Henry Hotherball decided to give his mum a helping hand by squirting bleach all round the house. The tenatious toddler covered carpets, furniture and electrical equipment with Domestos after seeing a tv advert for a spray cleaner. " Have I done a good job, Mummy?" he asked, as his parents green sofa turned orange. The bleach caused ÂŁ15,000 worth of damage.
SUMMER WORI\
ooze an
IN THE
UNIVERSITY BOSSES have been hammered by students after banning all cut price drinks offers on campus. Drinkers at Warwick Unive r~ily are being dep1ived of cheap nights o ut in the Union bars after academi cs claimed that &tudents ' exces ive booz ing was affecting their grades.
But the University has defended the move by claiming that it is in the interests of its students.
TION ME & INTERVIEWS UEANorwich Careers Centre
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brewery," he frothed. But students are hitting out at the decision, accusing the University of over-reacting to something which is commonplace in all student bars.
" We think that the ban is a bit of an over-reaction ," he added. An d UEA regulars agree that lecturers must have Drunk been under the influence " There wa s a view that when they made the more alcohol was being Ban decision, accusing them of taking anti-drinking drunk than in the past," said Said Martin Briggs, measures too far. a Warwick spokesman. " lt's up to the individual President of the Student "We want students to Union, "Of course there is enjoy themselves while they how much they drink. By this age students should be some drinking on campus, but are at university, and the mature enough to choose we are no worse than any bars were making money, how much th ey drink," other university:• but we are a university, not a ...---- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . stormed Fran Babb (EAS 3).
Stupid " lt's stupid, as If students are going to go out for a drink then they will go somewhere else anyway," agreed Michael Milner (SOC 1). And some keen boozers pointed out the benefits of a confused mind, "The amount of philosophical .r--::::::==~... 1 discussion that goes on when drunk is amazing," joked Barnaby Matley (SOC 1).
CONCRETE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY
NEWS 5
www.concrete-online.co.uk
16, 2000
NoisY. regair work guts students through 'torture' STUDENTS LIVING in the campus' top-flight accommodation are being terrorised by building work designed to put right faults in the seven-year old residences. Despite being promised "minimum hassle" by the Accommodation Office, residents in Constable Terrace are having to contend with so much noise from drilling and hammering that some have even moved off-campus. They claim that building work to renovate common areas and replace faulty shower and heating systems is making their lives a misery.
Crying "lt was torture," trembled Una Shabeeb (LAW PG). "I would wake up crying. Even if you put a pillow over your head, you can still feel the building shake." "I ended up visiting my friends in Manchester, it was that bad" And Amanada Akien (LLT 4) agreed.
"There's banging all day and it's not even the house underneath me atthe moment, so it will be even worse when they move along." "lt starts at Bam and goes on all day. You just can't sleep in the morning - the builders are throwing stuff out of the windows into skips," she complained. "You can't study in your room -and this is supposed to be going on until May:• But Accommodation Office Manager Laurence Daly claimed to know nothing about the problems. "We're very keen to solve
any problems, but I can't say much without knowing the nature of the problems." "The builders should not be starting at Bam, though, and if the work is noisier than we thought, we will try and sort things out," he promised. And Claire Kober, Union Welfare Officer, also pledged to get the situation sorted.
A builder at work m
Unacceptable "Workman starting at Bam is unacceptable. I want to go to the University and see how we can make it better for students:•
UEA on tog By CLARE HAMILTON-EDDY
CAMBRIDGE MAY boast that it is at the top of the academic league tables, but when it comes down to it, UEA students have proved who are the real sexperts. Last issue Conaete revealed the sho~king result\ of its Sex Survey. whid1 asked students to delve deep into :t>cn pasts tn reveal their sordid sex scucts. The vital sla!ts!H.:s suggLstcd !h<.! wh.:n I .-ornes to Im~ l r A students enrolkd, and 13 rcr .erll st1ll ~-,•. ollow their The aYerag.: r.unl>cr of SL x.1 pnme\al urges. partn,·rs a! Camhndge 1s a Anc whik UEA's conservative 2 77 . .ts opposed In a enc-gctic s!udul!s sligl ly rand er 3.21 a! l L\. spend .1 f..tlr proportion of thur tune 111 the hedroorn Rural :'>Jorfoll.. ,1bo .1ppears to ~ml the pho!n I ,1\c 11s .rd,,mt.Jges "tth 5~ per hooth. for that cent 1dm11tu.c 10 IJ;·\ ng !Jad sex I' PlaHt:r - 1t seem:--. J~ a puhlil pl.1ce compared w a rather though their limp .IX per cent Jt Carnhridgc. C'arnhr1dgc And 11 sccrrs ltkc the rcpL: ..:1or counterparts spend of Camhridgc·s Footltghts soul!) 1s far loo much tunc no! deserved: only I I per cent hmc • ~·~ swotting 111 the engaged in a hit of rule play during I ihrary 10 enjoy sex, compared to d dramatic ~0 per life\, littk cent at L LA pleasures. While many came to UI·A But surprisingly. handcuffs ha\'ing had their first \\hips .md chall'S do no! appear to tas!C of carnal he .r pnori!y to L r A S!Udenh pleasure. 46 per cent whose cxpenrncntal 21 per cent of Cambridge looks rather flaccid when measured s!Udel'ts were ;.rgains! Carnhrid.;e's ad\'en!urous Varsity's sex survey virgins when they 30 per cent
Limp
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Union SP-earheads new drive for anonymous coursework marking_ By SARAH TAFT OVER A third of students believe that their coursework marks are affected by the fact that their tutor knows them . The resu lt s of a Union survey in to marki ng revea l that 37 per cent of st udents think lecturers look at more than just their written work when award ing grades- with ha lf of tha t number be lieving they have been marked down as a re suit. fac tor-:· argued Union Academic marking would provide greater The study is the fir'>! salvo in a Officer. Lisa Eldret. protection for lecwrcrs against campaign to get UEA to introduce accusatio ns of prejudice and bias. an ano nymous mark ing sche me fo r Confidence and instil student'> with more courscwork. similar to that already But students ha\e gi,cn the used for exams. conlidcnce. kno'' ing that matl'> are campaign a miscd reaction. hascd purely. on work and not other "Anonymous
Bryony Da,·ies (SOC 3) endorsed the plan. "Anonymous marking wou ld eli minate any bias. even ir it is unintentional. on the part of the lecturer:·
Benefits Other students. though . arc less convinced of the potential bencrtts it could bring. "ll's a good thing for the lecturer to know whose work they're marking. as sometimes special circumstances need to be taken into account." said Simon Donnan (SYS PG).
The University has gi,·cn the idea a ca utious we lcome. but wants to explore the issue fully before implementing a new system on marking. John Cook, Dean of Eng lish and Ame ri ca n Studi es. remarked. "I've got an open mind. I think we need to
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explore the pro:, and cons of anonymous marking. 1r there i>- good evidence that there is a bias en tering into mark ing th en it migh t he something we need to think about.'' " it's worth ,erious consideration. We've put it on the agenda for the nex t teac hi ng co mmittee." added Bruce Lyons. Dean of Economic and Social Studies. Research carried out at other universities does suggest that there is cause ror co ncern.
Concern A suney at the nivcrsity of Wa les fou nd that. 41 per cen t of men in the Art Facu lt y achieved either a First or a 2: I compared to 34 per cent or women. After anonymous marking began the fig ure remained the sa me for men. but shot up to 47 per ce nt for women.
Easter exodus
£3 6.92 £36.92 £3 6.92 £34.61 £39.23 £3 6.05 £3 9.23 £36.92
A ROW has broken out between campus room bosses and students over vacation accomodation. Students living in 200 rooms in Nelson Court have to clear out over Easter so the rooms can be used for conferences. Manager, Laurence Daly was people at lectures or at work But while in the past the adamant that the University at a disadvantage. Accommodation Office has had done all it could to been able to dish out Lazy provide rooms. alternative rooms for " Anyone who was in students who needed to stay Guarantee lectures, was in a lab, or at in Norwich over the holiday, " When students take on work had no chance this year they have turned those rooms, no guarantee whatsoever to get a room," away students after is made that alternative complained loannis reserving only 30 rooms. accommodation will be Karafyllidis (810 PG), who had Disadvantage offered. Many students take his hopes on bagging a room. the rooms to save money" " lt wasn 't at all fa ir. They And to make matters "We did a similar thing last didn't think about it • if telling worse, letters year without any problems, someone was lazy and didn't students how to register for but we'll keep a list of people bother going to a lecture they the rooms - available on a who want rooms and ask had a better chance than first come, first served basis conference to monitor someone who did,'' he - were delivered to students demand in case any become stormed. on the same day 1 , • ftee." But Accommodation Office . ~pplications opened, leav!ng
All prices are per person per wee k For more information or to arrange appointments telephone
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NORWICH ACCOMMODATION AGENCY
62 Livingstone St., Norwich NR2 4HE Email: office@norwich-accommodation.co.uk Website: www.norwich-accommodation.co.uk 'I
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CONCRETE W EDNESDAY, FEBRUARY
16, 2000
www.concrete-online.co.uk
Musical wares IT'S A known fact that anything free is readily accepted by skint students, and this has been recognised by new website www.peoplesound.com. The site is a haven for music fans , giving them the chance to hunt out and download music by new and established acts at no cost, as well as enter top competitions. Musicians keen on some extra exposure are also being encouraged to sign up to the site, with the added bonus of a ÂŁ100 giveaway to every new artist who joins the scheme by March 31 , 2000.
Naked ambition CALUNG ALL budding modeJsl The Art Society Is looking for life models to strut their stuff tor two hours on Wednesday evenings. The life drawing classes will take place in Union House, and the organisers promise a prhtate and respectful environment. Both male and female mOdels
are needed, and volunteers will be rewarded with a ÂŁ1 S fee fOr each session. If you think you have What it takes, contact e.hardlngOuea.ac.uk or Arts Soc for more Information.
Med bid on target desRite GMC doubts THE TEAM behind UEA's medical school bid have hit back at accusations in the local press that their p lans are in trouble. Local rag, the Eastern Dail y Press, claimed th at the General Med ical Council had knocked bac k the bid, which sl ices a year off the normal fi ve year doctor's trai nin g programme, and does away with the traditional break between theory and practice. If the Government give the green But Shirley Pearce, Dean of the intensive and there is more space light by May, the University hopes for people to go off and do nonSchools of Heath, rejected the medical subjects, like a unit frol\1 to have the course up and ru nning rumours, insisting that "all the by 2001 , with 50 students initially Development Studies or History; feedback we have got is very enrolled. encouraging and very positive." explained Professor Pearce. The roll will then steadily increase "The fact of the matter is that the Confident to the full 110 places within four GMC have expressed some years. concerns about the four year And she is confident that UEA has but have not a good chance of winning the bid Work will also start on a new programme, building on campus to house the expressed any concern at all about over its remaining competitor, the Penninsular Medical School , run trainee doctors, who will do much the innovation ; said Professor by the universities of Plymouth and of the training at the replacement Pearce. Norfolk and Norwich Hospital , As a result, UEA is now also Exeter. "We haven't been told when they currently being built at Colney. putting forward an alternative fiveyear course alongside the original will make a decision, but we have "The bid matches well with the to have the full bid in by March, opening of the new hospital, which fast-track scheme: is a strong part of the project," "Nothing is different about the five and they should be able to tell us in added Professor Pearce. year course, except that it is not so May whether we can go forward."
NEWS 7
8 NEWS
www.concrete-online.co.uk
Election • man1a A GAGGLE of elections are set to take place this week. Students are being asked to cast their votes in three ballots which will be run in the LCR on Thursday, February 17 between 11am and 5.30pm. The first vote is a re-run of December's Communications Election, after the original was ruled invalid; the second is to decjde who will represent UEA at this year's National Union of Students conference. The third ballot is a referendum to decide the vexed question of sale of Nestle products on campus.
Non-Sabbatical Communications Officer Election Colin Moore .. .... .... .. ... ........ .. ... ... Re-open Nominations ........... ....
D D
NUS Conference Election Ned Glasier........ ......... .... 0 lbi Gowan .... ............... ..... O James Harrison .............. 0 Kev in Howlett .. ............... 0 Claire Kober........ ... ......... 0 Andy Marriot... ... ... .... ...... 0
lan Mackie .......... ........ ... O Colin Moore .................. O Matthew Porter............. 0 Claire Saunders ......... .. 0 Re-Open Nominations. 0
Nestle Referendum Do you think that the boycott of Nestle products in Union outlets should be lifted? - See debate, page 15
ELECTION BOSSES have admitted that they mishandled the Communications Officer elections. There was uproar last month when E lect ions Committee threw out dozens of votes to Re-Open ominations because they had been marked using a cross or a ti ck- despite allowing s imilar votes in previous ballo ts. The decision meant sole there would not be any problem. but candidate Co lin Moorc scraped in by perve rting the e lect ion process they by just one vote. just damage the democratic processes Is the farce with you? To Now the troubled commiltee of the Union:· celebrate the epic struggle have reversed that decision and Sacked candidate olin Moore against the dark forces of re-counted the votes. giving RON welcomed the decisions. but Students· incompetence, Concrete is a nine vote majority. Forum member, Antony Li u le - who giving away a broken But they have also decided that lodged a complain t about the vote telephone to the first person the RON stickers and po;ters was less happy at the outcome. who can correctly answer ·'It ·s disappointing they arc not plastered over campus bro ke elect ion the following questions: rules, and so are i"nsisting on calling yet giving an outright apology. because another vote on the Comrns vote without Elections Com miltee and Forum a ll 1. Which rebel ca ndidates felt they had got it wrong." opening the job up to other ca ndidates. were originally defeated in ··on receipt of a complaint we had to Episode One? review the procedures and o ur acti o ns." 2. Which rebel struggled ·· 1 also think that not re-opening explained nion Academic Officer, Lisa through to the final battle, only nominations i, a bit >lrangc. RO N Eldrct. to be vanquished by Appeals '"The way th e rules arc wriucn ticks might have run an i!legal campaign. Emperor Kiff Mattheson at the and cross are both allowed and but you can't throw out a candidate end of Episode Two? d isa ll owed. At th e time one interpretation who doesn't ex ist." protested Antnny. 3. Who did Obi RON Kenobi wa, used. but on renection we decided to And he attacked Colin Moore for challenge in Episode Three: use the other." claimed Lisa. not taking event> into his ow n hand,. Please, No Moore? "Colin has no t come out of this at And she defended the decision not to 4. Is there really a new re-run the election from the very all well. He was shown up by not hope for the Union ? Or any resigning. It made it look like he is beginning. hope at all, for that matter? only in this for the office and the ents " If someone was running a RO campaign and running it w ithin the rules pass:· he said.
COMM WARS
Strange
CONCRETE WEDNESDA~
. LETTERS/ LEADER_ S9
www.concrete-online.co.uk
FEBRUARY16, 2000
Leaders
Health hazards
Editor James Tapsfield
LLT charges Having restructured the whole school partly in order to improve access to language teaching for all UEA students, LLT are now planning to charge those who take up the opportunity. And not just a nominal fee: the equivalent of around three weeks' rent for your average student. Not only does this seem a bit hypocritical, it is also shortsighted. Language skills make graduates infinitely more employable, and that will have positive repurcussions for UEA in the longer term . But then, vision never has been the University's strong point.
The University seems to have got itself into rather a mess about roof access in Norfolk and Suffolk Terraces. The blinds installed last year did no good at all - students just took them down. And quite rightly too. Lines have to be drawn at certain points where people take responsibility for their own actions, and here the University have fulfilled their obligations just by putting up warnings. Compliance with these silly regulations merely creates more of a fire risk and makes residents feel uncomfortable. Besides, if the HSE think the roofs are dangerous, maybe they should take a look around the rest of campus. When the steep stairs leading into the bowels of Norfolk Terrace are wet they become a death trap. And drunk students could easily fall over the tiny wall bordering the Norfolk Terrace walkway. They trust us to tak'e responsibility in these instances - so why not with the roofs?
Deputy Editors Mark Edwards Carolina Jeater News Editor James Goffin Assistant News Editor Clare Hamilton-Eddy Assistant Features Editor Will Halsey
Anonymous marking
Sports Editor Nick Henegan
Students have broadly welcomed the prospect of having coursework anonymously marked, although many expressed the view that the fact the marker knew their name has helped them get a better mark in the past. In the end, however, it may not matter. While in large first year courses the student may be able to remain anonymous, in later years the marker will more than likely be able to tell whose piece they are marking. And if they're in any doubt, they can always look up the student number on the UEA website to check.
And finally... Well , we may be further down the academic league tables, but UEA certainly beats Cambridge hands down when it comes to sexual activity. Keep up the good work, people.
Creative Writing Editor Kris Siefken Web Editor Pete Chapman Ad manager Jane Kirby Distribution Manager James Graham Editorial Contributors Sarah Hookes, Sarah Taft, Charlotte Ronalds, Elin Jones, Dave Dickson, Nicole Fortmann, Debbi Marco, Beau Kinnard, Rosie Hayward, Becky Pohlman, Chris Hailstone, Anna Castles, Elaine Leggett, ~uke Turner, Hilary Whitehead Illustrations Pete Large & Rachel Clutterbuck
Letters to the Editor
Photographers Russell Burton, Nick Henegan, Caroline Jeater, Mark Edwards, Iris Waas, James Tapsfield, John Williamson, Luke Turner
PO Box 410, UEA, NR4 7TB Tel 01603 250558 Fax 01603 506822 e-mail su .concrete@uea.ac.uk
Copy Editing Claire Saunders
Booked up
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s a third year student I feel that it is about time I expressed my views concerning the management of the Union bookshop. In 1997, before I started my three year course in BIO, I visited the Union bookshop to buy the recommended texts. There were loads of shelves full of biology books, and piles of BIO books on the floor. Three years on and things have changed drastically. At present there are two pitiful half-full shelves of books. Last Thursday, I tried to sell several books back, all in excellent condition and all recommended for BIO courses. First I was told that one of the books was for A level. Stlcondly I was told that one of the books was an old edition and would never resell. Concepts of Genetics (fourth edition) is in fact recommended for Bio 1A01 and future BIO courses. Biology books do not date that quickly. But to add insult to injury, I was offered a mere 30 per cent for near pertect books that would have be useful to future BIO students as recommended texts. So on one of the books, worth £25, I would have been paid just £7.50, a loss of £17.50. What sort of a service is this? I thought that the bookshop was there to help students. Is it not meant to save students money by giving them the opportunity to buy second hand, and to facilitate the passage of books from those who no longer require them to those who do? Last year I decided to try and sell a couple of books privately via the notice boards in 810. Fellow students are willing to pay up to 70 per cent for recommended texts - to save them the cost of buying new books. I realise that the Union Bookshop has costs to cover, but 30 per cent for nearly new books is an insult. This forces students to buy new or privately bypass the Union Bookshop. Waterstones certainly does not have to worry about competition from the Union bookshop. Am I the only student at UEA who thinks that there is something wrong with this? Rob Horsefield, 810 3)
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Hullaballoo
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t would seem that Concrete has something against the fair city of Kingston Upon Hull. In the last two issues, references to Hull and its inhabitants have been far fro·m complimentary. To refresh your memory, in The Event section of the paper (issue 107) , Steve Coli ins described contestants on BBC One's Star For A Night as, "three depressingly ugly pubescent 'scallies' from Hull who laid off the cider long enough to learn the chords to Green Day's The Time of Your Life," while John Rowley writes in the article 'Kiss and Tell' (issue 108), that "Internet sex is an optionJor those stuck at home. But your partner may in fact be an unemployed 47. year old fish farmer from Hull." Coming from Hull, I feel I should defend my fellow citizens, especially as I happen to know that one of the aforementioned "pubescent scallies" is in fact 27! The typical Hull "scally" can be easily distinguished by his lank, greasy hair. A pastyfaced runt , he sports the telltale white sports socks tucked into his Kappa tracksuit bottoms and can be found loitering next to the nearest car ready for a spot of twocking , his drug of choice being something just a little stronger than cider. He is not a flare-clad 27 year old who wants to appear on a Saturday evening family entertainment show. While Hull may not be the most glamorous of cities, I'd like it to be known (as well as setting you straight on how you can really spot a "scally") that it's not a city full of cider-drinking 14 year olds and unemployed middle aged men reminiscing about the days when the trawlers sailed the ocean blue and the streets were paved with fish . I fear this may have been the impression your readers have gained so far and can't help wondering if you have a deliberately anti-Hull policy, or whether it's more a case of a generally south-centric ct>nsensus. All that shandy drinking and jellied eel eating that goes on at your good old cockney knees-ups must have done something funny to your perceptions of us flat cap wearing, whippet racing miners. As for cider drinking, let's just leave that to the inbred locals of Norwich. Jess Turner, a disgruntled Northerner.
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Perverted? have become increasingly concerned by the visual images of women sited on the top right· hand corner of your front page.VVhy, may I ask, do you have a trussed up and gagged woman next to the headline, "sex survey results"? Not very healthy is it? Previously when a woman on campus fought off an attacker you carried a picture of a man's computerised fantasy of a sexual object [a Tank Girl cartoon issue 103].1think you had better start looking at the motivation behind your choice of pictures and remember that women are students as well. The media is very good at harrassing women. . Yours disgusted and concerned, T. Skoczylas, DEVIII
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Please mark your letters for the attention of the Editor, James Tapsfield
DTP James Tapsfield, Caroline Jeater, Mark Edwards, Nick Henegan Page 22 story © Jim Whalley 2000.
Thanks to: UH Stewards, everyone at ECN Concrete is published by the Union of UEA Students. Opinions expressed are those of the Contributor and not necessarily those of the Publisher or Editor. Use of the name 'The Event' appears by arrangement with the copyright holders, Planet Zog Ltd . No part of this newspaper may be reproduced or transmitted through any means including the return of Simon, Kinder Eggs and romantic Valentine's days in the office - without the express permission of the Editor. Printed by Eastern Counties Newspapers Ltd, Norwich, Norfolk NR1 1RE.© Concrete 2000.
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food•drink•friends•jazz•fun
10 Courtroom Homers 11 GM on campus 12 Tantric sex 15 Nestle debate
Lawyers really can't afford to ma~e cock-ups in court. But, as Kris Siefken says, that doesn't stop them dropping some real clangers ...
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owever much we dislike them , we need lawyers. The sad fact is that they are becoming an increasingly central part of our society. And a quick glance at British crime statistics suggests that many of us will ulti mately hav\) more contact with a lawyer than just getting one to help with our will: one in four British males have some form of criminal record. Now, you might think that graduates are less likely to be in this 25 per cent, but don't delude yourself. Every day the newspapers are fu ll of university graduates receiving sentences: the last couple of months have brought high-profile criminal cases involving bankers , accountants, MPs and even lawyers themselves. Some might argue that graduate criminal cases are more likely to be 'harr:nless' white collar crime. But try telling that to the families of Or Shipman 's 15 victims. And to make you even more nervous in your next seminar, the university graduate GP is now being questioned about another 29 suspiciou s deaths. However, before you spend tomorrow's class staring nervously at the quiet guy in the corner (you know, the one with the piercing eyes) , the _point of this article is not to encourage you to try and spot the bad apples among your friends and colleagues. No. The point is that any one of us may eventually find ourselves in court, whether intentionally or not. And when we do, who are we dependent upon? Lawyers . Oh dear ... As a society we love to watch 'lawyers' work - or at least their fictional counterparts . Ally McBeal regularly tops viewing tables, and an entire generation grew up watching LA Law religiously. "Our communal expectation is. therefore , that if we were to ever find ourselves in court our attorney would, naturally, be undefeated and
generally infallible. If only the reality was the same as the fiction. 路 Imagine being sat in the dock as your lawyer cross --axamines a key witness, only to hear him ask: "Now, doctor, isn't it true that when a person
c/s Were the moon landings faked? 19 Photo story 21 Travel
dies in his sleep , he doesn't know about it until the next morning?" If you were the defendant and able to quell the desire to shout "Doh!" in your best Homer Simpson voice, you have better self control than I do. A single statement like that and the jury loses all faith in the credibility of your lawyer and, hence, you . And yet this kind of thing happens time and time again. We tend to assume that a lawyer will be cleverer than we are, or at least less likely to drop a 'Homer' in court. But is this confidence misplaced? Okay, admittedly legal 'Homers' often come about as a result of a lawyer's search for exactness -"Your youngest son , the 20 year old , . how old is he?" for example - but far too often
lawyers elevate the concept of a 'no-brainer' to the level of an art form . The Massachusetts Bar Association Lawyer's Journal recently cited the following verbal slips , all asked by trial lawyers in the last three years .. . 0: "How was your first marriage terminated? " A: "By death ." 0: "And by whose death was it terminated? " In 1998 another trial lawyer had similar problems with the 'tricky' concept of death, asking a defendant: "Was it you or your younger brother
"Now Doctor, isn't it true that. when a person dies in his sleep he doesn't know about it until the rrext morning?" who was kil led in the war?" Three mon th s later a colleague from Ohio was getting confused over the issue of birth : 0: "So the date of conception [of the baby] was August 8?" A: "Yes" 0: "And what were you doing at the time?'' Hmm, I wonder? But when it comes to illuminating the human flaws of our lawyers, few shine the light better than professional witnesses. 0 : "Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?" A: "No." 0 : "Blood pressure?" A: "No." 0: "Breathing?" A: "No." 0 : "So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy." A: "No." 0: "How can you be sure, Doctor?" A: "Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar." Pushing home his advantage , the lawyer continued , "But could the patient have been alive nevertheless?" The doctor's reply? "Well , it is possible he could have been alive and practising law somewhere." Maybe he had a point.
\ CONCRETE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2000
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The John lnnes Centre is involved in GM research, and ifs on our doorstep. Will Halsey found out what goes on there ...
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ebruary 16, 3000. The world is a barren wasteland, the human race wiped out after a population explosion that exhausted the Earth's resources. Although this may sound like science fiction, with the six billionth baby already born , it could become a stark reality. However, scientists are working on preventing this eventuality, and are pinning many of their hopes on genetically modified crops. Unfortunately, as the recent media panic has shown, the research poses dangers in itself. Public opinion seems basically against so-called 'Frankenstein' food, but public knowledge is not that great. Indeed there is a centre virtually on campus that is known to deal with genetic modification research, yet little information is released about the projects. Very basic research also takes place in the school of BIO, although this doesn't amount to commercial activity. The lack of publicity, though, is hardly surprising considering the negative press genetic modification research has suffered over recent months. With these antiGM campaigns dominating column inches, organisations are bound to keep their interests quiet. The UEA affiliate that conducts this research is the John lnnes Centre, part of the UEA Research Park. However, Or Ray Mathias, Head of Science Communication and Education at the organisation, insists that John lnnes makes no attempts to cover up any of their activities in that area. "As an organisation we are not over-anxious to protect or cover up our research . Indeed, we feel we should be open about the research we do because we are funded by European and UK taxpayers. " However, the John lnnes Centre deals with, as Or Mathias explains, "basic science". They have never had any trouble from groups against genetically modified food , possibly because the research is literally at a grass roots level. However, Or Mathias feels that many of the demonstrators have personal agendas.
"Some groups do have genuine concerns regarding genetic modification research , but unfortunately there are a large number who merely want to further their own campaigns through GM protests." This lack of genuine feeling against GM foods is also somewhat reflected at UEA. The food outlets are taking a cautious but not anti-GM line, and there is virtually no student pressure for anything else. it's hard to tell whether this is due to a
"Indeed, those in favour of GM foods believe they are crucial to the continuation of life as we know it." generally favourable attitude towards genetically modified produce, or a lack of knowledge about the subject. Food is genetically modified by scientists in order to create crops that grow faster, grow bigger, or are more resistant against pests. The modification process requires painstaking groundwork highlighting DNA within organisms, and this is what takes place in the John lnnes Centre and in BIO. Much the same end results can be achieved through selective breeding, but the higher-tech method is far more accurate. lt is not the method that is criticised by environmental groups, however: it is the effect. The main objection to genetically modifying foods is that no one really knows the long term consequences. The modification itself is irreversible, and thus if we are not careful problems
may not become evident until it is too late. Genetic hybrids could emerge if GM pollen is carried by bees to non-GM crops, and other medical effects are also possible. Allergies could escalate if genetically modified food involves 'bits' of many other foodstuffs: a possibly fatal nut allergy could turn every mealtime into a genetically modified game of Russian roulette. However, Or Mathias thinks that such fears are misguided, and suggests that over time GM will be accepted. "I believe that genetic modification will definitely happen elsewhere in the world. Europe may be slower catching on due to the anxiety currently surrounding GM, but it will eventually be accepted." Indeed, those in favour of GM foods believe they are crucial to the continuation of life as we know it. The population of the world is growing constantly, and there is little prospect of it levelling off in the near future . If there is to be enough food to feed such an enormous and growing population, it may be that hardy, prolific GM crops are a necessity. Bigger and more reliable harvests could also reduce costs, and as GM crops are more resistant to pests there may be less need for pesticides and herbicides that harm the environment. On a more capitalist note, not to join the United States in embracing GM technology could jeopardise Britain's position as a world leader in biotechnology, and have a detrimental effect on the economy. The crucial point, though, is that GM food, whether ethically right or wrong, has been passed as safe by the Advisory Committee on Releases into the Environment. In the USA, it has been integrated into food to such an extent that it is virtually impossible not to eat GM there. In the UK there are strict laws concerning GM foods , and any food containing GM traces must be labelled. Certain supermarkets, such as Sainsbury's, have stated that they do not use GM food in their own brand products, except tomato puree - and this is clearly labelled on the front of the packet. Restaurants are also obliged to inform customers whether their meal will contain GM ingredients, although this is proving impossible to regulate. UEA follows these laws, and there are statements in all eateries concerning GM foods. Currently, in the Diner, Breakers 2, and the Bowl,
catering suppliers have confirmed that no GM food is used, and this is the stance the University Catering Service is taking. However, with the Diner recently under fire for its prices, the prospect of GM foods reducing the cost for students cannot be ignored. General Catering Manager Paula Brown admits this would be an issue when debating GM foods. "The pricing is something we are always looking at, so if GM food could reduce our prices, we would obviously consider it." lt appears that current public opinion is leading everyone involved with food in Britain to be very wary of genetically modified produce. However, in UEA, it appears that the students are not as against it as perhaps could be expected. The Student Union do not have a policy on GM foods, although this could change. "If the issue was raised at a student forum we would then develop a policy on GM foods," said Union Welfare Officer Claire Kober. This merely serves to highlight the fact that, despite in-depth media coverage over many months, nothing has been discussed at UEA. This is not necessarily a
"Europe may be slower to catch on because of the anxiety currently surrounding GM, but it will eventually be accepted." bad thing, though, for GM food could have a positive impact on student life. The state of campus kitchens often leaves a lot to be desired, and fridges are overstocked with food, much of which has rotted but not been claimed. Longer lasting food could certainly benefit the student cook. ¡ With international conferences concerning GM research and food making headlines in recent weeks, it seems unlikely that the debate will disappear any time soon. Indeed, despite the protests from environmental groups, it seems that GM food will shape the future, for good or for ill. As Or Mathias says, "Eventually, people will accept the technology, and that there are some benefits to the research." Whether the research is in UEA or the USA, there are dangers, but research such as that at the John lnnes Centre is surely necessary. If humankind is to celebrate the next millennium, it will more than likely be with super tomatoes.
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16, 2000
â&#x20AC;˘ Tantric sex: just for hippies or something we should all be getting in to? Nicole Fortmann did some circular breathing, secured her Chakras, and investigated ...
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ay the words "Tantric sex" and what comes to mind? Hippies? Weirdos not ejaculating for hours? Crazy Americans skipping off to 'workshops' and paying hundreds of dollars to combine Yoga and orgies to achieve orgasm on a higher spiritual level? Thought so. But why does it appeal to so many people? Perhaps my sexual scepticism is preventing me from experiencing the ultimate orgasm. Maybe, just maybe, there is something to this Tantric sex gubbins after all. Not wanting to miss out, I decided to do some research. So what is Tantra? lt dates back thousands of years, and while not a religious philosophy, it is founded on a deep spiritual understanding of life and harmonious coexistence with the world. In Tantra sexual energy is used as an ignition for firing the 'Kundian Force', the body's biological lifeenergy system , merging it with the Universe's energy in order to reach Nirvana and achieve a
cosmic orgasm. Tantric sex takes the focus away from the genitals and focuses on circulating energy throughout the body as the pleasurable feelings build up. To be able to do this you have to be aware of the seven energies (or 'Chakras') of th e body: the Muladhara (at the base of the spine) , the Svadisthana (in the belly), th e Manipura (i n the solar plexus), the Anahata (in the heart), the Vissudha (in the throat) , the Ajana (in the brow centre) and the Sahasrara (in the crown centre). Unfortunately, locating your Chakras is not the only requirement to be satisfied before you can get down to some serious Tantric nookie. According to Tantra you must purify yourself, otherwise you will not be able to connect sex and spirit and meet on this sacred level with your partner. This means living healthily (eating properly , taking exercisethe usual stuff fitness freaks bang on about), and practising certain 'Krija' techniques to link breath and awareness. My Tantric guide tells me: "Be
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aware of the wisps of air enteri ng your nostrils as you inhale. Follow it around the nasal passage, down the bronchial tubes all the way to the lungs to where it expands against the diaphragm. Exhale and bring your awareness back out with the breath." Indian Tantrics also use colonic cleansing to keep their channels of elimination functioning well. Nice. Okay, so after finding my Chakras, eating lettuce, runni ng, and following wisps of air around my
"Tantrics do get physical, but only after they have studied (in great depth) and chatted with their partner's privates. " respiratory system, I am ready to have Tantric sex. But does anybody really know what Tantrics do? I'm fully aware now that it is definitely not your banging against the headboard and screaming loudly sex, but that's about it. Well , according to my Tantric Guide (you'll all want one by the end of this) , an easy exercise to start with is "unity through sacred sounds". You have to sit right opposite your partner and stare into each other's right eye. When one of you breathes out, the other should breathe in (breathing comes into play a great deal during Tantric sex, so a heavy garlic meal beforehand is unlikely to aid you in achieving that spiritual orgasm). Next, one of you has to start making an "Ommmmm" sound to the rhy1hm of ocean waves. When the other is ready (and has fought the urge to laugh hysterically) they can join in. There is also the 'spoons' practice, where both partners lie on their side facing the same way, and the one behind reaches around and places their hand on the heart Chakra. The object is to use your breath to enhance the other's energy. The partner behind breathes deeply while concentrating on a certain Chakra for about five minutes. And then you both move on to another Chakra. Exciting stuff. But you will be pleased to know that Tantrics do get physical- after they have studied (in great depth) and chatted with their partner's privates . The guide suggests that to get to know each other really well , the female should lie down naked, or stand up naked, while the male familiarises himself with 'Yoni ' (yup, you 've guessed it - her vagina) . The guide even suggests that the bloke could bring Yoni a gift, such as a pretty flower (although we're not told exactly how he gives Yon i her present.) Then he can stare and talk to Yoni (bit of a one-way conversation I imagine) , and when both parties are ready he can even touch Yoni (my bet is that the female is happily asleep by now). Once this ritual is over, the female gets to go through the same thing with her partner's 'Wand of Light' (no joke - this is the name given to his bits). Fast forward a few chapters in my little Tantric guide to pleasure and you come to the "Energy Orgasm". Good, I've found the word "orgasm" - it surely can only get better. Also, this is an individual exercise, so no possibility of inhaling bad breath , and no bringing my new best friend (goes by the name of 'Wand of Light') little pressies. So, th e instructions: Lie on a firm surface. Bend knees. Take a few relaxing breath s. Empty mind . Let go of tension. Let go of ego (you what?). Settle in. Start to take deeper breath s and keep them circular (try not to hyperventi late). On the inhale,
rock pelvis, arch lower back and flatten on exhale. Squeeze the pubococcygeus muscles (ones you use to stop peeing) on exhale. This is supposed to pump energy through my body. Okay, not feel ing any energy anywhere. The guide says I have to repeat this movement and warns that my "legs may be opening and closing like a butterfly ... " The next stage is to use my mind "to pull in energy from the earth into the perineum [the bit between the bum and the vagina/penis]. This is to, "build fire in the sex centre [the first and second Chakras]". When I am "well lit" in this area I have to move the energy to the next Chakra, which is in the belly, and then start circulating from the belly to the heart Chakra. When this area is lit it is time to move on to the throat. I am warned that as this energy moves up I, "might make some sounds." (sniggering perhaps?) The final circulation takes place between the eyes and the top of the head. Once all my Chakras are well lit and burning fiercely I will, "kick into full-body orgasm." I'm still waiting. So, readers , it's for you to decide whether these practices are likely to enable you to reach pure ecstasy and at the same time merge you with the earth and atmosphere. As for me, I'm off with my cold un lit Chakras to find Sting and educate him in achieving Nirvana the straightforward, physical way.
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Do you think that the boycott of Nestle products in· Union outlets should be lifted? With the Nestle referendum taking place on Thursday, Nadia AI Yafai argues for the boycott to be maintained, while Kevin Howlett holds that it is time.it was lifted. s Disraeli said: "Power has only one duty - to secure the social welfare of the people." All people. Here in the West, we are the ones with the power: we are the major consumers of products in the world, and our pounds and dollars make a real difference to the people of the third world. lt is important, therefore, that 'tie use our power wisely. Why should you vote 'no' to overturning the Nestle boycott and bringing back Kit Kat? Because your decision will profoundly affect those mothers whose babies are dying as a result of Nestle's bad information and aggressive babyfood promotions. Nestle, the leading supplier of babymilk powder,
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target poor women in developing countries by telling them that their milk products are as good for babies as breastfeeding. They also supply, through health workers, free baby food samples in maternity wards and health centres, which new mothers use for their children. Soon the mother is unable to return to breastfeeding as her breastmilk dries out. She cannot afford to buy the baby food for her children and the child is hooked on baby food. Moreover, the water used to mix the milk powder is often unclean, causing a severe risk to the child's life. The result? Children die. UNICEF and the World Health Organisation have sought to make Nestle clean up their act but to no
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avail. The col]lpany made one concession to their demands, and that was to change their product labelling so that it was in a language that the mothers could read. However, they would not make the really important change: the addition of a disclaimer from the World Health Organisation saying that breastfeeding is better for your child. If these are the lengths to which Nestle will go to keep their market growing and to keep their profits strong, then there is only one way to make them
"Nestle would not make the most important change: the addition of a disclaimer from the World Health Organisation saying that breastfeeding is better for your child." listen and to make them change. Hit them where it hurts. Their profits. The Union of UEA students is one of 80 in the country to boycott· Nestle products, and boycotts work. In 1997,.Pepsi's withdrawal from Burma was the direct result of a six-year campaign by students to boycott the brutal military dictatorship. • We have to take a stand at some point in our lives and put principles and values above profits. The Union as an organisation takes a moral decision
not to buy a product, just as you would take an individual stance. The difference is power. The Union has enormous buying power and the profits Nestle loses from the Union boycott far exceed what they lose through individual boycotts. Further, the Union being part of a collective international boycott - which includes Babymilk action (http://www.babymilkaction.org) strengthens the global protest. The ' Freedom of Choice' campaign argue that • students are adults who can make an informed choice and boycott products personally. Well, we ask this: whose Freedom of Choice matters more? Is it students' freedom to buy a Kit Kat? Or is it a mother's freedom to make informed decisions that will affect her child's life and livelihood? Because these aren't the same thing. How important Is not being able to buy a Kit Kat compared to a child's life? Boycotts have had important implications for companies like Nestle who put profits before lives. They listen to these decisions and, ultimately, they act on them. You have the Freedom of Choice to exercise your power. Voting to keep the boycott doesn't affect you in the long term, but it does have massive influence on making big business more responsible. So When you vote, vote with a conscience. Vote 'NO' to keep the boycott in place. Vote 'NO' to Nestle.
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CO here are two fundamental reasons why you should vote yes. One is to defend the nature of our democratic existence; and the other is that this imposed ban is counter-productive - it is not working, it represents a gesture which benefits no one. On Thursday we are given a chance to win back our freedom. A yes vote in the "freedom of choice referendum" will restore this basic human right. I urge every decent student who believes that a Union should not dictate the way we lead our lives to vote in this referendum. At long last we have been offered the chance to register our opposition .to the few, the few who decided to bar us from purchasing Nestle products in Union outlets. This referendum is not, however, about accepting Nestle. it is not, as the rather emotive campaign from the 'no camp' suggests, about condoning the actions of Nestle. Those who vote yes on Thursday are doing nothing more than rejecting what amounts to totalitarian oppression. What is wrong with telling the Union that it has no right to impose these restrictions on our lifestyle? What is
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wrong with democracy, with the right for people to decide for themselves whether to buy certain
'The ban achieves nothing, the actions of one university will not dent the income of a major global company. Nestle will not bow to our aggressive tactics, and it will not listen to the faint, insignificant voice of our Union." products? If we do not make it clear to that minority who voted for this ban that it is wrong and interventionist, then who is to say how far they will go? If they are allowed to get away with this behaviour, and Students' Forum is given the mandate to, willy nilly, ban any goods or companies they dislike. All university students are over the age of 18. This
• means that we are allowed to smoke, to drink, to vote, even to get married. Despite this, it has been decided that we are not allowed to choose which brand of chocolate we should buy. Of course, this is a farcical situation, which is unbelievably patronising. it would be much better if the Union let us, individually, make the decision to boycott Nestle. Those who take issue with the company, if they wish , can refrain from eating KitKats and drinking Nescafe coffee. By winning the argument with -sound reasoning as opposed to brute force would be far more of a victory for morality. This is whatthose who vote yes on Thursday will be saying. To add to this let us look at what this ban achieves. NOTHING. The actions of one · unive"rsity will not dent the income of a major, global company. Nestle will not bow to our aggressive tactics, and it will not listen to the faint, insignificant voice of our Union. As well as this reality, we have the ludicrous fact that the Diner, the Bowl, and the Sainsbury's
Centre do not BAN Nestle products. Any good done in the Union, therefore, is completely cancelled out by the numerous KitKats, Lion Bars and Aeros bought in these outlets. This ban is not even effective as a g~sture. it is nothing more than a wishy washy, watered down, pale imitation · of "gesture politics". The only common sense approach to the affair is to lift the ban, to reinstate freedom of choice, and to take the wind out of the sinister politics of totalitarianism. A yes vote on Thursday is a vote for all this, and moreover, it is a vote for democracy, something for which millions have died. it is time we were allowed the freedom to think our own thoughts and make up our own minds.
Now it's time to have your say. the referendum will take place this Thursday in the Htve.
Could it really be possible that the Moon landings never happened? Dave Dickson looks at some very convincing evidence that Man's finest moment was a hoax. n May 25, 1961, President John F Kennedy made this statement to Congress, the American people and the world:
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"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. •
Thirty months later Kennedy was dead, butchered in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, but his dream lived on. On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped off the Apollo 11 Lunar Module on to the surface of the Moon. His
words, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," may have been. fumbled - he was meant to s~ "That's one small step for this man,• - but they are still locked in the mind of the world. For the few hours that Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were stationed at the S3a of Tranquillity, the entire planet was gripped in awe and wonder at the genius of man, and in particular NASA. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration had proved that_ there was nofhing beyond ihe willpower and scientific brilliance of our species. Sadly, however, that's not the way it happened. In fact, the moon landings never
took place at iill. What the world saw that day was not the greatest achievement of the century, but rather the greatest seam ever sold. In a staggering sleight-of-hand manoeuvre, NASA convinced the entire planet that we - or rather they - had conquered another planet. And we still believe it today. How can we be sure that Apollo 11 did not land on the moon? Well, we can't. But turn the question around for a moment: How can we be sure it did? • Perhaps the most obvious evidence that the moon landings happened is the film and the photographs. Millions saw the television
"While they appear genuine at first, closer examination of the lighting and camera position reveals that something is wrong." footage, and the pictures that the astronauts took are widely available. Seeing, however, is not always believing. At the bottom of this page are some of the most famous photographs from the Apollo 11 mission, together with
analysis of what is wrong with each of them.. While they appear genuine enough at first glance, closer examination of, among other things, the lighting and the camera position, reveals that something is very wrong. The only other physical evidence is the rock samples. There is a specimen on display at the Science Museum in London a long with one. of the Lunar Modules. Impressive it is, too, but a couple of years ago NASA very excitedly announced that they had discovered life on Mars. They knew this because a sample of rock had been uncovered in the .Antarctic that had crashed to Earth from Mars. If a fragment of rock can reach us from Mars (about 50 million miles away) then surely a piece of Moon rock could easily cover the 250,000 miles to Earth. We have also been able to send unmanned probes to the Moon for the best part of the last 40 years. So getting hold of a Moon rock is not a significant problem. lt certainly does not constitute proof that man ever went there. Once you start to doubt these pieces of evidence, the whole fayade of the moon landings starts to c;rumble. NASA is a publicly funded body: it receives its finance from the
the mercy of the sun's rays. American taxpayer via Congress. Hence, to ensure continued funding it must not only be In addition to the normal radiation of space. at successful but be seen to be successful. Its the t(me Apollos 11 and 12 went out there was extreme danger of solar flares. Every 11.2 failures - like the fire and subseguent loss of years the sun's activity increases, but within life on board Apollo 1 - threaten this income. So when a president sets the Administration a challenge, in this instance a very public one, it must meet that challenge. This is no easy task, particularly when the goal proves impossible to achieve. President Kennedy was specific: Get a man to the Moon AND bring him back safely. Getting a man to the Moon has never been a problem; it was the returning him safely bit that caused all this larger cycle the exact timing of solar flare the headaches. There is simply too much · events is almost impossible to predict. The radiation.· astronauts on both missions would have been risking exposure to up to two seiverts of In 1958 the Explorer I satellite discovered the existence of two belts of radiation surrounding radiation - enough to severely damage internal organs and probably kill them within a couple the Earth, which were later named after American scientist James Van Alien. These of years. During July 1969, the time of the Apollo 11 charged particle belts block most of the deadly flight, there were a total of 489 solar flare radiation emanating from the sun. Without the emissions. Dancing between the raindrops Van Alien belts there would be no life on Earth, indeed. Yet NASA seems unwilling to address because any life that did appear would soon the question of the potentially lethal hazards of die from radiation poisoning. And so once you radiation in spaceflight, particularly since pass beyond the boundaries of the Van Alien neither the Apollo spacecraft nor their suits belts into proper space you are pretty much at
"There is certainly enough evidence here to cast serious doubt on whether the Moon landings actually took place."
were designed to aford them any protection against particulate radiation. As a MoD rAdiation expert later admitted: 'There are many umnswered questions about the effects of radiathn on the astronauts. I think there are inconsistencies in the public record that.need to be looked at. The public is blissfully unaware o' the risk factors and Russ!an rou(ette that must have gone .on."
If there are scientific questions to be answered about the Moon landings, there are also broader political questions. Why have the Russians never bee1 to the Moon, despite the fact that they were frst in to space and threw just as much money into the space project? Could it be that they realised the difficulties by 1963 and pretty much gave up on the idea? Why has no-one, Russian, American or otherwise, been back to the Moon since 1972? And isn't it a little co1venient that after a drop in television ratings tor the Apollo 12 Moon landing, the Apollo 13 mission was a little more exciting? NASA's triu111ph over adversity in this instance could almost have been a film script as Ron Howard and Tom Hanks proved with
the film of the same name. lt's important to remember that if the Moon landings were faked, it is quite possible that only a few people at NASA actually knew it was a sham. The vast majority of the workers might have truly believed they were sending a man to the Moon. They, like the rest of the world, desperately wanted to believe. As for those who did know the truth ... Well, if the programme you believed in, your family's income, your mortgage payments and your kids' college education depended on you telling a lie, would you really want to blurt out the truth? Or would you just keep quiet and hope no one noticed? Look at the photos carefully. Think about the undertaking Kennedy made on NASA'S behalf, and the space race that was in progress at the time. Now ask why the Russians never made it into space, and why the radiation question has never been adequately answered. There is certainly enough evidence here to cast serious doubt on whether the Moon landings actually took place. lt might just be that what arguably constitutes mankind's greatest achievement was only ever true in our minds.
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The problems with the pictures... This is one of the most famo us photographs ever taken. The ph6tographer, Neil Armstrong, can _be seen reflected in Aldrin 's v isor. The camera used to take thi s shot was a Hasselblad 500, quite simply the best camera ava ilable anywhere in the w orld at the time. lt is strapped to Armstrong's chest . And yet we can see the top of Aldrin's helmet and the top of his backpack. This is a physical Impossibility from a camera held at chest level as Armstrong's is. The shot is taken from slightly above and looking down on Aldrin, NOT from face-on, as indicated by the reflection. The Apollo mission took no flashes, so there is a single s ource of illumination for this photo: the sun, which is behind Aldrin and to his left. With no atmosphere on the Moon to d iffuse the light, there is o nly light and dark, no greys in between. We should not, therefore, be able to see anything of Aldrin's front, turned away from the light as he is. But we can see his spacesuit w ithout difficulty. By what means is he being illuminated? Similarly, the whole area, which is flat, o ught to be illuminated evenly. lt is not: rather it is as if he is standing in a pool of light that fades away at the edges of the picture. Witho ut artificial illumination this is impossible.. But then this circle of light d oes look suspiciously as if it comes f rom a spotlight.
Here w e see another shot of t he Lunar Modu le o n the surface of the Moon. Even more bizarrely, it appears the sun has also been caught in the to p left-hand corner of the image. In other words the camera is looking toward the sun. In t hat case the whole of the face of the Lunar Module ought to be in complete darkness. And yet, miraculously, all the detail is once again on display.
He re w e see Ald rin descending from the Lunar Module. Once again, notice the · amount of f ill-in light there is. The sun is behind the Lunar Module, which means that the side on which w e see Aldrin ougtit to be in almost total darkness. And yet w e can make out all so rts of d etail, not least t he Stars and Stripes flag. Something very strange is goio.g on here. Here is a shot of the Lunar Module's landing pod on the surface of the Moon. Superficially there is nothing w ro ng with shot until you consider the problem of the dust. Footage of the LM both landing and taking off show it throwing up huge amounts of dust . Where has lt all gone? Did the astronauts sweep it out wit h a dustpan and brush before taking the photo? Or was that just how it appeared when it was unloaded from a truck in the studio?
The rock on the bottom left of the picture has a 'C' embossed Into its side. There is a smaller 'C' on the ground j ust below its left-hand t ip. Such markings are used in the theatre w hen arranging the positioning of props, although what they are doing on the Moon Is anybody's g uess. Unsurprlslngly, you can no longer obtain this image from NASA ...
If y ou are beginning to wonder how-NASA managed all this elaborate trickery here is the answer. These shots are taken from a 1968 Frenc h Encyclopaedia of Space Travel and have· never been made available over here. They show the models of the lunar surface that were built for the simulators o n whic h the astronauts would train. Rails carried the cameras that would simulate the landing approac h of the Lunar Module. They look exactly the same as the shots that were broadcast ' live' fro m the Moon itself.
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18 FEATURED
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'CONCRETE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2000
Move on out? f last issue's sex survey showed anything, it is that there's not nearly enough sex geing on at UEA. And when there's not enough sex going on students are left with only one solace - alcohol. Anyone who has been to the Union bar on a weekend night will know that the facilities provided are woefully inadequate for our 9,000 undergraduates (Post-grads don't count as they have their own 'exclusive' bar). Queuing to get in if you arrive after 9pm has become a fact of life, and it's getting worse. The only conclusion seems to be that we have another bar, but where?
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ideally situated one at that: The ~ -~_,......,.., Chaplaincy. Now, I'm not lza::;;iiil!ilr=:==--.....:::::::..:....__;:::::l;ili~=::...;:,.=.___.J suggesting that we dispense ·
with it altogether - it's undoubtedly a very good thing that there is a place where students can go and enhance their spiritual well being. But with space at a premium, and given that a relatively small proportion of students use it, should it really be located in such a central position on campus, and in a spacious two floor building? After all, the meeting place for Islamic faiths is already ensconced in Suffolk Terrace, so why not move the Chaplaincy? Of course, this opinion is not shared by the Christian fraternity at UEA. As one Chaplaincy regula'r ~ commented, "I agree that we need another pub, but why sl}ould it be at the expense of the Chaplaincy? I think it's important to have it in the Square in full view and not
Student speak
hidden away in Norfolk or Suffolk Terrace." The Chaplaincy's role as a 'meeting place' for everyone of any religion or age is very important to the staff there, and constitutes their main.objection to relocation. For many foreign students, especially those from outside Europe, it is the only informal place to meet people away from alcohol and cigarette smoke, which they may not have experienced as much in their culture. Anyone can visit the Chaplaincy for a cup of tea and a chat, as well as to worship, and this service is important to a significant number -of students. But the fact is that most students want another bar, and it has to go somewhere. Maybe it's time to think about some fundamental reorganisation.
Elin Jones
We need another bar on campus, and the Chaplaincy building could be the Ideal venue "There is only one difference between a madman and me. I am not mad." Remark, 1956
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Straw poll This fortnight we estimate the proportion of students who think the Union's political processes work effectively.
height. How do I get in to it? lt is a difficult profession to start out in. One way is to do a Diploma in Funeral Directing, or altematively, if you show enthusiasm and skills, you can start as a Funeral Service Operator and work your way up. Does it pay well? With the average funeral costing £1,500 and business always
guaranteed, it is one of the better paid professions. 50 per cent of funeral directors own their own business, which guarantees a higher salary than wor1<ing for someone else. How do I f ind out more? The Funeral Director's Official Magazine and the Funeral Service Journal are available if you want more information. These list vacant jobs and information on relevant courses.
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The refugees should be allowed to stay for now, at least while the matter is being investigated. Everyone should be given the benefit of the doubt. Madeline Boyle HIS 2
If Britain is seen to tolerate hijacking then every Tom, Dick and Harry will want to live here. · Gemma O' Donnell EAS 1
Anything else I should know? You are expected to work with the living as well as the dead, and you have ta be prepared to come across some unpleasant circumstances. Having a knowledge of different religious beliefs is essential, and you have to be aware ' of what people want. You will get satisfaction out of this job and a lot of appreciation - providing the funeral goes well, that is!
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This is a complicated issue - if we send them back then they will be killed. However, if they are allowed to stay it will create a dangerous precedent. Owen Thomas SOC 3
They should be sent home. Britain does not want all refugees coming here and it would make it difficult to refuse others in the future. Llsa Gurr LLT 2
Career fear: Undertaker What does a funeral director do? Arranges funerals and caters for individual's wishes and beliefs. You will be expected to remove corpses from the scene of death, which can include building accidents, murders and just about everything else you could imagine. 11 may also involve wor1<ing . unsociable hours, and if you want to be a Pall Bearer you'll have to be between 5'8" and 6'0" in
I think that we should send them back we can't even afford to keep our own people. I do feel sorry for them, though. Hannah Reece HIS 3
Let them stay. No one deserves to die. Jonathon Todd 810 3
Wise words: Salvador Dali
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No one can blame people for trying to flee from Afghanistan's Taliban regime, but by allowing the hijackers and hostages to remain, is Jack Straw turning Britain Into the destination of choice for Afghan refugees living In Pakistan, and can Britain be seen to toleJate hijacking?
If £12.50 (what they paid to get on the plane) is the price of citizenship, surely this is tantamount to encouraging people to come to the illustrious county of Essex! Mark Smith SYS 1 l t seems UEA students have mixed feelings about what to do with the asylum seekers. Mr Straw has some mighty tough decisions on his hands...
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www.concrete.-onllne.co.uk
16, 2000
The UEA photo casebook Bethany and Juliana were on the pull. ..
Er. .. Get your pull, love - you've coated! Hang on, that's not right..:
Do I make you horny, baby? Do I? Ooh yeah! Yeah!
I bet you can't take him home tonight...
Oh, buggering hell - every bloody time ...
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What can Yoga do for you? Oebbi Marco assumed the position and found out. .. our consciousness is floating out of your body, high into the sky, and dancing with the clouds. A blankness appears in your mind as you look down at your body, which is sinking into the hard floor, and you are released from the stress and weight that it represents. Instead you look towards beautiful colours and shapes that you never knew existed. No, you haven't just taken an illegal substance you have just embarked on the ancient practice of Yo'ga. Not just for Buddhists and eccentrics, Yoga is fast becoming the trendiest pastime around, with many of the rich and famous - Richard Gere and Madonna for example - hooked on it. The technique was originally practised by people seeking greater knowledge of God and perfect self-knowledge, but now physical fitness experts are also singing its praises. Yoga is seen as a means of cleansing the body, reducing weight, toning up nerves and muscles, and generally improving health and prolonging life. In its modem incarnation, Yoga aims to release tension and retrain the body so that it becomes stronger, suppler and more toned.
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But as well as improving your physical condition, Yoga also deals with meditation, working directly on the mind to deepen awareness of the body, and exploring how the two connect. Yoga, it is said, boosts self-esteem and improves concentration and creativity, which could mean an end to all those unwritten essays: just one class and the
"lt relaxes me - although I did fall asleep and start snoring in one of my classes, which was very embarrassing." words will begin to flow . So these are the benefits you can reap from taking up Yoga: But what exactly is it? Basically, Yoga consists of postures and breathing exercises, which have names like The Cobra and Warrior 11 - but very rarely do the names appear to have anything to do with the actual position in which you are standing. Yoga is supposed to be one continual movement, with your breathing
remaining steady and your body flowing from one position to another. Rebecca Evans, (EAS 4) is a Yoga addict. "I try and go to a class at least once a week," she explains. "lt relaxes me and gives me a much needed time out, although I did fall asleep and start snoring in one of my classes, which was very embarrassing." James Oliver, Manager of the Buddhist centre, occasionally takes classes in Yoga, saying that after a workout he feels more physically alive and "zingy". He explains that Yoga works with your mind and body - "lt is not just mindless physical exercise" - and finds that it compliments his daily meditation better than a ses,sion in the gym. However, Yoga is something that needs to be worked on and built up; unless you fully commit to regular practice, you will not get the most out of it. Samantha Stanger (MTH 4) found her Yoga classes quite strange to start with : "You lose all understanding of where you are until the teacher wakes you up. it's really very powerful." Yoga, according to Sam, is not very energetic and thus is good for de-stressing. The Norwich Buddhist centre runs Yoga classes every week, daytime and evening. On Mondays and Tuesdays there are classes at 6pm, which students can attend for ÂŁ3. There's no need to book, just turn
up when you feel the need to tune your body, and chill out your mind.
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CONCRETE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUAR Y
16, 2000
Concrete Prize Crossword #02
Down
Across
I. Maker of a piece of equipment vital to jockeys (7) 2. Ho t tasti ng ye llow condiment (7) 3. Jump , spring (4) 4. Gave he lp to (5) 5. Liquid waste: po llutio n (8) 6. Beyo nd the range of the human car ( 10) 7 . Ophe lia"s brother (7) 8. Winn ers of the 1982 footba ll World C up (5) 13. He lped finan ciall y ( I0) 16. S nake-li ke water ani mal (3) 17. S uggesti ve joke , loaded comment (8) 19. Number of sons borne by Rh ea Sil via. o ne of who m fo unded Rom e (myth) (3) 2 1. Cancel (4,3) 22. Clarify; describe (7) 23. A gentleman wourd prefer o ne -...o..-.o.......;.-..o..-:.........,._..~..o_ _....__.__.._.._...,._ _. of these (6) 24. Famous German composer (4) 25 . Di ssuade (5) 27 . Determines inherited This issue there's a £10 book voucher from Waterstones characteri stics (4) up for grabs - ideal all those course book purchases. Fill
I. At the same time, concurrentl y ( 14) 9. Break up : demobi lize (7) 10. Most healthy. in. best shape (7) I I. Part of a tree : page fro m a book (4-) 12. Mili tary offi cer who ass i s t ~ superi o rs (8) 14. Forearm bo ne: measureme nt o f c ircl e (6 ) 15. To sanctio n or conlirm (7) 18. Grant Mitche ll 's relat io nship to Frank Bu tcher in Easrenders (7) 20. A regul ar shape with no s ides o r corners (6) 24. Acto r wh o replaces fi g ure of a film star. often in nude scenes (4,6) 26. Wo men ' s undergarment (4) 28. Inhabitant of town (7) 29. Lethal African virus (5) 30. To take sati sfaction in (5,7,2)
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March 21 - April 20 You are always questioning why things happen , but it should all become clear over the next week. Problems you have been trying to resolve will begin to sort themselves out. Money worries are starting to clear up too, so a smile will soon return to your face !
Taurus
Gemini
May 22 - June 21
Don't be too keen to go off travelling at the moment, you need to stay at home for a bit and spend some quality time with those around you . And you never know ... spending all that time at home might inspire you to do a bit of coursework as well. ..
Cancer
in your name and a contact number I e-mail address below, and put your comp leted grid in the competition box in the Hive before Wednesday, February 23.
June 22 - July 22
Our Cancerian friends are ce rtain ly feeling the joys of spring at the moment. Is it that new fitn ess regime or that happy go lucky lifestyle? Keep it up and you wil l secure your place as th e life and soul of the party.
Name: Contact:
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Last issue's lucky book voucher winner was Andy Hard.
J"'' 23 :
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Mmm . While listening to others has never been your forte , you should try and make the extra effort this fortnight. Try not to get yourself so worked up over the little things in life : your grand plan doesn't have to be worked out just yet you know!
Pub quiz: Fascists 1) Name the Austrian right·wing leader who has taken control of the new coalition government. 2) What army rank did Hitler achieve during the First World War? 3) How was Benito Mu~solini killed? 4) Which political party did Franco represent during the Spanish Civil War and onwards? 5) In wtiat year was the British Union of Fascists set up? 6) Which political party was Oswald Mosley banished from? 7) In which region in France was Le Pen based? 8) In which year did Hitler become Chancellor of Germany? , 9) Name the BNP councillor who was elected in Tower Hamlets in the 1990s_ 10) What is the symbol of fascism?
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Juggling life, university and personal commitments seems to be making you a bit more stressed than normal. Don't try and control everything - let your natural instincts tell you what to do .
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Libra
September 24 - October 23
If you 've been feeling a bit lonely recently then things cou ld be set for a change. Material possessions don't make up for personal relationships , you just need to have a bit more confidence in your own charms and you will be fine! IJ
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.. Love is in the air! If Valentine's day was a day to forget, then it's simple - forget it! Things are about to turn around , so don't let fate dictate the pace . Friends and family wi ll be central as you begin to work out what is most important to you .
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Feellike a change of direction? Well , we are only a month into the new millennium! The lack of energy you have suffered from probably just stems from boredom. Mix thin gs up a bit and you'll soon be back on form .
Lovestore
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.Chaos usually ....... rules your ..........life. ........and. .....th.is fortnight is no exception .
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April 21 - May 21
Don 't let your feelings be trampled pn - you know you want your voice to be heard, so there is no point complaining to the wrong people. Doing something drastic might actually improve things and at least you will know where you stand .
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Top Ten best selling books: supplied by Waterstones. 1. Management Accounting Pauline Weetman 2. Principles of Economics Gregory Mankiw 3. Western Philosophy John Cottingham 4. The Communist manifesto Karl Marx and F Engels 5. Political ideologies Andrew Heywood 6. Get me a murder a day! Kevin Will iams 7. Corporate finance Richard Brealey 8. Environmental science Timothy O'Riordan 9. Human Resources Randall Schuler 10. Hollywood cinema Rtcha rd Maltby
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A touchy situation cannot wait any longer to be resolved . Now is the time to get the communication going and be honest with people. lt may require delving into your past and resolving some unfinished business, but you will be better for it.
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The grass always seem s to be greener on th e other sid e, but would you really have it any other way? Wh ile wo rk needs to take more of a priority, you kn ow what is expected of you, and you can guarantee that everyone else will be entranced .
Pi sces
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February 20 - March 20
You seem to have cultivated an air of mystery th at has captivated a certain someone , whether you like it or not! But watch out - the new aura that surrounds you could mean that you become too popular for your own good .. . After all , how much mingling in the Hive can one person do?
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When Luke Turner visited the New Mexican town of Tohatchi he found a great deal of poverty. The experience made him look at America in a whole new light. .. f there's one thing you do a lot of in the American West it is driving. Endless miles ploughing along lnterstates through an arid landscape - 'countryside' would not be the right word - occasionally passing through a 'city' that consists of a Taco Bell, a garage, 10 churches and a few houses, all with the obligatory station wagon parked outside. A few summers ago I had the pleasure of spending nearly two weeks travelling through Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona as part of a holiday and 'mission' to Navajo Indian children in the tiny New Mexican town of Tohatchi. 1can hear all you seasoned independent travelling backpackers recoiling in horror as I say that the trip was taken with my parents; equally all the hardened cynics will groan when I write that the 'mission' was a holiday camp conducted by the Methodist church in Denver, Colorado. But in fact I learnt more on this trip than on any other independent travel jaunt conducted before or since. The day after arriving in America we made the long drive down into New Mexico where the mission was to take place. Upon reaching Tohatchi it became immediately clear that for the Navajo Indians the American Dream has become a cruel myth . The houses in which the people live are little better than shacks, more something you'd come
I
across in the shanty towns of Brazil than the supposedly prosperous United States. These people scrape a meagre living through raising sheep and goats, subsistence farming, and doing poorly paid menial work for businesses in the town of Gallup some 50 miles away. Throughout the area there is a general air of malaise and decay, and alcoholism is rife amongst the Navajo - a problem exacerbated by the fact that many Indian tribes have a scientifically proven genetic disposition to alcohol addiction. These first impressions were disconcerting, and were further reinforced once the mission work began. it soon became apparent that many of the kids attending the school we were running could hardly speak, let alone write, any English. Yet every day they would come along to the small
"The truth is that for many American citizens the American Dream has not been realised." wooden church to be taught and sung at by our group of 20 or so young people. They came, not because of any desire to be 'converted', but because there was nothing else for them to do. Many of the families couldn't even afford that !r. . .....---, staple of American culture, the television. lt seemed that the country had totally failed these children. They were destined to spend the rest of their lives in poverty, some of them probably never acquiring the basic skills of reading and writing that the developed world take for granted. And here we were, teaching them about the Christian religion that in many ways had caused the decline of American Indian civilisation, by undermining the tribal traditions, religions and superstitions that glued Navajo society together. The American tourists appeared perfectly happy to watch the Indians selling dream catchers, ponchos and pan pipe music; but their abject poverty was ignored. Perhaps they felt it was better to ignore than confront the truth that for many American citizens the American Dream has not been, and perhaps can never be, realised . When we finished the mission and resumed our travels it became increasingly difficult to stomach the ex1ravagance of many - white - American tourists out to see the sites of the West. We undertook a punishing 16 hour drive to
see the Grand Canyon as the sun set, one of the most beautiful sights anyone could hope to witness in their lifetime. The Canyon appears in a beautiful shade of red and orange as the setting sun casts its light upon the differently coloured strata that make up its walls. As the sun goes down the bottom of the canyon blacks out into a mysterious, dark shadow, and all is still and quiet. Still and quiet, that is, except for one family's motorised holiday home. This monstrous vehicle was luridly emblazoned with the Confederate flag , and every time it parked the horn would automatically play the tune of The Star Spangled Banner. The motor home was so big that it was towing a land cruiser behind it for more 'intimate' explorations. We had the misfortune of following this juggernaut around many of the sites in the area. Much as we tried to lose it, at every car park overlooking some of the most sublime scenery in the world, the peace would be shattered by its offensive horn and the chatter of the family as they disembarked to 'do' the latest scenic delight. lt does not take much to imagine what the native Indian workers thought when this massive symbol of American success, decorated with the hardly friendly Confederate emblem, thundered past. We managed to escape from the motor home on the way back to Denver at the end of the trip, a
"To the right was the mountain under which the American nuclear controls are housed." drive of some 700 miles. En route we stopped to visit Pike's Peak, a 14,110 ft mountain on the Eastern side of the Rockies. Pike's Peak has acquired an almost mystical allure for many Americans, partly because the truly abysmal poem America The Beautiful was inspired by a climb to its summit, and partly because it is so easy to get to the top. When, in the early nineteenth century, the explorer Lieutenant Pike first saw the mountain he asserted that no one would ever reach the top, so difficult was the climb encountered by his team of pioneers. Should he have seen it today, then Mr Pike would have been forced to sit down and eat his hat, perhaps in the concrete monstrosit}l of a
cafeteria that blights the summit. Getting to the top of Pike's Peak is as easy as driving down to the local shopping mall, or fast fpod joint. The eager tourist can either use the cog railway that laboriously grinds its way up the mountain, or - if they can't bear to leave the comfort of their vehicles - they can drive up the Pike's Peak Highway. The construction of both of these routes seems to have been nothing short of vandalism. The road cuts an ugly gash as it zigzags up the side of the mountain, while on the summit the thin mountain air is polluted with the exhaust fumes of hundreds of motor vehicles that fill up the enormous car park. But it is perhaps the inscription of Katherine Lee Bates' poem America the Beautiful on a whopping great slab at the summit that truly puts everything into perspective. As I read the first verse of the poem, repeated below, there seemed to be a great realisation of truth .
0 beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea! I read these lines, and looked out at the view. Ahead was the city of Colorado Springs, a grey blot dissected by dead straight roads, a cloud of exhaust fumes hanging in the air above it. To the right was the mountain under which the American nuclear watching and firing controls are housed, sinister aerials and dishes sprouting from the summit. Way south were the shacks of the Indians, the people who had seen their ancestral lands taken away for exploitation by American ranchers and oilmen. And closer to where I stood one could hear the grind of traffic coming up the mountain, see the plumes of dust trailing behind each vehicle, and smell the unmistakable perfume of burgers being fried in the mountain top restaurant. And somewhere, I could hear the familiar curse of that holiday vehicle and its constant refrain: And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave O'er theJand of the free and the home of the brave.
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A Regrettable Incident By Jim Whalley s calmly as possible, John considered the evidence, He was almost certainly lying down , because something with four legs was walking around on his stomach _ Hopefully it was his cat He wanted to open his eyes in order to make sure, bu t knew that if he did the pain would get worse _ lt seemed his eyes allowed in red-hot needles along with the light Now, well into the morning after, John couldn't remember eating three month old, rotting turnips , yet the taste in his mouth suggested otherwise, These facts - together with the undeniable scent of stale alcohol in the air - led him to conclude that the previous evening had been a drunken one and that, with regards to being sober, he was not out of the woods yet; far from it A very detailed and easy to follow map would be required for that Still squeezing his eyes shut with vice-like determination, John reached out and grabbed whatever was stamping on his abdomen _ Pleased to note it had fur, he tossed it aside and began preparing his densely fogged mind for the unpleasant sensation being vertical would no doubt induce, John was aware that the longer he thought about the movement, the less likely it was to happen, His only chance was to catch his mind off guard, He wondered if it was possible do anything without his brain's prior consent, then realised he had already sat up and proceeded to feel very ill indeed, Th e shock was so great that without thinking he opened his eyes_ Clearly someone had been waiting for just such an opportunity to skewer his pupils with daggers, Sharp stabs of pain surged back into his head , knocking him off-balance, John stuck out his arrvs to steady himself, accidentally thrusting one into the face of his wile, She too rose suddenly, pushing John out of bed and on to the floor. As he lay quietly on the carpet, desperately praying to slip into a coma, John was comforted by the hungover groans of his spouse_ At least he wasn 't suffering alone, For more than an hour, he tried to vanquish his foe with traditional techniques, Unfortunately his internal organs weren't receiving visitors, The coffee and beer he downed returned almost immediately, along with the usual mysterious bits of carrot Aspirin suffered the same fate _Sitting as sti ll as possible at the kitchen table, he could feel the recently consumed fried breakfast deciding it didn't like the view and preparing to leave _ lt was while watching his undigested bacon and egg being propelled out into the toilet bowl that John resolved that his only remaining weapon was fresh air_ Not really fresh air of course: the countryside was far too full of clear-headed , cheertul looking animals for John 's curre nt state of mind, What he needed was a place that was rslatively open, but at the same time full of people as miserable as he was_ He had a feeling it was Saturday, The truly pissed off would be in town _ Somehow John got dressed, Despite his bodily odour he decided not to attempt a shower, his coordination not yet at a level to work the dials, A liberal dose of post-clothing deodorant would have to substitute for hygiene today , Conventional methods of dental care also went out of the window_ His teeth were not so much brushed as smeared with toothpaste, Gazing into the mirror, John rea lised that all the energy he lacked had gone into making his normally lank hair stand perfectly on end, Feeling too fragile to do anything about it, he stumbled out to the car. it wasn 't until the motor was running that it occurred to him that if he didn 't feel able to operate a shower, then maybe driving should be avoided , He was beginning to feel defiant, however, and glanced in the rear view mirror with the idea of backing out of his drive, lt was then he noticed that th e left-hand back door was open, which was odd because he didn't remember opening it. Audibly
A
cursing the injustice of the world , John dragged himself out of the seat and hesitantly made his way around to the offending door. The journey wasn't easy, He suspected that moving traffic would be much harder to avoid than his own stationary vehicle: but his path was now set, town was his destination_ Defian tly he slammed the door shut, and sped off_ Other cars would simply have to get out of the way_ Wandering round the shops, John finally began to see a light at the end of the tunneL Sure, his tongue was still so furry it felt ready for hibernation , but his vision, if not his head, was clearing_ Parking had been far easier than he had expected, There had been only one space and three drivers competing for iL Luckily, once his rivals had noticed his bloodshot eyes and manic expression , they quickly decided to look elsewhere_ Now, safely ensconced in a pedestrianised area, the heavy duty healing could start_ First stop was HMV_ John knew from experience that the combination of over-zealous air conditioning and slowly flicking through the recent endeavours of sub-standard boy bands could quickly induce a trance-like state, Exactly what was required right now, For almost half an hour he entertained himself, methodically working through 'rock and pop' from A to Z, Then , halfway into Simply Red's back catalog ue, he felt the uneasy sensation of being stared aL Slowly he turn ed around , ca reful not to disturb his brain too much, Standing just behind him was a small boy,
around six yea rs old. The boy smiled angelically at John . John turned back to his COs; only now the atmosphere was shattered. For possibly the first and only time in his life, he found himself wanting to concentrate on Mick HucknaiL Instead, as he flicked, he was acutely aware that the boy was still staring. The pain in his head was coming back more intense then ever before , the result of trying to think about two things at once_ John looked at the boy agai n. The boy smiled. John grimaced, and headed briskly out of the store. At this point he didn't feel collected enough to enter into a battle of wills with anyone, especially not a six year old. There were other shops with equally calming ambiences_ Using the time honoured selection system of "Where requires the least physical exertion to get to?", John ended up in the bookshop across the street. He didn't know why he hadn't thought of it earlier - total silence, nice smell and, according to the latest government figures , absolutely no children. Even better it was one of those new American-style establishments, with deep, inviting settees seemingly provided to allow patrons the opportunity to read a book before buying it and therefore not actually spend any money. But John wasn 't interested in questionable customerrelations policies; the furniture commanded his undivided attention. After a great deal of consideration , he selected the couch best suited to his current needs and glared at the stu dent occ4pying jt until she wisely chose to sit
elsewhere. Triumphant, John lowered himself into the seat and prepared for meditation . He had really landed on his feet here - the staff looked introverted enough to leave him alone until closing time. Finally content, he gently shut his bloodshot eyes. The peace lasted about 15 seconds. Hard though he tried to ignore it, John was again aware that he was being stared at Whoever it was had chosen to stand extremely, uncomfortably, close. All John co uld think was that a manager had mistaken him for a tramp. He sat up, desperately preparing to plead his innocence, only to find himself face to face with the 6 year old. Again the boy smiled. John closed his eyes_ As he saw it there were two possibilities. Either the boy's parents had also gone from HMV to the bookshop by coincidence, or the boy had followed him. The easiest answer was to return to HMV . If the kid followed , John could then quietly leave him to it. If the kid stayed here, then he was no longer John's problem. The main thing was that John mustn't open his mouth: he didn't want to pay to have this carpet cleaned of bile. At first the plan worked pertectly. John went, and the boy followed. All he had to do now was get out of the store without his new companion seeing. Quickly, he made his way to the Disney section and carefully chose the most sickeningly cute video cover he could possibly find . Alter examining it intently for a few seconds, he passed it casua\\y to his diminutive friend and sauntered out on to the street, not looking back. lt took an eternity before he dared turn around, but as he did a cold chill ran down his spine. The boy was standing less than three feet away, still clu tching the video. John expected passers by to stare at him; the pounding in his head suddenly seemed so loud . He gasped for breath. This really couldn 't be happening and, despite himself, he began to feel a littl e scared . There was something about this boy that didn't seem quite right The way he just stood there, constantly smiling _John couldn't decide if there wasn 't also a touch of malice in the tiny face. He found himself transfixed by the boy's big , wide, blue eyes. They reminded him of someone. They reminded him of ... of ... himself. Now desperate to overcome his hangover, John fled , engulfed with fear. Only the faster he ran , the more his head hurt. White blotches of pure pain appeared in his vision , forcing him to slow to a demented canter. All he could think of was The Omen. This child, this demon , was after his souL As he lurched though the crowds he looked back. Damien was gaining , laughing with innocent glee at John's pathetic attempts to cheat eternal damnation . John wondered what he had done to deserve such a fate . Whatever had occurred the previous night must have been pretty wild . He found himself giggling maniacally. There was no point running. lt is impossible to outru n yourself, and that was what he had seen, his own eyes, mirrored in his pursuer. John sank to the ground, propping his back against a near-by waste bin . The child was soon upon him and clearly enjoying himself. Resigned to his fate , John had just one question. "Who are you?" he wheezed. For a second the boy looked puzzled, then answered. "it's me, Dad ," the boy child smiling down at him . "Oh yeah ," said John , vaguely remembe ring, "So, where do you want to go for lunch?"
Submissions tor 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. Please include a contact number or email address. All rights revert to the author upon publication, although subsequent publica tions should acknowledge prior ap!Jearance in Concrete.
14th - 18th February 2000
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No golitical sgin - No tabloid internretations Make un your own mind Report of the Elections Committee to Students' Forum Introduction
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The Returning Officer received a number of complaints in writing about alleged breaches of the Electoral Standing Orders in respect of the election for the post of Communications Officer held on 16 December 1999 within the deadline laid down in electoral standing order number 75. The Returning Officer also received a complaint in writing about alleged advance campaigning in respect of the referendum due to be held on Thursday 17 February 2000. The Elections Committee met on Friday 28 January 2000 to consider these complaints. Following previous practice, and in the absence of any specific standing orders for the handling of complaints by the Elections Committee, the committee agreed to follow the principles of the procedures laid down for the Complaints Committee namely that the proceedings of the committee should be strictly confidential and that no member of the committee should reveal the outcome of any votes.taken by the committee, nor express dissenting opinions to non-members of the committee. Prior to the consideration of the specific complaints the Returning Officer drew attention to the University's Code of Practice relating to student unions and electoral standing order number 2 in which he was required to sat· isfy the University that the elections were fair and prop· erly conducted. While he was confident that the committee would deal with the matters before them in a quasi· judicial manner were they not to be dealt with in such a .manner he would have no option but to infonn the Registrar and Secretary of the University.
voting paper." That electoral standing order number 43 contains an amended version of the electoral rules contained in the booklet "How to conduct an election by the single transferable vote". That following the statement "preferences will only be acceptable where numbers are used, all other methods of denoting apreference by the voter will be deemed to have spoilt the ballot paper" an additional statement has been added "except where such marks indicate a clear first preference, where such preference may be inferred by the Returning Officer". The Committee is therefore open to challenge whether it includes or excludes voting preferences expressed other than by a sequence of numbers starting with 1. 3. That the Returning Officer had experience of a challenge to an election result in another student union ·where the election was conducted under the rules outlined in the booklet "How to conduct an election by the single transferable vote" and where ticks and crosses had been counted as it was felt that they showed a clear preference for particular candidates standihg in that election.
Complaint 2 The Returning Officer had received a written complaint in respect of the breaches of the Electoral Orders
by the supporters of the "Re-Open Nominations campaign" during the election for the Communication Officer's post. Noted: That had "Re-Open Nominations" been an ordinary candidate in the election they would have been excluded for numerous and repetitive breach~s of the Electoral Standing Orders.
Recommendations
1. That the Electoral Standing Orders be re-written so as to remove anomalies and areas ot lack of clarity as soon as possible. 2. That until the new set of Electoral Standing Orders are approved electoral standing order number 74 shall be subservient to all other Electoral Standing Orders and the booklet "How to conduct an election by the single transferable vote" shall only be used to interpret the electoral rules where other rules fail to cover a matter adequately. 3. That if recommendation 2 is accepted the counting procedure adopted in the Communication Officer's election would be deemed to have been incorrect. That therefore there should be a recount adopting the alternative approach to preferences expressed by other than a numerical order. 4. That any papers containing writing outside the voting boxes shall be deemed to be invalid both for this election
Complaint 1 •
The Returning Officer had received two written complaints relating to the procedures adopted in the count for the Communication Officer's election in that ballot papers were treated as spoilt where a preference was not expressed numerically.
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Complaint 3 The Returning Officer had received a written complaint concerning a letter published in the Concrete newspaper urging support for the lifting of the Nestle ban which is to be the subject of a referendum on 17 February 2000. Noted: That the letter was submitted by Mr Alittle who had been appointed by the Executive Committee as Co-ordinator for the campaign for lifting the ban on Nestle products. That Mr little was known to be fully informed in respect of the Electoral Standing Orders and must have known that his action was in breach of them. That the Editor of the Concrete newspaper, which has published numerous articles referring to issues arising from the Electoral Standing Orders, must have knowR that by publishing this letter the newspaper was a!ding and abetting an individual to campaign in advan~e of the start of the campaigning period for the referendum in clear breach of the Electoral Standing Orders. That in addition the letter had not been shown to the Union's Sabbatical responsible for seeing all issues relating to the Union prior to their publication; in breach of the protocol under which the Concrete newspaper is given a high degree of independence.
Recommendations
The Committee noted that:-
1. The ballot paper clearly instructed members voting to use a numerical sequence beginning with a 1 as the means of expressing their preferences for the candidates. 2. That the Committee and the Returning Officer are given conflicting advi~e as to whether or not expressing a preference by another means is acceptable. That electoral standing order number 74 states that "this is an abridged version of the counting procedures. For the complete procedure the Returning Officer will refer to the booklet "How to conduct an election by the single transferable vote", published by the Electoral Reform Society of Great Britain. That in. section 6.8 of that book· let a first preference is clearly defined as "shown by the figure "1" standing alone aga.inst only one candidate on a
and future elections. 5. That in the event of CMoore still receiving the majori· ty of the votes cast he be confirmed as the Communications Officer. 6. That in the event of Re-Open Nominations receiving the majority of the votes cast the election be declared as not having been fairly and properly conducted as a result of the behaviour of the supporters of the Re-Open· Nominations campaign and that there be a re-vote for the post of Communications Officer in accordance with the procedures laid down in electoral standing order 10 (b). (this consists of all of the election stages which follow the closure of nominations).
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1. That the Students' Forum request the Executive Committee to appoint an alternative co-ordinator for the campaign to lift the ban on Nestle products. 2. To publicise at polling stations details of the infringement of the Electoral Standing Orders by the campaign to lift the ban on Nestle productS'. 3. That a reprimand be issued to the·Editor of Concrete for failing to follow the protocol under which the newspaper is published and for aiding and abetting an individual to breach the Electoral Standing Orders. 4. That publicity to these decisions be placed on the student web and that once a new co-ordinator for the campaign to lift the ban had been appointed by the Executive Committee extensive publicity be given to that appointment in ol')ler to ensure that the referendum produced a fair reflection of student views.
The recommendations in the report were adopted by Students' Forum on 1st February 2000
• CONCRETE
SPORT 27
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2000
•
BUSA RESULTS & FIXTURES BUSA KNOCKOUT RESULTS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9
BUSA KNOCKOUT RESULTS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2
Mens 2 Mens 3 Women
1-2 0-1 1-5
Mens 2 Womens 2
Portsmouth Reading RHUL
(a) (h) (h)
0-9 0-9
Southampton Bath
(a) (h)
0-6 0-4
Portsmouth Brunei
Womens 1
Mens
UCL
UEA 1
(a)
1-4
Reading
Women 1-0 1-5 2-0
Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens 2
WYE Portsmouth ICSM/St Barts
(h) (h) (h)
UEA 2
10-55
Bath
(h)
2-4
RHUL
(h)
Women
UCL
RUGBY Mens 3 Women
0-41 5-17
ICSM Chichester
(h) (h)
Mens 1 Mens 2 Women
2-3 2-3 0-5
Bath UCL Southampton
(a) (a) (h)
Men
6-11
32-5
LSE
(a)
0-6 v
UCL Kent
VOLLEYBALL
UEA
(h)
13.00
Imperial KCL
Surrey
V
Women Men
(a)
(h)
(a)
UCL Plymouth
V
V
(h)
16.00
(a)
SHIELD v
Oxford Brooks
walk over for UEA
2-4 2-1
Oxford Brooks St Barts
(a) (a)
HOCKEY Mens 1 Womans 1
Women
v
Oxford Brooks
walk over for UEA
PLATE FOOTBALL Mens 1
2-3
(a)
Coventry •
1
'
•
\
I
HOCKEY
11
'
c •
UEA 1 Old Buckenham 1 Norwich City 3 Beccles Evergreens 1 Sprowston 1 Dereham 3 Watton 2 Pelicans 2 Broadland 2
(a)
NV
(a)
v v v
Thorpe Hamlet Taverham Bowthorpe
(a) (h) (h)
v v v v v v
Gorleston Dereham 4 Watton Sprowston Yarmouth 2 Harriers
(a) (h) (a) (a) (h) (a)
V
Fakenham 1 Nch Union 1 Nch UNion 2
(a) (a) (a)
14.00 14.00
13.00
11.30
V
V
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20
Martin &Alcock Norfolk Women's League Division 1 p f a Pts w d
NETBALL
Telephones D
RUGBY Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3
BASKETBALL Women
20.30
HOCKEY Mens 1 Mens 2 Mens 3 Womens 1 Womens 2 Womens 3
VOLLEYBALL
3-1 3-1
V
Mens1 Mens 2 Mens 3
(a)
walk over for UEA
(a)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19
GOLF
Men Women
C'dale Wildcats
FOOTBALL
Women v Dundee (If beat UWE on Sunday, February 13)
TENNIS
V
Mens 2
BASKETBALL
South Bank
19.00
BADMINTON
(a)
CUP
TABLE TENNIS
(h)
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17
BUSA KNOCKOUT FIXTURES' WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16
SQUASH
Downham Mkt
V
UEA
(h)
Mens 2
v
TABLE TENNIS
RUGBY
24-55
19.40
BASKETBALL
PLATE
NETBALL
(h)
(a)
TENNIS
HOCKEY
Mid Norfolk
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16
NETBALL
1-26
v
SQUASH
(h) (h)
HOCKEY
FENCING UEA Men
Mixed
SHEILD
BADMINTON Men Women
BADMINTON
HOCKEY
FOOTBALL
Men Women
LOCAL LEAGUE FIXTURES TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15
CUP
CUP
LOCAL FIXTURES
13 13 13 12 12 11 13 12 13 12
9 9 8 6 4 5 4 3 2 1
3 2
2 3 5 2
1 2
1 2 3 3 3 4 8 7 10 10
33 33 28 22 30 22 15 16 15 6
5 8 15 8 20 17 30 28 46 42
30 29 26 21 17 17 13 11 7 4
AMERICAN FOOTBALL UEA
Herts
(h)
v
Knicks 1
(a)
v
East Anglia C
(a) 10.30 (but at UEA)
V
BASKETBALL Men
15.00
TENNIS UEAA
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• •
28 SPORT
www.concrete-onllne.co.uk
CONCRETE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY
16, 2000
• • Cig Chairman, Bob Coo1er Jp_taks to Nick Henegan about the Rressures of modern football
n football these days there are two types of Chairman. Firstly, there is the local kid made good who buys the local club with the dream of taking it to the top as fast as their bank balance will allow - money is no object. On the other hand, there is the shrewd businessman who recognises that the only road to success is a long one, and sacrifices immediate gratification for long term stability. Norwich City Chairman Bob
I
Cooper is the latter. "People think that being a Chairman is all about buying and selling players. "But, essentially, what a football club is is a business, and it same needs exactly the business skills that you need to run Sainsbury's. "The only difference is that the employees' wages and transfer fees are the dominant factor in the income of the club," says Mr Cooper. And if anyone knows about the
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difficulties of running a football club - and Sainsbury's for that matter - it is him. Having studied economics at
"You have to recognise that the manager is ~aid to run the team, and t~e last thing he wants is an interfering chairman." Manchester University, where he played for the football first 11 , and spent time on the board of
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the supermarket giant, Mr Cooper was invited to become Chairman of Norwich City by cookery supremo and major shareholder, Delia Smith. That was 14 months ago and over that time Mr Cooper has been working overtime to combat the club's debt, a debt that amounts to something like £7 million. Admittedly, every business in the world is in the red, but, as Mr Cooper recognises, a football club is different. "Managing a football club is a
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L.------------ ~----- - ·- ------ .J
very taxing business proposition because the cash basically flows out of the club. "I think the key issue is managing cash flow and being able to sustain yourself. Where we were last year and the year before was that the board had put more and more money into pushing for promotion and the finances couldn't sustain it." For clubs like City who, unlike Rovers or Blackburn Middlesbrough, don't have super rich benefactors with apparently bottomless pockets, money has to be generated by other means, particularly if the gate receipts only cover one half of the money required to run the playing side of the club. Explained Mr Cooper, "Here, we are working on the catering and conference activity, and Delia is working here pretty much full time to generate a business. We are opening a travel company in the next few months and we are going to use our database to try to sell more things to people." Speaking of selling, what about the recent sale of Canary golden boy, Darren Eadie, to Leicester City? "The truth of the situation was that Leicester approached us out of the blue. We had known for a while that Martin O'Neill liked Darren, but he had been out injured for quite a long time so it came as a surprise. "The amount they offered us was significant and bearing in mind his situation, we couldn't refuse. "Having spoken to Leicester he
obviously went for a substantial salary, got his chance to play in the Premier League and certainly enhanced his chances of playing for England. And of course, most significantly, he knew Martin O'Neil and they liked each other. So for him it was the perfect move." Indeed, it could be the perfect move for City, as the £3 million windfall is to be used, at least in part, to strengthen the squad. But who has the ultimate say in the buying of players, the Manager or the Chairman? "The process is as you would expect. Bruce recommends, but before he even goes and looks he knows what he has got to spend, so - if it works as it should - he would not recommend someone the club couldn't afford to buy." he behaviour of chairmen like Mohammed AI-Fayed who transplant themselves into the dressing room and act as pseudo managers has blurred the gap between board room and dressing room in recent years. So is Bob Cooper in there
T
careful about remembering its roots. I think Man United's fans gave the board an appropriate push by saying, 'Look, we are the ones that count, not deals with this, that and the other.'" And what of the future for Norwich City? "What is central to the future of this football club is the development of its academy," insists Mr Cooper. "From the Under Sixteens downwards, we have got an emerging group of very good players and we aim to produce three or four players a year who can get into the first team squad. "That way you have talent you know, personality and motivation - and they are affordable." Yet Mr Cooper recognises that youth alone is not the answer. "To me the sensible business way around it is to use Bosman to the full and grow your own. From time to time, you get some substantial funds from an Eadie sale but that's only from time to time. "If you want a model I suppose it would have to be Leeds, because their key players came through their youth development
"What we aim to do is to produce three or four players a year who can get info the first team squad." chucking tea cups with the best of them on a Saturday afternoon? "I am as keen as the next man to get involved on the football side, but after that you have got to recognise that the team manager is paid to run the team, and the last thing he wants is an interfering Chairman who thinks he knows who should play." On the future of football , Bob Cooper sees the gap between the Premiership and Nationwide Leagues continuing to widen, but is optimistic, as long as money doesn't do all the talking.· "lt won 't fundamentally change, it will still be what happens on the pitch that matters, it will still be the passion of the supporters. "I think it is a buoyant industry but it has to be
programme. And Manchester United. And how did Manchester United get where they are? lt was born out of their adversity. In the early Nineties they were in dire straights - they couldn't sign people so they trusted in their youth." The question is, when will City's adversity change to triumph? "Well , I would like to see it this year, I would like to see us get in the play-offs and make it all the way. "If we don't make it, it will be because there are better teams than us. We are just outside the play-offs and it is in our hands."
• CONCRETE W EDNESDAY, F EBRUARY
SPORT 29
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16, 2000
Quiet please Tiger Woods has called on " hard core" golf fans to " Get on to " rowdy supporters who disrupt the game. Following the fu rore over American supporters' behaviour in last year's Ryder Cup, Woods spoke about crowd behaviour and insisted that, " Real golf fans need to look out for the golf." Funn ily enough, Woods himself has been condemned for his own behaviour on the green thanks to his over the top reactions and enthusiastic celebrations. Ever heard the one about the pot and the kettle, Tiger?
·-"'
What's in a name?
Man City dash Canaries' hoRes of achieving_glay·off gosition CITY STAYS
" I'm gutted;' said new dad Darryl Aston after he decided to name his son after his favourite football club's star striker. Unfortunately for Dave, the child 's namesake, Marcus Stewart left his beloved Huddersfield Town for Ipswich two weeks after the baby was born.
Marry·me.com A website set up in honour of Brazilian superstar Juninho has been swamped with proposals of marriage. Ladies worldwide have been popping the questi on to the eligible bachelor - even more than they have been asking whether he will be staying at Middlesbrough. Said the flattered player, ''I'm proud of th e site but nobody expected th is response."
Throw the book at them
DIVISION ONE
P W D L GS Pt 12.Biackburn 13.Grimsby 14.Norwlch 15.S heff Utd 16.Tranmere
29 10 31 11 30 10 311 0 30 10
11 7 9 9 7
8 13 11 12 13
36 36 29 40 40
41 40 39 39 37
NORWICH CITY TOP SCORERS
!wan Roberts Dare! Russell
12 3
Whoever said cricket was the sport of gentlemen? Well, they 'd be turning in their grave if they heard about the Northern Premier League's decision to introduce a football style system for booking players. Players face a two match ban if they accumulate three 'bookings' from umpires. The move comes after an air ambulance had to be called last season to clear up after a brawl on the pitch .
CROP SHOP Cut & Blow Dry
Norwich attack on the wing
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By NICK HENEGAN & MARK EDWARDS
FOLLOWING THEIR comprehensive defeat by Charlton, City were looking to redeem themselves against Walsall on Saturday, February 5. Things started well for
orwich a~ top scorer I wan Roberts struck the bar after just four minutes.
And Rohcn~ was again at the heart of the action when City took the lead on I I minutes. T h is time the Welsh st ri ke r turned provider, crossing the ba ll from the right into the path of Chris Llewe llyn. \.\ ho slid in to score his third goal of the season.
Woodwork With 25 minutes gone City almost doubled their lead, but were denied hy the woodwork again as Dalglish struck the post after an tmpressi\e run lrom midfie ld. As the game progrc"ed \\'alsall looJ..eu in..:rca ... mgly uangcrous ~nu Cit) ·,reserve J..ceper. Robert Green. wa'> forced to make ,1 numher of \ tlal \a\·e ....
This prc"ure tnlu in the thirt)sixth mmutc \\ hen i\lichucl RtcJ..cth latched onto a dcfence-splttting pa" from former :'\orwich man. :V1arJ.. Rohins. and chtppcu tt O\Cr Green. Despite pushing fotward in the seCOIIU hall '\on\tch's SCOIIng
opportunities were few and far between. But it was Walsall keeper. James Walker, who deserved the credit for securing a point for the visitor> by making superh saves from Llewellyn and MacKa). After the match a uisappointcd Brucc Rioch 'aid. "We worked hard and we only got a draw out of a match we could and should have won." Another point looked on the cards as City trmelled to Maine Road to meet promotion hopefuls l\1anchester Cit) But Man Cit) ·, :vlark Kcnncdy lcn the Canaries' faithful '' ith little to cclc hratc on the wa) hnmc. \coring two latl' gn~th to 'teal the point from :'\om irh It w:.~> a parucularly hitter him\ for Bruce Rtoch. '' ho stg ncd Kcnncd) for i\1tlh,all ''hen he \\Cts .JUS! 16. Shaun Goatcr got thtngs oil Ill an exc:cptional 'tart i()r the \1 anchester
side. scoring hi' twenty-first goal of the sea,on when he latched onto a cross from Kenncdy in the second mi nu te. The Canaries fought their way back into the game and lwan Roberts equalised with an unstoppable header.
Initiative But as the away support began to hay for the linal whistle. Kcnnedy tooJ.. the initiatiYc , cruising pa'>t the Canaries defen ce to picJ.. up on a loose ball and fire home from the 12 yard line . :"--orwich's fate wa' scaled withtn a minute as Kennctl) shrugged oil Oar) I Sutch. a nu scored his 'ccond of the game. Rioc h c·nmmcntcd. '')' 111 dtsappotnt<'d tlwu~lt \\C deserved somc·thtng out "f the game. h\an Rnh. 'rh . h.ul <1 gn.·.J t chance to put lts 2-1 tn ftollt. t'ut then all nl a sudden we \\<'tc 2 I ,utd then "1-1 dm\ n ..
£tO c:ut & b Jow dry Is for walk-In clients only and the appointment clients are £1S.OO.
Tel. Crop Shop Norwich Ltd. 622062
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':30 SPORT
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Brave UEA soundly beaten ~Y. dominant UCL side
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. We are an equal opportunity employer.
U!ยงf:t.j!i UEA seconds 24-52 UCL I THE NETBALL Seconds were unable to cope with the pace of University College London as they crashed out of BUSA competition.
produced some of the best play of the match.
Barrier Unfortunately it was all too late and with four minutes to go UCL broke the 50 point barrier.
Of the 24-52 score line captain Debbie Smith said "We all wanted to play really well and did". "We have done really well to get where we are without coaching" she added.
The match, played on Wednesday, February 2, saw the Londoners dominate from the start, preventing a brave UEA ide ever taking the lead. Despite starting at a frenetic pace and their precise and scoring early goals, UEA found passing ensured that themselves five goals down after they went in to halfjust five minutes, and it was obvious time with the score 28that UCL were controlling the pace 12 in their favour. of the game. At the beginning of UCL's tremendou s speed in the third period UEA's attack appeared to disorientate Lina Hadsjerg was forced out of position UEA, and prompted them to give the ball away in important into the Centre role thanks to an injury to positions. the impressive Raines. The home side's These errors were ruthlessly shaky defence and punished by the visitors, who inconsistent handling led to an increasing managed to build a 5-161ead by the number of chances for end of the first quarter. UCL and thanks to As the second quarter got some expert shooting underway UEA began to look more they extended their lead olid, with Becky Raines expertly further. feeding the ball to Shelly Hinde and Going into the fourth Liz White in attack. quarter heads began to This translated into a series of drop as the score of 18goals that were greeted with 42 effectively sealed screams of delight from the large the game in the London and vocal crowd who had gathered side's favour. to support the home team. To their credit UEA never gave up, and in But UCL continued to dominate, the final stages L ..---:-....:...__:._.-_ _ _ _ _....:._ _ _ _......a,.O::::._ _-.:::_j!l
Punished
Dominated
By LUKE TURNER THE MEN'S Second XV ensured that the rugby club is Five minutes into the still represented in BUSA competition with a storming second half UEA extended their lead further when second victory over the London School of Economics. row Gareth Daniels showed UEA showed power, skill and aggression last Wednesday amazing strength to charge to run their opposition into the ground. through several LSE men and well worked attack. cross the line. The game started evenly with both teams trying to For the remainder of the Confidence find their rhythm. half the game was bogged down in midfield with both By now UEA's confidence After 10 minutes UEA got was sky high and they scored packs battling for the the first break as fly half Nick Tuss broke through the LSE ascendancy. a fourth after 55 minutes when line and ran home a try. But neither side was able to Andy Burnett broke from the make a breakthrough until the back of the scrum and forced Potential final moments of the half the ball over for a try. The final try for UEA and the But their lead did not last when UEA's Stuart Wright for long, as the capital side burst through the middle to death blow for LSE came 10 score a try which was duly minutes later and was the best showed just how much of a threat they posed, leaving converted to take the score to of the lot. 12-5 at half time. UEA standing to score with a Tuss lofted a teasing kick
down the left wing, where it was picked up by Andrew Wright. Wright exchanged passes with winger, Eric McNicholl who put the ball down in the corner unopposed. successful The conversion from the corner took the score to 29-5 and in the dying minutes a Tuss penalty completed the scoring. Delighted captain Andrew Wright said "lt was a fantastic performance by the whole team, but the forwards played particularly well." " We were worthy winners," he added jubilantly.
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Concrete Wednesday, February 16, 2000
The game opened w ith both teams ev id e ntl y evenl y ma tc hed , a lt houg h 111 the early stages Nott ing ha m 's no hud d le offe nce caused UEA a few problems. Pl ay quickly 'ettl ed in to a patte rn of punts 1\ hich preven ted e ither team from gett ing on to the score sheet in the lirst half.
Deadlock And the >.econd half initial ly seemed to be going the same way as both 'ides struggkd in vain to brea~ the dead lock. If a nyt h ing Nott ingham seemed to he in the ascendancy. hu t UEAs defence. marshalled by Kyle S11anson and l:.d Brown. he ld linn. , At the other e nd the Outlaw;-' defence were ca usin g the EA offen ce. particular!) quartcrbac~ Tra1 i' L' hlcnhopp. a ll kind' of problems. The game sudtknl~ huN illlo lik
after some tine ru nning from the UE/\ back li c ld that left space for Quane r Back Uhl e nhopp to throw the pe rfec t pass to receiver S hari Sha haba ldine. who caught the hall in the e nd zone fo r the fi rst sco re of the day. Running back Steve S m ul ow it t. ran in for the two poi nt conversion. givi ng EA a 8-0 lead. But the lead didn 't last long as ottingham dro1e stra igh t hac~ down the fie ld. scoring with a great run. T hey completed the conversion and the game was tied at eight all. As the two minu te warni ng sounded. UEA were on ottingham·s l5 yard line. facing a tricky third and ll. hut Srmrl o11 it1 broke the run before being forced out of hounds. 11 here a late hit ~ept 1he dri\e going. Th is a ll owed Tra1 i' to find Shari 1\ ho too~ the ball to the three ) artl
line before run ning the ball in hi mse lf for the Pirates ' second touchdown. S m ulowitt. again scored the conver.,ion and the scene wa>. set for a close li ni sh. ottingha,m too~ the J..ick off and had bee n brought to a stn ndst ill before UEA were pe nalised for time wasting . In the confusion oningham too~ the ball and dr01e down to the UEA six yard line . with hdp from a pass interference call against ~rm is.
Desperate From the nc\t play Noningham found their other rccci1er a nd he scored despite a desperate tackle h) corncrbad Rob Kcrr. In a de sperate finish l!Ei\'s defence hloc~cd the t\Hl pmnt attempt before lin cman Ja11 R:rthorc caught the on side J..rc~ to end the game J(l . J-l in the Prratc' f•11nur.
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m.!gap Men's seconds o-6 Portsmouth I THE MEN'S Seconds crashed out of the BUSA competition last Wednesday after being completely outplayed by a superior Portsmouth side. Things started brightly for UEA after an incisive move down the right resulted in a short corner in the first minute. Unfortunately they could not take advantage of this early opponunity and shot wide. The advantage, however, soon evaporated as the south coast side sprung into life. After piling pressure on the UEA goal, Ponsmouth were rewarded with a fifth minute shon corner and took the lead after a well worked routine bamboozled the defence. Despite the fact that they managed to string a series of impressive passing moves together, the visitors' tight defence prevented UEA from attempting anything but speculative shots. Midway through the frrst half Ponsmouth stunned UEA with two goals in as many minutes as their passing carved open the back line.
Confidence From then on the game was a struggle as Portsmouth's attacking confidence grew, forcing UEA to sit very deep and stopping them from moun!ing any attacks of their own. Things got worse in the second half as the visitors extended their lead after only two minutes. Having won a shon corner the ball was pounded goalwards in another exceptional manoeuvre, but the UEA keeper was equal to it, ,
pulling off a "fantastic save. But Portsmouth were not to be denied, and the save resulted in another corner, which duly led to the fourth Portsmouth goal. From then on UEA were playing for pride as Poftsmouth kept powering forward .
. Crunching But the defence came into their own with Dave Mayhead in particular making crunching tackles at vital moments. With only five minutes to go Ponsmouth made it five and compounded UEA's misery as they were again caught out by a shon corner routine. A minute later the rout was completed when Portsmouth scored their sixth of the match. With only seconds remaining UEA had the chance to get themselves on the score sheet as Neil Sheredon lifted the ball over the bead of the Portsmouth defence into the path of Andy Burnett, but his attempts to go round the keeper were thwarted. "Everyone played really well and put in I 00 per cent effon but we were beaten by a side with better stick skills" lamented captain, Tom Bell.
Inside: Trojans try to conquer Scotland - page 31 ... Rugby team progress in BUSAs - page 30 ... Canaries' Chairman speaks out - page 28 ... Scorecard - page 27