Concrete issue 128 03 10 2001

High On The Hunny Plus;

Issue 128 · Wednesday, October 3, 2001

First v.ea rs

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STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR

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en two dav.s notice to leave guest suite

BEN CANNON

ANGRY Freshers were given just two days to find new accommodation - after UEA bosses threw them out of the Nelson Court guest suite.

The first years were housed in the suite after arriving at the beginning of term to find they didn't have a room.

However, last week University bosses broke a contract signed by the students, which meant they could stay there for 14 days by ordering them to leave and move into either a shared roor.1 or stay with a member of staff.

And the students were warned that if they didn't accept the places, they would be evicted from the guest suite and put to the bottom of the housing list which would leave them homeless.

Outraged The residents are outraged at the move, which comes in the light of revelations that an email was circulated amongst UEA staff asking them to house those who haven't been allocated rooms on campus. "it's disgraceful. I had to wait almost two hours to get my key when I first arrived on Wednesday, I felt that I was treated like a child. All this hassle has made it hard for me to think about my academic work now," said CHE student, Sarah Lehayns

Patronising And Roisin McReynolds agrees - and claims she was treated badly by University staff.

"We have been dealt with in a rude and patronising way by the accommodation staff, we're supposed to be adults now at university but we've been treated like children," said the first-year SOC student.

Union Welfare Officer, Polly Evans stepped up the battle to

•.

find suitable housing for the students by giving them a furthe r five days to move out and offered them help transporting thei r belongings.

Confusion And she understands why the students were so angry with accommodation staff.

"The accommodation office can 't expect understanding from the students unless an explanation is made. I'm keen for the university to take stock that students welfare has suffered as a result of recruitment pressures," said Polly.

Despite the fact that UEA has expe rienced accommodation problems in the past , the University claim that the problem is due to A-level results being published so late. "lt would seem that the unpredictability of A-level results and the clearing system, and the short time between results coming out and the start of term, cause much of the confusion.

This year, the situation has been complicated by UEA having had a bumper recruitment year," said University spokesperson , Annie Ogden .

Struggling But the crisis is not exclusive to UEA. Universities around the country are struggling to cope with the increased intake. There have been reports of students around the country sleeping in old pubs and dinif)g rooms miles away from their universities.

...

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Pictured above: Kart Ryan and Becky Warner, JUSt two of the freshers who have been affected by the housing shortage

NUS ISSUE EXTREMIST WARNING UNION officers have downplayed fears of a militant Islamic extremist gang visiting UEA despite the group lashing out at other universities.

The National Union of Student' issued a warning la'>t week after

they were alerted to the racist AIMuhajroun gang, who targeted Freshers' Fairs at universities across the country, writes Briony Thompson.

The group also attempted to recruit students by distributing racist and homophobic leaflets at institut1ons in Manchester,

Bradford and Sheffield - wh ich supported the recent terrorist attacks in America.

The AI-Muhajroun was banned from the US Annual Conference earlier this year and the nion has encouraged Students' nions to adopt the ~ame approach.

But Union Communications

Officer, Emma Reynolds claims that UEA is not going to be targeted by the organisation .

'Thi s warning is primarily aimed at universities where there has previously been trouble of thi; kind. There is a Mus lim population in Norwich but there is little history of confl icts con tinued page 2

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· INSIDE: STALKING ·EXPOSE PAGES ~.~:~·_;·

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2NEWS

www.concrete-on Ii ne.co . uk

CONTENTS NEWS 1

UEA accomodation a shambles NUS issue warning after US terror

2

Residences go online NUS warning wontinued

3 5

Local clubs attack Union

6 8

UEA publishers win lottery grant Yet another new bar opens in Norwich University job selection procedures criticised after tribunal.

Safety warning issued during major building works Nestle products found in Freshers' packs Gas leaks in Norfolk Terrace

FEATURES 10

FOCUS: A UEA student talks to Concrete about her horrific ordeal at the hands of a persistent stalker.

12

LIFESTYLE: First love and the trials of long distance relationships The joys of sex Indian style. We investigate the ins and outs of the Kama sutra.

My First Tim,e - the ginger rugby player.

Your problems answered.

14

TRAVEL: In the wake of the US terror attacks plane safety has been called in to question. Just how sate is air travel? Plus a 60 second look at Berlin .

15

REPORT: The end of tax-free betting saw two Concrete journalists take to the bookies and lose accordingly.

16

LOOK: Fashion makeover.

Chimney sweep chic in The Equation This season's rustic look comes under fire in Fashion Faux-Pas. Win men's and women's Storm watches.

18 19

COFFEE BREAK

22

23 24

REBECCA LAWRENCE

UNIVERSITY residences have finally been furnished with phone and internet connections - after years of waiting.

2000 bedrooms now have the equipment, which allows students to go online and have their own telephone - and University bosses promise that the outstanding rooms will be kilted out by Christmas.

The plans were scheduled to be finished two years ago - at the beginning of the 1999-2000 aca-

demic year.

But the work was never completed due to the company working on the project going into liquidation.

Appropriate Pro-Vice Chancellor, David Baker, who is in charge of the project, argued that the two year delay was due to not being able to come up with an appropriate business plan.

"A company installing a network has no guarantee of an income, as students can chose

whether to subscribe or not," said Mr baker.

"Now that the university has provided the infrastructure, it is significantly cheaper. The project is a very large scale job but we are on track."

Choice And he explains that students can choose any company they want to supply their telephone services.

"Given that there is now an infrastructure there is no need attract a company as the wire up

has already been completed.

Students can choose their own supplier but the BT line has lower call charges. Once students have subscribed to BT there are no connection fees," he added.

Popular The data line, providing the same service as the 24 hour IT suite, has proved more popular with students than the telephone con nections - and Mr Baker claims that is due to 80% of UEA students having their own mobile phones.

LETIERS TO THE EDITOR

SPORT 21

Uni internet connection finally comP.Ieted

UEA Hockey club celebrate the life of meningitis victim Mike Covell Stunning success for UEA boat club Studs Up: Concrete takes a sideways glance at the world of football.

Roger Black talks motivation Norwich City fail away but UEA win 9-0 Top squash stars score in Sportspark Netball stars have promotion attempt rejected, while UEA sailing club register an impressive start to the year.

Your prize quick crossword.

NUSWARNING continued from page I compared to places like Manche>ter." said Emma.

And Union Finance Officer Jon Cox agrees - dismissing the need for UEA to be concerned about the group.

"Norwich i> too much of a white town and I don't think there will be any problems here. We will deal with it when it happens and we have not increa,ed !,ecurity measures a'> some universities ha\'e," said Jan. But the Union urge; <,tudent<; to come forward if they fall victim to any racial experiences on campU!,.

"According to our equal opportunity policies. if students do feel threatened in any way we would take immediate action and remove the offenders. hut for the time being. the Union is taking no preparations for what would be a highly controversial. even dangerous visit.'' added Jon. And the NUS stressed that the group路<; behaviour w i 11 not be allowed at any British universities.

"Al-Muhajroun insight hatred and NUS will not tolerate extremist views and the intimidation of students:路 said NUS vice-president. Brooks Duke.

JOIN THE COUNCIL STUDENTS are being invited to have their say in the running of the Union by joining their council.

Union officers are appealing for members to join the group, whi c h was formerly know as students' forum.

Pictured above: Finance Officer, Jon Cox

Every club and society have the chance to have their own delegate and individual tudents are needed too.

For more infonnation. you can email the Union's Academic Officer. James Harri;on on academ ic@stu.uea.ac.uk.

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Concrete

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER

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www.concrete-online.co.uk

3, 2001

NEWS3

Union attacked by local club manager over Freshers' week ban KATIE HIND News Editor

ANGRY city nightspot managers have attacked the Students' Union for denying them the chance to advertise their facilities on campus.

Liquid boss, Pablo Dimoglou and Jason Bertie, manager of the Prince of Wales pub have accused Union staff of not giving students the chance to explore the Norwich nightlife after they were refused a stall at this year's Freshers' Fair.

Mr Dimoglou, who has been running the popular club since it opened three years ago, claims that the Union are trying to discourage students from leaving the university because they want to make a bigger profit.

Money "Three years ago when we first opened, the Students Union were happy to let us have a stall at Freshers' Fair, but when we launched our student night on Tuesdays it was so massive that people left the bar early. This was a cause of concern to the Union because they realised they were losing money."

"The next year we were prevented from having a stall along with other clubs in town. I was tord that it would deprive the Students' Union of money as it is effectively a business," said Mr Dimoglou.

"I then pointed out to them that the Students' Union is a national body with the prime objective of looking after students' interests."

Instead, Mr Dimoglou claims the Union are being unfair to students.

"The Students' Union is patronising the students by trying to prevent them from knowing what is going on off campus. They are insulting 路 students intelligence and independence."

Prevented This year, the club was prevented from advertising to students in Union House again and were told to leave university premises while handing out leaflets outside the building.

"We attended again this year to give out flyers, but the security asked our promotional staff to leave. lt is so frustrating because we were given 15,000 bottles of free stock, 8000 shots of Bacardi and 15,000 pints of Heineken to give out at Freshers" Fair, but as we were prevented from doing this, the only people who are losing out are the students," he added.

Prince of Wales Manager, Jason Bertie, has also hit out at the Union - claiming that they are frightened of their competitors. "it's selfish, I know they have their own bar but there are 10,000 students and they can't have them all in at the same time. They are scared of a bit of competition."

"I would understand if I was going to take all their custom, but there is more than enough to go round and it will benefit the students in the end. Students are great, they have never caused me any trouble," said Mr Bertie.

Ban But Union Communications Officer, Emma Reynolds defended the decision to ban competing pubs and clubs from the Freshers' Fair.

And she also pointed out that if the situation were the other way round Mr Dimoglou would not allow Union staff to advertise their services on his premises.

"There are genuine reasons for us doing this which we hope students can understand are suitably logical. Owners of clubs and pubs in the city would not go and stand in the middle of the dancefloor of another club or pub and promote their venue. lt is simply not ethical or fair competition."

"Any promoters have the right to promote on parts of campus which are not private property.

Union House is private property and therefore we can ask them to leave," said Emma.

And she claims that Liquid were forbidden from having a stall at the Fair because Mr Dimoglou broke a verbal agreement with the Union.

"We did have an agreement with the . Liquid manager about promotion in Union House which he has consistently broken, therefore, he was not welcome at Freshers' Fair. But I don't think students were disadvantaged because of this. We make money for the students."

Familiar But Emma also believes that students are familiar with the city's night-life through other forms of advertising.

"Students are made aware of the clubs through adverts in Concrete, the Students' Union Handbook and other promotions that take place outside Union House, which is the University's business, not ours," she added.

Above left: Liquid manager, Pablo Dimoglou. Above right: Comms oHicer, Emma Reynolds. Below left: Liquid.

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. Concrete

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER

NEWS

www.concrete-online.co.uk

3, 2001

5

JO ROBERTS

A CAMPUS publishing company has scooped a massive grant - which will allow them to carry on trading for another three years.

Talent Pen&inc started in 1997 as a student enterprise, and last month it was announced that they had won 拢75,000 award from the Regional Arts Lottery Programme.

The EAS路based publishing house, which produces a literary magazine called Pretext and an annual poetry anthology, Reactions, was set up in order to create an opportunity to promote

Above: UEA lecturer and novelist, Julia Bell

NEW CITY BAR Norwich has seen yet another addition to city nightlife with the recent launch of trendy wine bar Orgasmic.

The bar, the first of its kind in the country, is situated in the heart of Tombland on Queen 's Stree t,

writes Jeremy Quarrie. lt's opening, which has already

attracted celebrity guests such as Hannah from S Club 7, is just the latest in a string of bars hoping to appea l to the stude nt market in Norwich. In the past two months alone three bars have opened in and around the ci ty centre.

Sarah Roberts, the manager of Orgasmic, is sure that the bar will appeal to students, stressing that it is nothing like the bars in the Riverside compl ex.

New " lt 's nothin g at all like Wetherspoons and Brann igans;路 said Ms Roberts.

"We are a brand new company and th is is the fi rst of many Orgasmic bars that we plan to open. lt 's very conte mpo rary and conducive to eating or drinking and I hope that it will appeal to student ," she added.

Above: The front of Orgasmic

talented writers at the University and in the Norwich region .

Delight UEA lecturer, Julia Bell , who set up Pen&inc with designer Julian Jackson four years ago, is delighted after winning the grant.

"I am very pleased as I was not confident that we would get it.

There is not enough money to go round to everyone who wants it," said Ms Bell .

"We had to wait a very long time before we heard whether we had the money, I worked on the application since last October and didn't submit the application until May," she added .

And the novelist believes that without the money, Pen&inc wouldn't have been able to sur-

vive.

"If we hadn't got the funding we wouldn't be able to carry on, it is so important that small publishing presses have funding ."

International And Ms Bell, whose first novel , Massive is set to be published next year, wants Pen&inc to reach wider audiences in the future.

"I hope that we can publish other books apart from Pretext in the future, as well as gain an international audience reading our books," she added.

Pen&inc's fourth edition of Pretext will be available at the end of the month, and is priced at

拢7.99.

GNEWS

www.concrete-on Ii ne.co. uk

Concrete W EDN ESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2001

Tribunal discovers sex discrimination at UniversiW_

--mew-

KATIE HIND News Editor

EMPLOYMENT selection procedures at the University have come under fire after it was taken to court by an unsuccessful job applicant.

Anthony Woods, from Taverham near Norwich , claimed UEA library recruitment staff d idn 't employ him because he is male .

While he lost his appeal , U niversity bosses have still been heavily criticised.

Mr Woods insists that he was treated unfairly after applying for the post as a part-time shelving assistant tw1ce - and not making the shortlist either time.

"I made some casual enquiries at the UEA and learned that th e team is allfemale, and it was regarded as a female domain ."

Unsuitable

Above: UEA library where Anthony Woods was re fused a job.

"The last time a man successfully applied for one of these jobs was in 1987. it's perceived by the employer that the hours of work makes the job

suitable for female candidates only," said Mr Woods.

Dismay "Such was my dismay at not being shortlisted that I made some inquiries. I went to the library and someone referred to the shelving team as 'the ladies' ," he added .

The tribunal heard how 15 men and 30 women applied for the posi tion in earlier this year.

Just one man out of eight applicants was shortlisted and a female was eventually appointed.

But despite Mr Woods losing

his case, the tribunal chairman Christopher Ash attacked the University's personnel department and urged them to recon sider the way th ey operate.

"We are very unhappy with some of their procedures. The UEA may wish to study the correspondence in this case in a little more detail and ask itself whether matters may have been handled a little differently," said Mr Ash .

"However, Mr Woods' claim must be dismissed as there was no evidence of sex discrimination," he added .

Petty But UEA Director of Personnel , Richard Beck , defended his department's decision not to recruit Mr Woods - accusing him of being petty.

"The candidates were judged against specific criteria. Sex was not a factor in the selection process. I think the Jribunal needs to consider how much of this case was not ill-conceived, but frivolous . This seems to be a of the serious waste University's resources ;· said Mr Beck.

BICYCLE SECURITY IMPROVED BIKE safety on campus has been stepped up following the arrival of new, state-of-the-art cycle lockers.

Uni bosses urge students to be on guard during building works KATIE HIND News Editor

Th e Bih.cLi(b , whi ch ha\ C been ~ upplicd 10 the Universit y for free in exchange for the ri ght 10 di, play adYcni ; ing. arc at UEi\ for a :.ix month trial.

Each one can hold two hike' and four cyc lists arc currentl y u' ing them.

Other moves 10 cut bih.c thdh include a locked room under th e Ath bui lding walkway and a ne\\ cy cle park at Founder' Green.

UNION lAUNCH FEEDBACK CARDS THE Union are encouragin g their students to have their say by launching new feedback cards .

Stude tll'> ca n write their \ iC\\' good or had on the cotnm etll ' heel ' \\ hich \\i ll be ;1\ailahlc in all U ni on outlet,. including th e Ul-0 and the Hi\ c .

There will he collection hll\c' 111 the bar and Uninn Hnu'e 1eccpl ton .

UEA bosses have warned students to be careful when moving around campus as work continues on the un iversity 's prestigious new buildings.

Above: The new Med1cine school due to open next year. below· the Institute for Connect1ve EnVIronmental research.

The beg inning of the con struction of the new School of M edicine Jaq Jul y marh.cd th e start of a major progrnmmc al LJ EA. IITi /n Klll il' H ind.

And lat er thi s month wo r~ will hcgin on refu rbishing the School of Chemistr) and at the end of th e )Car construction \\i ll start on an C\tcn\1011 of the El'\ V build111g.

Bu t 1\ ith most of the""'"' tak· ing place on Chancellor·, Dri \ c an incrc:a...,c in \l' hil·J....·, th ing li1L' road j..., i11L'\ ilahk

Alert Hut

the

Uni\ers il) Esta tes Director. Jose ph Saundcrs. IHI\ pu t all ccunpus users on alert after \\Orrie' that increasIng amounh of tranic could cause I k\ clopmcnt

acc ident> - and he i; urging every· one to be aware of ; afct) issues around UEA. ··As th e dc\ clopm cll! programme continu es. it is imporlanl that everyone is aware of health and safely issu es around campu>.

Car dri,ers. cy clists and pedestri ans sl10uld take care around entrances to co nstruction sites where ' chides will be 1110\ ing in and out regul arl y:· said Mr Saunder,.

Worthwhile But he claims that th e di>turhanccs " il l be \\O rtlm hilc " hen the new building' arc opened. ··,\!though \\e wil l do out hest to min imise di .,rupt ion. the dust and ex tra tranic generated b) such a hig programnH: of \\orh.-. arc

bound to impac t on th e day to da) li\cs of l 1b \ studenh and \tall ... ·· we " ill ha\c some cxcd lent ne\\ buildings at the end ol thi s. hut mcall\\ hi le "c do apologise for the incon,cniencc that is ca used."" he added.

ALL CHANGE FOR TRAFFIC THE CONSTRUCTION of UEA's new buildings have led to a new traffic management plan across the university.

Pedestrians who enter campus along University Drive will temporarily be diverted to a foot and cycle path behind the Earlham Park hedge from October 15 to allow for a holding area for construction traftic.

Drivers and cyclists should also he alert and follow signs.

And buses, which had been temporarily stopped from driving along Chancellor's Drive, are back to using their normal routes by now.

d Tuesd

v

lrom £1.5 '

a

NEWS

www. concrete-onIine. co. uk

, Banned brand found in Freshers' gacks

T he bags, w h ich were distributed to all first yea rs inclu ded a pasta snack pot , manu factured by the boycotted company.

And at the Fresh e rs ' Fair, students across the University were handed a pack by The Times, containing a tube of Polos - which are also a Nestle prod uct.

Referendum After a refere ndum in 1993, UEA studen ts voted not to sell Nestle goods in any union o utlets after it was discovered they market the making of baby milk in the th ird world .

And earlie r thi s year, stude nts were so angry at the new Sportspark 's d ec isi on no t to abandon the label that th ey held a voca l protest o utsid e the building when Princess Anne came to officially open it.

And now, first yea rs , w ho received the food when they a rrived, are disappoin ted in th e lapse of policy. "it's ou trageous, it ree ks of do uble standards," said BIO stu dent, Andrew Kitchener.

And Jon Ward , a first year EA S student, agrees. "lt un dermines the wh ole poli cy," he said.

Ashamed Forme r Union Environmental Officer Casey Ryan is a lso ashamed of the oversight and claims the NUS should have known better. "it's stupid, one hand doesn't know what th e other is do ing . But the Union shou ld have realised, it is more of a reflection on the NUS though , who should have known better."

"There has been a Nestle boyc o tt for yea rs now a nd th e freshers should have been made aware of what is Nestle a nd what is not," said Casey.

And he urges the Union to campaign more thi s year to e nsure that everyone is 路made aware of the ban .

"I hope they do a good jo b in campaigning this year to make up for it, but it does show that the NUS are not that useful a nymore, not like they used to be ," he add ed.

LIZ HUTCHINSON

NORFOLK Terrace residents were left worried last week after a gas leak was discovered just outside their living quarters_ Th e leak age, w hi ch was thought to have bee n a res ult o f wo r k . wa s recent buildin g reported to the U ni ver sit y's Esta tes departm ent - but th ey refuse d to evac uate th e re sidences.

Not serious D espite the area be tw een blocks C and D bei ng cordo ned off immed iately, student s li vin g in the ziggurats arc not at ri sk .

"There was a gas lea k on the nower bed outside bl ock C. but we deci ded it was not seri ous enough to evacuate the bu i ldin g and th e stud ents were not in danger." said l'vl art yn New ton. th e uni vers it )' '

Regret Uni o n Communi cation s Offi cer, Emma Reyno lds, regrets th e move but de ni es it was the U nion's faul t - instead she bla med th e NU S for th e blunder.

"We are ve ry regretful th at the packs co ntained a Nestl e p rod uct , but th e packs were not checked on the assumption that the NUS should have known bette r."

But she denies that the Unio n has broken any ru le, which w ere

STUDENTS WORRIED AFTER GAS LEAK Building work causes ga leak in Norfolk Terrace

CAROLYN SAINSBURY

FURIOUS students are outraged after packs given to freshers contained Nestle products - despite a Union policy not to sell the brand on campus.

Concret e W EDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3 , 200 1

bulding maintenance manager.

A nd Un ion Welfare offi cer Poll y l'vlorgan in sists th at students shou ldn' t worry. ''As there was no evidence of gas actuall y inside the bu ilding, student s we re not evacuated though provi' ional accomaodation was made availa bl e had gas bee n detec ted inside the bu ilding at any time."

Checks ''The Estates and Building di vision have continued to ch eck for gas three ti mes a day and through the ni gh t as work has begun to repa ir the leak." said Poll) . " Howeve r._I woul d encourage all students to inform someone immed iately i f they ever have any concern s about saft ey in th eir res id ences .

Res ident tut ors prov ide a li rst port of call bu t if they can't be co nt ac ted then co ntac t the A cco moda t ion Ofli cc by day or the Port ers Lodge by ni ght." she added.

Above: The Nestle pasta pot given to first years Below left: A student with a packet Polos issued by The Times

outlined by th e refe rend um eight years ago.

"We did not buy or sell the prod uct and so we haven't actu -

ally contravened po licy. Howeve r, we do not want this to be seen as us be ing in support for Nestle in any way," said Em ma.

STUDENTS lAUNCH ANTHOLOGY THE ANNUAL anthology from students on the Creative Writing MA at UEA was launched yesterday marking the 31st anniversary of the prestigious cou rse.

Th e hon k. w h ich has bee n named Firsth and , is the larges t the students haw ever produced and it demons tra tes the w ide range of sty les of its writers.

T he coll ect ion or short pieces wa' unvei led at a launch. yeste rd a) (Tuesday). whic h "'b in trod uced h) And rew Moti on.

Firsthand celebrates the worl-. or 1hc \\ ri Lcr" on lhi . . )C:u路路..., cou rse.

"h ieh was rounded b) the late Sir i\ lalcolm 13radbury and is 110\\ taugh t b) th e Poet Laureate.

Professor M otion.

Th e bool-. is a1 ai l able from all good book shops and Amazon .com .uk. priced (5.99.

Above: The cordoned off area of Norfolk Terrace

COMMENT

www.concrete-online.co.uk

Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2001

Opinion

9

C<~~G~~~lti~ A timely • warn1ng

oca now?

U

se

Homeless students and gas leaks. The world is crashing down around our ears.

Welcome to UEA, writes Adam Chapman.

EA turns third world. Police guards are positioned on The Street to deal with hundreds of asylum seekers flocking towards the accommodation office. The Daily Mail launches a campaign to have them escorted from the country. Except, of course, these so-called refugees actually pay to come to the university. They are, in fact, students. And it doesn't end here, either. Norfolk Terrace is evacuated after mass chemical explosions caused by faulty gas pipes. The slums of Waveney Terrace are classed uninhabitable by the Home Office. Bedraggled first years gather on Waveney Mountain waiting expectantly for Red Cross food parcels to drop from the sky.

And finally concrete rot (no pun intended) sets in and the library, unable to cope with being the ugliest building on campus, finallY gives up the ghost and collapses in a cloud of dust and unread books.

You thmk I'm joking? Judging by-the current situation UEA is near breaking point and, while

Bedraggled first years gather on Waveney Mountain waiting expectantly for Red Cross food parcels to drop from the sky.

the analogy is overstated somewhat, it wouldn't surprise me if at least a few of the students who found themselves without accommodation at the beginning of term agreed.

What we have here is a severe problem, one that has been repeated year after year with no sign of improvement. In 1995 and 1996, homeless students had to camp out on the floor of Nelson Court common room. In 1997, 25 new arrivals were forced to live in City College because the university had not left enough room for students who entered through clearing.

In 1998, staff were being asked to house surplus residents in the hope of improving the situation. And how much for the honour of spending the week in your lecturer's house? £10 a week, which may make up for the lack of long-term friends on offer. 2000 saw the guest suite come under fire for losing UEA £40,000 a year through empty rooms . And rather than learning from their mistakes, UEA bosses, in all their infinite wisdom, have let the situation fester. The beginning of this academic year saw yet anothe-r plea to staff to house first years.

While it is understandable that years of underfinacing by the government have left many universities lacking in funds for the most basic of services, the problem is partly of U EA's own making. The university consistently underestimates the number of people needing a place to I ive and then fai Is to de aI with the · ensuing situation in an acceptable way. The mistake is not that of the Accommodation Office who surely bear the brunt of student anger. lt is university management who must take the blame. Whether they over-estimate the number of students coming each year because of greed or mismanagement I doubt we will ever

In 1998, staff were being asked to house surplus residents in the hope of improving the situation. know. lt is obvious, however, that the situation should not continue. lt is an insult to those people already having to pay for higher education that they cannot be guaranteed a place in residences- especially when they are turning up in an unfamiliar city without any friends. The point of living on campus (in the same room throughout the year) is that you meet the people who you spend most of your time with. Sorry to sound like cliche man but the friends you make in your first year really are the ones that stick with you throughout your university life.

And the fact that some university residences are obviously not worth the money the university charges is obvious for all to see. The repeated excuse that Waveney Terrace is a great place to live "because it has a really good community spirit" does not excuse the poor condition of the building (Swedish prison chic).

We supposedly live in a modern society. We are supposedly the future of mankind. And yet the image of Red Cross food parcels won't leave my mind. Funny that.

Got a story? Then contact our news desk on 01603 250558

The warning issued by the National Union of Students concerning Muslim students who study at British universities comes at a time when emotions are still running high. The terror attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon have provoked some extreme reactions on American campuses, with many Muslim students suffering attacks while others are scared to ·continue with their studies.

These have not been isolated reactions, though. The attacks have acted as a backdrop for many examples of racial abuse at universities in Manchester and Bradford.

The NUS statement concerned the AIMuhajroun group, Islamic extremists who have targeted Manchester, Bradford and Sheffield universities, distributing leaflets advocating homophobia and racism. This is obviously something that cannot be condoned.

Fortunately, however, it is unlikely that this phenomenon will spread as far as Norwich, despite UEA's thriving Muslim population. Concerns of any tensions between visiting US and Muslim students should be addressed if they do occur but this thankfully remains an unlikely prospect.

What must be at the forefront of our minds throughout this crisis, though, is just who is to blame for the deaths in New York and Washington. The search for a culprit in the aftermath and the political and media hysteria that has ensued has made many people lose sight of this. The Muslim popt,Jiation are not the people who are on trial here, a fact that most intelligent people will, no doubt, realise.

And while the worldwide efforts to deal with the problem are occurring many miles from UEA's campus, as long as incidents are effecting Britain's students, we all have an interest in the conflict being resolved as peacefully as possible.

The wet war All of which makes the battle between local club Liquid and the Union more than a little innocuous. lt would be unfair for us to cast judgement on the situation, but a conflict of interests would not do anyone any good.

However, the battle between the two entertainment giants does bear a passing resemblance to Mafia wars in 1950s America. But as long as the situation doesn't escalate in to a Bonnie and Clyde style shoot-out Thursday nights should be all the richer for having two places to spend our money.

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FOCUS

www.concrete-on Ii ne.co. uk

Con crete W EDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2001

not going to touch you, I'm not going to touch your property, but I'm going to destroy you ... " Recent reports in the media have claimed new laws that dea l with stalking are being abused by police. Will Halsey spoke to a UEA student victim of stalking about the trauma of persistent harassment and just how im portant the new laws are ...

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sleep w1th the phone next to t he bed, and a pa1r of sc1ssors under the pill ow. If he comes 1n and goes an yw here near my ch il dren, I wi ll kil l him. I hate the thought , I wish I didn't but I have absolutely no doubt I wo ul d kil l him to protect my chi ld ren."

Jul1e Evans, a second year mature student, understands the psyc hologica l eff ec ts of stal king more than most, havi ng been tormented by a pa rano id schizoph renic for over a yea r. Even after mov1ng house, and wi th the stalker in a secu re mental Instit utio n, she maintains she "wi ll never feel entire ly sa fe."

The story start s innocuously enough; th e poli ce turn up on Ju lie 's doorstep with strange letters contai ning bizarre, anonymous, and inve nted allega t1 ons of sexual abuse. " I laughed at first," Jul ie reca lls. " Then I asked if I could photocopy t hem to show my friends because they wou ldn' t be lieve me. But th is person also knew rather a lot about me and the children, and the police fe lt it was a l ittle more serious than they first thought."

This turned out to be somet hing of an understatement. The police asked Jul1e to make a li st of everyone who knew the information about the family, an enormous, awfu l task- "like a suspect l1st" before telling her not to allow the k1ds out on the 1r own, and always have access to a phone.

"I woke up that morning and 1t was a fine dayby the end the world had fal len in. They [the

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police] said not to be comp lacent, but wha t the tuck does that mean? They were rig ht, but from then on you question everything you do ."

Ju lie took the kids away for a few days, before the police suggested it was probably al l over. But after the ir ret urn a parcel arrived addressed to one of the children. lt was sealed w1th white computer labe ls and th e name wasn 't qu ite ri ght, bu t it was c lear who the pa rcel was meant for. " lt was anonymous with a beanie toy and a postcard of ch urches in Norfolk covered in hearts and kisses say 1ng Jesus loves yo u and so do 1," Ju li e expla ins. " I screamed. lt could have been from anybody, and so from th en on anyone who loo ked at us for more than two seconds- it was him."

"I woke up that morn ing and it was a fine day by the end th e world ha d fall en in. " cotland Yard Detect1ve Inspector Ham1sh Brown has spent a year conduct ing an exhaustive investigati on into the effects of sta lk1ng and how police should react and deal with cases just like Julie's. A world expert on sta lk1ng, Brown has lectured the FB I on how to deal wit h the proble m , as well as instructing studio bosses in Hollywood on how to protect their stars. Closer to home, he has also issued a report to police Instructing the best way to dea l wit h both stalke rs and sta lkers' victims. Brown admits, though, that serious psychologica l damage 1s dif ficu lt to avoid.

"The terr ible effect it can have on victims cannot be underesti mated," he says. "Sta lk 1ng IS a traumatic crime and the vic tim has a righ t to be take n seriously."

This is a view backed up by Dr Lorraine Sheri dan, a Forensic Psyc hologist at Leicester University, wh o has worked close ly with po lice on this subject.

"Sta lking ca n have a very se ri ous effect ," she confirms. " Quite a lot of vict ims have to move house. Th ey lose t heir jobs, th eir friends, their pe ts.

You also f ind th at whe n t he act ua l stalking ends it co mes as a shoc k to th e vict im. it's very diff ic ult to get bac k in to norma l life, because you've had to chan ge everyth ing right down to th e way you wal k" Richa rd Gallagher, author of I'll Be Watching You (Vi rgin) , a def ini t ive study of sta lking, agrees. He sees sta lki ng as a form of emot iona l theft. " Wha t I fou nd in victi ms was a feel ing of 'my life isn't my own,"' he says. " Th e stal ker has sto len th e vict im's privacy and securi ty. You r whole life is taken away from you - it's thei rs."

Whi le there is no such th ing as a typica l sta lki ng case, 1t is probably fai r to say that Jul ie's case is atypica l. Over 90% of v1cti ms know the1r stalker,

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and most cases involve an ex-partner; Julie still doesn't know what her sta lker looks like. But accord ing to Dr Shendan, this IS a double-edged sword.

"Most vict1ms say the worst part is the beginning, when t hey don't know who 's do1ng it," the psychologist exp la1ns. "But I've also spoken to victims of domesti c violence who hated knowing 1t was thei r ex-partner because they 'knew what he was capable of."'

Julie's case was typ1cal, though , 1n terms of her sta lke r's methods. Despite the 111flux of new technology -you can be stalked by text message or email - the methods stalkers use haven't changed much over the years. As Ham ish Brown says: "S talking is an old ac t but a new wme . As long as you have re lationships you'll have sta lking, it 's been around forever.

"Most stalkers are old hat- following the1r vict1m , persistent phone calls, sendi ng letters, parcels, and fl owers. Essen ti all y, actio ns that are not criminal 111 themselves, but they grind the vict1m down.

"You don't have to be rich and famous to be stalked, e1ther. The overwhelming maJonty of stalking vict ims are ordina ry people Ill the street."

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r Sheridan, w1th a team of researchers from Le1cester, has put forward typologies of four different types of sta. lker, allowing police to categorise cases and formulate effect1ve ways of treat1ng stalkers and v1ctims. The four ma111 types are Infatuation harassment, usua lly harmless and mak1ng up 18% of cases, ex-partner harassment (50% ), de lusional fixation stalking (15%) , and sadistic stalking

(13%).

"Sadist ic stalke rs have to be taken very se riously," Dr Sheridan exp lains. " They can contin ue their ac t1vities even when 111 prison, and physical vio lence is entirely possible. Communication tends to be a blend of loving and threatening, and vict1ms should be given as much support as possible. " Ex-pa rt ner stal ke rs tend to be cowardly and do respo nd to threats of prison . De lu s1o nal stal kers are usually men tally ill , and beli eve they have a relati onshi p with the ir vic tim , and anyth ing the vic ti m might say si mply rein forces that be li ef. The least se rious are th ose showi ng signs of in fatua tio n - they mea n wel l and bas1ca lly have a crush on the vict im ."

However, not only do police have detail ed ty pologies to work from, they also have stri ngent legislation to prosec ute st alkers. The 1997 Protec ti on from Harassment Act revol ut ioni sed th e way pol ice co uld dea l with stalkers, mean ing they no longer had to wa it until th ey broke th e law.

Author Ri cha rd Gallagher spoke to many vict ims who suffered f or many yea rs due to thi s. He says: " Before the law was changed, victims often actually hoped their stalker would do someth ing vio lent or il lega l, beca use otherw1se police co ul d do not hing abou t it."

Thi s is no longer a proble m. In the last four years, po lice have had the power to prosecute stalk-

www.concrete-online.co.uk

Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2001

"lt might be that he comes out and he'll be fine, but it's never really over. lt might be that nothing happens again but I'll never feel entirely safe" ers under two acts, the less serious section two (alarm and distress) or section four (fear of violence). Alarm and distress carries a maximum sentence of six months; fear of violence can cost the offender up to five years. Both include an injunction to prevent the stalker contacting the victim for any period from two years to life. "it's the strongest anti-stalking law in the world," says Hamish Brown. "Police do have to establish that the stalker knows or ought to know the distress they are causing. But then, if they commit two separate acts of harassment, they can be arrested."

Brown recommends that a person in authority warns the stalker off first; this can include the police, but often a university tutor or security officer is as effective. Crucially, though, the victim should not have any contact with the stalker whatsoever - it will almost always simply serve to encourage them.

In some cases, it may be possible to head off a potential problem before it becomes stalking, but often nothing can be done before it is too late.

"To a major degree it is bad luck," admits Or Sheridan. "You fall in with somebody, or someone chooses you at random. The best advice is to follow your instincts - if someone feels slightly dodgy then throw them off. lt happens to everyone in the pub one night - some guy latches onto you all bloody night and you're just trying to be nice, but being nice to some poor sod can set him off."

Indeed, the British way of never complaining contributes to this. "We're not used to saying 'no' to people," adds Gallagher. "When they force their

way into a situation that is closer than you want it to be, it's very difficult just to say 'piss off.'" it's crucial that the stalker is told the situation unequivocally by a third ))arty - in some cases this will prevent a serious stalking situation emerging.

01 Brown sums up the power the stalker can possess: " He is basically saying, 'I'm not going to touch you, I'm not going to touch your property, but I'm going to destroy you."'

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he police suggested Julie and the kids move house, but two days before moving the police turned up again. They had found out who it was: a paranoid schizophrenic who lived just two doors away. He had watched the children playing in the garden the previous year, and claimed because one of the kids had waved at him, he knew she was in love witl'l him. She had only waved in the general direction, but the chain of events had begun. The police cautioned him about sending things to the child, and warned him it could be interpreted as the activities of a paedophile. But beyond that, they could do nothing other than serving him an injunction.

"When the police left, they said their worry now was that it could go one of two ways," Julie continues. "lt would either have scared him to stop, or it would have tipped the balance. I know they talked to all the authorities involved about him, but I was still only two doors away."

Having made the move, the schizophrenic then tormented the new owners of the old property. The area Julie had moved to came out in one of the rows. Again, though, the police could do nothing,

Help for victims ...

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racy Morgan has been the victim of a persistent stalker for many years. Imprisoned several times, he has even kept up his campaign from behind bars. Morgan, though, is not to be defeated, and has set up SOS, Network for Surviving Stalking. This is a new support service for victims of stalking, which aims to construct a wide network of victims across the country.

To contact Network for Surv1ving Stalking, write to PO Box 7836, Crowthorne, RG45 7YA or alternatively email: networkOsurvivingstalking.fsnet.co.uk

this time because the new owners didn't want to involve police - despite him putting sugar in their petrol tank and bricks through the window. Now, even though the stalker is in a secure institution, there is no indication of how long he will be incarcerated, and no way for Julie to find out when he is released. "it might be that he comes out and he'll be fine; it might be that he's out now," Julie says. "But it's never really over. lt might be that nothing ever happens again, but I'll never ever feel entirely safe.

"The only way I've got through it is knowing this man is mentally ill. it's not a terribly comforting thought, but it could have been anyone in that house; it was just bad luck that it was us. lt was the only thing that kept me going. I'm scared when I'm home, I'm scared when I'm walking up to university, I'm scared when I walk the kids to school. " I remember one time I walked to the shop there was a man behind me, and I was sure it was him. I didn't know what to do; I thought about phoning the police from a phone box but he could have kept me in there. So I just stood still and waited, knowing he would go for me there or just walk by.

He just walked by."

FOCUS

If you think you're being stalked ...

Keep a record of calls, letters, parcels and hard copies of emails.

Report it to the police, no matter how trivial it seems. lt is their job to take you seriously.

Try and get independent witnesses to the incidents.

Carry a mobile phone and personal attack alarm - and know how to use them.

Try and alter your daily routine, and let friends know where you are going.

You can be stalked on the intemet, so remember: you are never totally anonymous.

If you are beine stalked at university, ask a tutor to approach and ward off the stalker.

Do NOT confront or try to reason with them.

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Ll FESTYLE

www.ccncrete-on li ne.co. uk

•

1rs Is your first love the greatest? Can you survive a broken heart? Will a long distance relationship work - or is it time to move on? Toby Lewis delved into the lives and loves of UEA students to find out. ..

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2001

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ove is love, tucking is tucking," says Christopher, suggesting a cu rious duality be;ween love and sex that appears to be prevalent when prying into people's fi rst relat ionships. But it is in putting that big f rst re lat ionship in context with later loves that the real picture emerges, which hovers almost inevitably around sex.

This modern degrading of sex was shown by another student, Paul, who enjoyed his first relationship whilst going around Australia. "lt was a big step in my life," he reports, though adding as an afterthought, "She was a great shag."

Others avoid sex before marriage, concentrating on the abstract concept that is love. Mark Hobson, a Christian, is one such student. "I feel m} relationship is enhanced by this," he explains. "Mainly because the people I know that have had long term relationships involving sex have let it get in the way of talking to each other. Sex is the whole basis of their relationship." .

Whether this changes in the future is a point of some debate. Various people implied their relationships had progressed, with one student who wishes

with him and when we split up, it took me a long time before I could tru st anyone and be with anyone after that." Her latest relationship also ended recently, a few weeks prior to coming to UEA, bu t it appears the long-distance aspect was not responsible for the break up. "He was always fi ne about me going to university and he didn't have a problem wi th being two hours away," she explains. "He was quite happy to come and visit .me. However, I thin k in real ity he wou ld have had a lot of problems due to paranoia, not knowing where I was, worrying I'd be meeting other people."

Gemma (DEV) is just starting to balance her first big relationsh ip with the rigours of university life.

Originally from Plymouth, she is determined to give it a go. "This was my first relationship where I've really been in love," she admits, and while fearing the lack of contact time, feels it might be possible.

"I'll probably see him once a month, but I'm used to seeing him every day." For her, at least, the pace of life at university means she hasn't brooded over this constantly. She adds: "He did say to me that he didn't want me to leave, but it's something he ltAew tllat I had-to. do. He would not have considered my not going, and if I hadn't, I think he would have lost respect for me in a way."

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t isn't always like this. Another student decided not to push a short-term relationship he was having with a sixteen-year-old any further despite "getting on like a house on fire.

She was starting co llege and I was going off to uni and so we decided not to get ~nto anything heavy." He is currently in another casual rela tionship that he believes wi ll probably be short lived.

Another female student takes a d ifferent tactic, dealing with long-term relationships rather than short-term affairs. "If I fall in love I really do fall quite hard," she admits. "lt has been difficult to get over my first true love [at seventeen]. I need closure on that relationship. lt never really finished properly." So much so, she adds: "Seeing him still makes me feel all weird."

Another person found himself having his ground stolen by his friend who was supposed to be acting as confidant and go-between in his first relationship. He says: "lt has affected me around women that I like in terms of nervousness. There hasn't really ¥en anyone since." However, despite not speaking to his friend he is still in touch with his early crush. " We're really close, as close as we were before but without the love interest." Maybe there is life after love, to answer Cher's question.

Returning to the question of love and sex,

Looking to the stars ...

First love failures

I

Drew Barrymore What happened? Barrymore married British bar owner Jeremy Thomas in a whirlwind spur-of-the-moment ceremony in Los Angeles. Still at the age of .ust 19, the marriage lasted j ust two months before fa ling apart.

Barrymore was very much grown-up by the end of her teens, though, having starred in major pictures and experimented with various illegal substances in her early teens. But marriage was one step fu1her, and the actress clearly felt something for Thomas she hadn't felt before. She didn't feel it for very long, though.

Is there life after love? Indeed there is. In fact, Barrymore has found love once again, marrying comedian Tom Green (Charlie's Angels, Road Tri?) this year at the more sensible age of 26. They only tied the knot after many false reports, however. Green says: "lt has been a year of everyone asking us when we were going to do it. Now it is all over and we're happy.'

Macaulay Culkin

" My first relationship was the least important and the least deep. lt was the thing to do."

Every invqlvement you have with anyone is going to affe~t how you look at the future

Bad Kama Is the Kama Sutra the butt of cheap jokes or is it a serious sex manual? Jo Locke investigated the weird and wonderful world of Ancient Indian sex... he Kama Sutra has long been held as the bible of shagging and all things sexual, but less people realise there's a whole load of useful advise for those who dare open the front cover. The author was obviously an Indian version of Aust in Powers - includ ing copious amoU1ts of body hair - and was a few screwdrivers sho·t of a tool box, so to speak.

There are over sixty useful items of advice from 'dealing' wi th other people's wives to garden layout. Indeed, it seems almost anything goes. The key advice is to try whatever is humanly possible as long as you don't attempt anything which is "likely to cause injury to the body" or "involve the death of animals". What a pity. And don't 'orget to warm up and down after any excessive exe1cise.

T

What happened? Culkin shot to fame aged 10 in the massive hit Home Alone. However, after earn ing an estimated $50m in his early teenage year:;, he surprised everyone by tyi ng the knot with Broadway actress Rache l Miner. Still at the tender age of 17 (as was Miner), the couple remained together for two years but eventually separated.

Is there life after love? There is certainly life; Culkin was embroiled in parental squabbles for many years and hasn't appeared in a movie since 1994, although he is signed up to star in an u_pcoming drama called Body Piercer. There is no word on recent 'elationships for Culkin, but the lad's only 20, so plent/ of time.

though, Jonathan Stone (EASl feels that the first major relationship will always have a big influence but doesn't have to be the. be all and end all.

"Your first one you will always leap into headlong," he suggests. "Maybe due to competitive peer pressure - most people when they get to a certain age have been in a relationship and they start talking about it. So, feeling left behind, others want to catch up with their peer group's level of experience."

Ben (EAS) takes a more philosophical slant on things, but he does not subscribe to the view that the first love is the best. And this comes despite believing the person he has been best suited to was his first girlfriend.

While he laments future conquests- "Many of the others have been horrible" - it would appear that first doesn't necessarily mean best. He sums up the entire situation quite acutely: " Every involvement with anyone you have is going to affec t how you look at t.hings in the future."

to remain anonymous stating: "My first relationship was the least important and the least deep. 1 was merely going out with someone because it was the thing to do at the time." But again sex rears its ugly head - when pressed as to whether the relationship was useful for getting rid of a burcensome virginity, he pointed out that in today's soc ety the two things are very separate. "I lost my vir~inity to someone I was not going out with and did not love," he explains.

Ben (EAS) also took this course of action, although it is not something he looks back on fondly. "The first time I had sex it was outside of any relationship;'' he reveals. " I kind of re~et th is now. lt wou ld be nice to have a more perscnal side to it."

But while some drift happily through eary relat ionships, for others, that big first step was a hugely influential time in their li fe. "My first relat ionship was between 14 and 16," explains another first year student. " I was tota lly in love

Accomplishments ...

The Kama Sutra pays a lot of attention to accomplishments, which should be learnt by prospective wives from an old uncle or even a sister. lt's a family affair. Both women and men alike should be experts at making artificial flowers, have a thorough knowledge of mines and quarri es, as well as know how to fix stained glass into a floor.

Mia Farrow What happened? Everything happened. Another child star, she was in movies by 14 and in a T\1 series by 19.

When she was 21, she married Frank Sinatra (30 years her senior) before divorcing him just two ~ears later amid rumours that the legendary crooner allowed her very little freedom.

Is there life after love? Absolutely. She la1er moved on to conductor Andre Previn before an extended affair with Woody Alien took place. She now has a huge number of ch ildren, either adopted or biological, and a best-selling autobiography.

Obviously all crucia l th ings if you want a fully satisfying sex life. Additionally, a suitable wife should be able to belt out a decent tune on glasses filled with varying amounts of water. Apparently th is will teach her the ability " to support herself easily, even in a foreign country".

should be taught to speak", and when you've had enough of that why not have some "fighting of cocks, quails and rams". As the sun sets "there should be singing", wh ich must follow by a "loving and agreeable conversation" with a woman friend. lt doesn't specify the subject.

Accommodation ...

Into position ...

The position of the love nest is vital to achieving great orgasms. Ideally the house should be near water, and be surrounded by a garden, presumably so you don't disturb the neighbours. Also, an inner and outer room is essential. The aut hor recommends that the inner room should have a decent bed and, cont-roversially, should be well stocked with women. Don't forget that there should also be "a pot for spitting" next to your couch, which hangs from "a peg made of the tooth of an,elephant". Remember, the details are important if you want to get t he atmosphere right.

Who knows what was going through the mind of the author when he wrote this, but t here's more.

After a full breakfast, " parrots and other birds

If you're still in doubt of how to find yourself the ideal girl then the next chapter contains a wealth of positions that could be inspired by the discovery channel. lt even provides advice on how to permanently swell your penis if you're a little disadvantaged down below or have a woman like an "elephant".

After a full breakfast "parrots and other birds should be taught to speak", and when you've had enough of that why not have some "fighting of cocks, quails and rams"

Ll FESTYLE

www.concrete-onl ine.co.uk

Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2001

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Let out the animal...

Accord ing to th is fantast ic publication, noise is definitely the key achieving great sex. The Kama Sutra recommends letting yourself go by making sounds of a dove, a cuckoo, the green pigeon, the parrot, the bee, the sparrow and the fl amingo respectively. Then finish off by sounding like a goose when you 're spent. Who knows what happens if you don't last long enough to get through all the animal noises, but I guess you have the option of freestyle, or maybe just picking your favourite. Whatever, for those of you who are keen to delve deeper into the secrets of th is Holy Book, it is on floor two of our beautiful library, number GC 5200 KAM. Don't all rush at once.

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The Leech

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got together w ith my boyfriend in Fresher's Week, and already he's really clingy. l t's driving me mad because I want to see more of my friends, but he insists on going everywhere w ith m e. Most of my fr iends are telling me to chuck him because he doesn't like m e dancing at the LC R, and usually gets me to ~ go home early . I want some of my life back, b ut do n't know w hether I want us to split up as I really like h im. How do I tell him t hat I need some space witho ut upsetting him? Confused first year

" You probably should make a concerted effort to be honest and open with your boyfri end. If neither of you acknowledge that there may be a problem, then you have a slim c hance of resolving the situation. Talking through the problem is your only answer. However, if your partner can't be open and take some constructive criticism, then he may have to re-think the relationship that he apparently values so highly!"

Tristan Norman SYS 1 "Communication is the key to a good relationship.

You have to make the most of your first year, as next year you'll regret it when your grades actually count.

If you feel that he's holding you back, you should get rid of him"· Sarah Copsey HIS 3

' "Tell him how you feel and hope that he'll take it like a man. If he can't accept that you don't want a dual life then he's not mature enough to be in a relationship in t he f irst place" Tom Penny DEV 2 "If men are tired they can't think. Exhaust him under the duvet and he' ll be too knacked to be clingy. If it doesn't work then you still get great sex, which might help to compensate for not going out with your friends" Chris Haskins HIS 2 "Talk it through with him and try to get him to see how you feel if you stopped him from seeing his mates. If he doesn't give you more space he's not worth it. You could also try organising a girls night out and you'll see your friends without being obvious that you don't want to be with him for the night."

Emily Langran HIS 2 "If she feels that she doesn't want to see him anymore, she should tell him that having just started university, she doesn't want to tie herself down. lt's a thoroughly new place, with thoroughly new things, and throughly new people. She should say that she doesn't feel that she can commit fully in any kind of relationship, rather than persist half-heartedly, and she doesn't want to hurt him."

Alex McGregor, HIS PG If you have a problem that could use some student advice email su.concrete@uea.ac.uk. Names need not be revealed ...

The ginger rugby player first met Patrick when he splashed over to me naked in a paddling pool.

Fifteen years later, the bogey nosed toddler I once knew had grown, ahem, into a strapping young man. I first noticed his manliness whilst watching him play rugby in very tight shorts, his ginger hair shining like a beacon across the pitch. I becc.me a regular at the sidelines and soon Patrick became my playm~te once more.

Sleeping with Patrick was an experience to say the least, luckily for me, his glow in the dark pubes directed me to what would otherwise be very hard to find. I asked him to tu rn out the light, but darkness was only achieved when the off white Calvins were retu rned to their rightful home. Havi ng already mentioned the size of his manhood, i1goes without saying that Patrick really didn't score any tries in the bedroom, iwo minutes in the referee blew his whistle. Weekly practices sorted his stamina out, and soon not only were we going for :he full 80 minutes, but we were stopping for half time oranges too.

Despite never venturing from tis grotty attic bedroom , sex eventually became mere exciting- when I realised I could bring a good book with me."

'' I

Tori (LAW 2)

13

14

TRAVEL

• • •

www.concrete-on Iine.co. uk

Concrete WEONESOAY, OCTOBER 3, 2001

Following the terrorist attacks in America, many airlines are cutting staff and ground ing planes.

But is air travel r.eal ly any more dangerous?

Frequent flier Jo

Berlin

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Ah, the city famous for its nightlife and the annual Love Parade...

Funny I've never met a native who actually goes to the parade - where do all those people come from then? Judging by the look of the people who attend, they've emerged straight from a Saturday night dance event at UEA. Berliners, however, go into hiding for a week every year around the middle of July or book a holiday to the furthest possible destination.

Locke investigated ...

And what's the rest like?

West Berlin is pretty boring. Awful architecture in the centre and flagship stores of all the big chains. You can find a few good museums, though. The East comes across as much less established and much trendier with all kinds of galleries around AuguststraBe in Mitte and all the cafes, bars and clubs.

The average age of the people around here is about 25 and a 'fair share of them look as if they've just been plucked out of a magazine. That's why 'mitte' now means something like 'trying too hard to be cool but thought by many not in the know to be real cool'. it's a bit like the "trendier" parts of London where originality is at a deficit (Hoxton anyone?).

Like London? Why bother spending more than 20 quid on a return ticket?

Has London ever existed under a socialist regime? Nope.

This works to Berlin's advantage. The fall of the Berlin Wall meant that all the qualities both sides of the city had to offer were mixed up in one big melting pot of culture and lifestyle.

The breakup of the city meant that many buildings remain unoccupied because of unsettled property claims.

Others have been taken over for other less legal purposes.

Old power stations, supermarkets and factory roofs by the river make for interesting venues and give a platform for local and international artists, musicians and DJs. Besides, semi -illegal clubs don't have closing times and the drinks are measured out extremely generously so you don't have to try so hard to get bladdered. And the notion of illegal is in itself the best form of PR. Where exactly are those places of debauchery?

Well, a few of the good clubs such as WMF (currently in ZieglerstraBel and Cookies (last week still in CharlottenstraBel are constantly on the move which all helps to feed to their myth. The best thing is to get the equivalent of Time Out called Tip with all the listings.

Even those unwilling or unable to learn the German language will succeed as the Germans couldn't be bothered to invent their own linguistic speci fications for hip-hop and the like but incorporated the English terms instead.

•

ane sa1 1n ''

adies and gentlemen, welcome aboard this Boeing 737 flight to Geneva. We are about to run through the safety features of this plane. We advise that even if you are a frequent flier, you pay attention to this information" . Before September 11 , 2001 , probably less than half the plane would have bothered to watch the stewardess. On September 12, everyone was silent.

Not since the Lockerbie bombing on December 21 1988 has plane safety been so utmost in our minds. The face of each person queuing in the Gatwick ghost town for the flight expressed some rea I fear, but as one flier spoke over the silent queues; "it's the safest day to travel!" People didn't seem so sure.

Most weren 't prepared to be denied their hand luggage, especially their mobile phones. They felt naked without the brief cases, mini disks and the Louis Vutton matching luggage set.

Closer to home, perhaps due to heightened security and the possibility of armed guards on American internal flights, most UEA students are I')Ot worried about the prospect of boarding a plane.

"I was out in Portugal, and I had an 8 hour delay, so I was more worried about being stuck at the airport," says Andrew Burret. "Another crash isn't going to happen. Security is too high." As one of several Freshers explained: " I

How do I get there?

You can get a return flight for £80 from Stansted with Buzz if you book well in advance. For hostels go to www.hostels.com/de.be.html for rooms from around £10 or go to www.hotel-adlon.de if you're a bit fussy about sharing rooms and showers (that's you lot living in Nelson Court and Constable Terrace, I presume). You can book a weekend prestige from around £750 for two.

A/ex von Widdem

read there was a 1 in several million chance of crashing in a plane, and a 1 in 20,000 chance of a car crash, so I'm not too worried. But then I'm quite drunk at the moment so I don't really care" adds Chris (SOC 1), who couldn't remember his surname.

Anna Damski, an ex-senior safety instructor with Boeing and BA, is currently in demand for advice to those who are concerned about flying.

"Statistics have shown that in accidents, many passengers have wasted time initially looking for the seat belt catch somewhere at their side,

"Over 70% of aircraft accidents occur on take-off or landing.

Know how to get out." because a car seat belt is the one most people are used to" explains Anna. "Even for those who are very familiar with aircraft seat belts, there have been documented cases where passengers have delayed evacuating because the buckle had turned so that the catch was against their stomach. In the dark, they were unable to ascertain this -at this point, panic could easily set in if your life is in danger".

Anna emphasises that being aware of your

environment could save your life. "If you know where to go and how to get out, you are far less likely to be a victim of this phenomenon" adds Anna. "lt ought to be stressed that statistics of aircraft accidents over the past decade indicate that over 70% of accidents occur on take-off or landing - the most critical part of the flight ".

Rumours have abounded for many years that the oxygen that falls from the cabin ceiling is not to help passengers breathe, but to get them high so they no longer care that they're about to crash. Anna Damski does her best to explain away where such information might have originated. "The term used for not getting enough oxygen is "hypoxia", she says. "Early signs of hypoxia are a sense of euphoria and a loss of some faculties including judgement and reasoning. I think this is where the rumour may have started."

Flying back to the UK from Geneva a week to the day after the tragic events in New York, you'd have expected security to remain high.

Guess again. Fliers held their Louis Vuitton handbags with confidence and chatted away on their mobile phones as they had before. Gone were the body searches before boarding and the message to pay attention to the safety information even if you flew often.

The babies screamed, the businessmen debated the economic impact of the New York Stock Exchange closure, and the stewardess rambled on the intercom in the background. As far as increased flight security was concerned, it seems it may just be a flash in the pan.

Flying feJus:

1

And is there anything else worth seeing?

What do I look like? A tour guide? There are numerous historical remains of Berlin's recent past. The East Side Gallery is worth seeing more for the fact that it is the longest stretch of the wall still standing than for its paintings. Then there is the f.ormer Checkpoint Charlie with the Wall Museum which is a bit crammed and jumbled but gives you some idea of its history. And Berlin even has its own Norman Foster - the architect designed the dome of the Reichstag where the parliament meets.

•

3

abore, standard procedure for emergency

landings Left, how to

react in the event of an emergency

s

Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2001

REPORT

www.concrete-online.co.uk

Tax-free fluttering Saturday 8 October sees tax-free betting return to Britain's bookies for the first time in 33 years. But is it worth getting in a flutter over? Will Halsey and Mike Milner grabbed some cash and investigated ...

The odds fellow ...

Mike Milner

' 'A

nd it's Continent by a neck!"

With three races, three football matches and the Six Nations to bet on , there was a strong chance I could win some money. Ireland were strong favourites to win their match against the Jocks, Brentford are the worst football team in the history of the world (my tip of the hat to colleague Will) , Cardiff have not been beaten at Ninian Park for 27 matches and Norwich were playing table toppers Burnley; bound to lose. Add three interesting races , the 2.45 from Newbury, the 4 .05 Ayr Gold Cup and the 4 .50 at Newmarket, which were handicaps with some favourable underrating of some of the horses. Armed with a copy of the Racing Post, it was time to check the tips and find the form. it was up to me to prove betting isn 't a mug's game .

First up, the Ayr Gold Cup. Tipsters had been banging an about Ellen 's Academy all day. it was underrated; the ground was favourable an~ was coming into some good form . However, a poor lane draw and a bad start would go against him. I plumped for Continent, he was a bit of an outsider at 11 -1 but was due a victory and should have won at Goodwood in the Steward's Cup. Next the 2.45 at Newbury. This was a difficult one to call, there was no clear favourite a~d any number of horses had the potential to win. I went for Chem's Truce at 12s. He was looking good and the going suited him. Soft Breeze was my original choice but heavy betting had made him second favourite and he had raced 48 pre1 viously so I wasn't confident.

The 4.50 at Newmarket was a Class D race and was full of young fillies.

There was an array of young talent and most horses were competing in the first race.

Sundrenched looked a good shot at 10s.

All the football bets were doubled to give longer odds; Burnley 2-0 lan Moore first scorer at 60s, Cardiff 2-1 Leo Fortune-West at 30s, and Oldham 3-1 Paul Evans first scorer at 135s. "Bunch of useless c**ts!" I screamed . lt had all gone tits up within 5 minutes.

Ireland was the biggest shocker. A team full ot"talent played Ii ke a bunch of granddads. They gave it away up-front and my prediction of an 11-15 point victory at 5s was made to look whimsical.

They deserved to get stuffed.

The racing however was enlightening. Chem's Truce was caught up at the back and did not have the pace to break afterwards. Sundrenched was unlucky. He le(J for 6f but Revolver the clear favourite at 6-4 and a beautiful horse had the pace to breakaway to win by 2 lengths (Revolver is now to 10-1 to win the 1000 guineas next year- a good tip). But Continent rescued the day with a classic victory. Still on the bridle with a furlong to go, he came up with a devastating late surge to collar Brevity close home.

Seven bets, one victory. A profit of £6.84.

Same again next week?

15

... The odd fellow Will Halsey 've never been into numbers. They strike me as unnecessary and often just confuse the matter. Betting is the perfect example - who wants to check such irritations as form and odds? I mean, it doesn't actually help, right?

Well, the day started brightly enough; warm sunshine, and the company of Gabby Logan and On The Ball. I then took a carefree glance at the fixture list to track down the best named horses and my preferred football results. No problem . I settled on the delightful Sir Ninja (2.45 at Newbury), Perfect Peach (4.05 at Ayr) and Screaming Eagle (4.50 Newmarket).

The reasons behind these choices are simple: Sir Ninja is a quality name, everyone likes a nice peach and Screaming Eagle sounds, well, kind of dangerous. Later I discovered that Ninja was a 50-1 shot, while Eagle was in a race that was all but won by the favourite.

But while my tactic of picking funny names in the racing looked decidedly dodgy, my football flutters were a simple case of heart over head . For example, my beloved Brentford were clearly going to run out 2-0 winners against Oldham, with the terrifically wasteful Lloyd Owusu scoring first. Even more audacious was my prediction Norwich would beat Burnley 3-2 with toothless Welsh disgrace lwan Roberts netting the first. Finally, a bow to my colleague Mike's hated-by-all Cardiff City- I guessed the1r home game with Huddersfield would end

I

1-1.

id you know that for every £100 you spend at the bookies you should win, on average, £78?

Which, for those arts students without a huge grasp on figures, means an average loss of 22% when betting. But despite the fact that most punters are more used to losing everything, things should shortly be getting even better with the advent of tax-free betting on October 8th.

This development will bring off-course gambling in line with the tax-exempt on-course bookies, and sees punters able to gamble away hard-earned cash without reductions for the first time in 33 years. Unsurprisingly, most welcome the change. "it can only be a good move ," says Steve Doyle, 26, a punter on the Unthank Rd . "Horse racing revenue has declined and with spread betting more commonplace it is a fairer deal for your average punter."

This is an assessment that the industry agrees with .

Barry Faulkner, secretary of BOLA, the Betting Office Licensing Agency, points to the benefits of welcoming bookmakers to the UK, rather than driving them to off-shore tax havens. "lt should have a positive impact, " confirms Barry. "From our side of things the Government making this move means that the betting industry is being recognised as a legitimate industry. We now have the ability to become the world leader in fixed odds betting."

This is a sentiment echoed by the world's largest bookmaker, Ladbrokes. Chris Bell, Ladbrokes' Chief Executive, suggests that all will benefit from the new move. "The new system of betting duty [tax is paid on bookmakers' gross profits] means that everyone associated with the industry is a winner - customers, the industry, rac-

ing and the Exchequer."

There can be no doubt that betting is big busi ness. With around £7 .5 bill ion being wagered every year 1n the UK - not including on -course betting - the Industry is potentially as lucrative for ".:j the Government as 1 i!l for the bookmakers, the idea being that if punters are taxed less they will spend more , therefore increasing turnover and revenue.

However, the reason behind the change has more to do with saving the British industry rather than boosting profits. "There was a genuine threat to the industry from offshore operators," explains Barry. "The off-shore companies cou Id offer no reductions , and if you 're a punter and can choose between no tax and essentially a 41% reduction that 's a no brain -

Add a sure-fire prediction in the delayed six nat1ons of Ireland beating Scotland by 6-10 points, and I sat back to let the money roll in .

I'd like to be able to say that things started well then went wrong, but in truth they started badly and got worse . At Newbury, my muchvaunted Sir Ninja couldn 't even be arsed to run, although that did mean I got my stake back - a welcome return in the end. In the football , Norwich got a third minute goal but was it Roberts? Was it bollocks, Gary Halt.

That was two pissed up the wall . Cardiff and Huddersfield quickly both scored which looked good, but Oldham took the lead against Brentford to screw that one . In the rugby, by the way, Scotland were destroying the much-fancied Ireland ruining that bet too.

Over in Ayr, Perfect Peach did run, but might as well not have bothered. Mike cleaned up though, with Continent earning him £22. To rub it in, Huddersfield took the lead against Cardiff which left another bet in tatters. Brentford then had a man sent off to top it off, while Scotland increased the lead to 32-3, leaving Screaming Eagle my only hope.

Sadly, the Eagle was now also a 50-1 shot, and performed accordingly, not even in the picture as the race ended . So out of seven bets, one didn't run and the others were virtual non-starters. I think I '11 leave this to the experts. Now they really know how to piss your money up the wall .

,!iiiiiiiii.!.;;:

er."

Some customers are sceptical , though . Benjamin Bennett, another Unthank Rd punter, sees the move as worthless: " I don 't give a shit, they'll only shorten the odds so you 'll lose out all the same ."

The industry, however, denies th is. "The odds in off-course betting are based on what is being produced on-course, so we don't have a great deal of control over that, " claims BOLA secretary Barry.

One issue that has been ignored amongst the preparation·s for the big change , though, is the danger in making gambl ing more attractive to the public . By abolishing tax in off-course betting, the industry may be tempting people to start a poten tially damaging pastime . This is something Barry is less happy defending.

"We are aware of the problems that can be caused by gambling," he admits. "To be honest, we don 't know if tax free betting will make an impact on gambling problems but we don't think

liThe new system of betting duty means that everyone associated with the industry is a winner customers, the industry, racing and the Exchequer."

so."

This is something that gambling charity GamCare is less certain of. " GamCare supports responsible gambling, " says Teresa Tunstall , Development Officer with the support group. " But tax-free betting could allow more money for gambling so only gamble with money you can afford to lose ."

What is certain, though , is that for those punters without a problem who enjoy a flutter, the abolishing of tax can only be a positive move.

Removing the complex decision of whether to pay tax before or after the bet - does anyone actually expect to win? -customers could be seeing a decent £41 back if they spend that £100. "it can only be good news for the .industry, and it can only be good news for the punter," explains Barry. " it 's giving the punter much better value for money and making betting easier for everyone ."

...

16

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THE VICTIM:

T

he Topshop changing rooms had never looked so evi I. Sat on a faux leather pouffe with my head in my hands, I began to have very serious doubts about this makeover. The leather mini skirt the stylist had coe rced me into trying on stared back at me, pitying me. I threw caution to the wind, and tried it on. lt never got further than my left knee .

I'm a strict Jeans 'n' t shirts indie girl, and the prospect of transforming my footwear from scuffed trainers to stiletto heels was absolutely terrifying.

My idea of dressing up involves rummaging around on my bedroom f loor for something clean, and not too crumpl ed to wear. I also have no idea what my natu ral ha ir colour is, as since the age of 13 I have been, red, au bergine, red aga in, black, blue (I liked the Manics, OK?), gold, black and now, thank GOD, blonde. My mantra for the day was very simple " I will look li ke a fox, I will look like a fox" and thankful ly my fears were al layed the minute I sat in Luis' chai r at Ruf us. Wi th my hair beginning to take shape I warmed to the spotty basque and lacy skirt, and was actually pleasantly surprised with the final outcome. Sex kitten? Maybe. But I was close to tears as I hauled on my Adidas campuses, proof that you can take the girl out of the trainers, but you can't take the trainers out of the girl.

Gemma O'Donnell

Take one girl with needy hair. Add peroxide. And hey presto! Makeover guinea pig Gem ma O'Donnel l turns into foxy basque-wearing laydee.

THE STYLIST:

W

hile there is absolutely nothing wrong with wardrobe staples of flared jeans and second hand t shirts, there comes a time in every girl's life when she wants to scrub up nice and not look like such a... well, such an arts student. With the autumn/winter catwalks bursting with floral baby doll dresses, lace slips and cute little t-bar dolly heels, it was an opportunity too good to miss.

However, Gemma was a little concerned that she'd end up looking like a 12 year old, so we combined the 60s baby doll look with the current trend for all things sexy, black and sheer. Thinking Twiggy meets Bardot, we teamed a cheeky Monroe-esque polka dot basque with black lace and chiffon, and added the ultimate kinky boots.

Going with the updated 60s theme, Luis added blond slices and honey tones to Gemma's hair for a blonde more reminiscent of Marianne Faithful! than Jerry Hall. He then created a sweeping side fringe for that true sex kitten look.

Astrid Goldsmith

Gemma wears black long-sleeved sheer top with ruched neck, £33.50 by Sandro at DKA. Black and white polka dot basque, £125 for basque and thong set by Ravage at La Dolce Vita. Black lace skirt, £28.50 by GDF at OKA. Black leather knee high stiletto boots with .silver chains, £110 by Paradox at lmelda 's. Diamante choker, £21.99 and matching bracelet, £19.99, both by Accessorize.

Hair by Luis Roldan at Rufus (01603 760 765) Photographs by Will Benthall

Concrete

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER

3, 2001

LOOK

www.concrete-online.co.uk

Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2001

11

THE EQUATION: Chimney sweep chic

FAUX-PAS: Lumberjack dress Wrong in so many ways Maybe Celine should ha'.Ae had models carrying designer axes and diamante-encrusted shotguns for accesones nima l lovers and environmentalists beware. Those who have fears of bombarding patterns should close their eyes now. it's sheepskin, suede, fur, plaid, and altogether unsightly.

Rustic is back in a big way to haunt us for autumn/winter, but with a new twist. Fur jackets, neatly ripped jeans, flat strappy boots, and every colour of brown imaginable never made the outdoors look so ... er... classy. But combining luxury fabrics with rough patterns and an attempt at ' bucolic charm' went a little too far with Celine 's collection, which included an interesting attempt at turning that staple of a lumberjack's wardrobe -the red plaid shirt- into haute couture . 'Feminised' by turning it into a shapeless calf-length shirt-dress, no amount of cashmere content will turn this into a must-have item. Maybe Celine should have had models carrying designer axes and diamante-encrusted shotguns for accessories rather than strutting down the catwalk with earthy handbags and heels. But in the end, it you gives you a nice feeling to know that all is fine in the fashionworld forests, where models can be found hunting and hacking down trees in their fur coats and designer lumberjack dresses that you will never wear.

Andie Francis

A

VOX POP: ''What was your worst fashion moment? ''

-

+ BLACK

VICTORIANA

DICK

t's official. Black is back. Gucci is doing it, Prada is loving it and what better way to combine this new sexy image than by adding a little frill. Not only are our catwalks graced with the black wave but it seems as if the large funnelled neck shirts and skirts are also making an impression. Take for example, Yasmin le Ban, Stella McCartney and even Kate Moss who have all been inspired by the lace and fri lis seen in the Victorian and Edwardian times. But now we are in the 21st century, it's time to spruce up those frills and add a little glamour - before you can say chim chim cheroo, Victorian Chimney Sweep ch ic is in.

This is a look that works for boys as well as g1rls, especially 1f you're looking for a way to adapt last season's Hoxton mullet- just burn bits of your hair off at random for that authentic orphan scruff image. Brooms are the new hot accessory - it's rumoured that Fendi are creating an extra large baguette bag for storing foldaway brooms. Actually entering chimneys is optional , but hanging around fireplaces casually at parties is definitely advisable. Not only is soot a perfect alternative to kohl eyeliner, but the grime under your fingernails is this season's inverted French manicure. Just no Mockney accents please, this isn't Mary Poppins, and no, you are not D1ck Van Dyke.

Kat Realff

I

Fashion maths for the uninspired Not only is soot a perfect alternative to kohl eyeliner, but the grime under your fingernails is this season's inverted French manicure.

" I was 14, trymg to get mto Wh1rlygig 1n Hammersmith, so I was trying to look really old and sophisticated. I was going through a hideous ho stage - floral lace black see-through shirt, white mm1 skirt and white plastiC wedge heels with big black leather flowers on them."

Zoe Grunmbridge, HIS 2 (below left)

WIN: Storm watches

"Eclipse Jeans, Jungle Posse and Spliffeee waistcoats for pilling up behind the b1kesheds ... sweet."

AD, MGT 3 and Ritchie, HIS 3 "Modelling the new Brownies uniform for the rest of my pack - when the brown dresses got replaced by those culottes."

Gemma, MGT 1

conscious dec1ded to wear ALL my favourite clothes including a slightly faded, black t shirt, a shirt, two waistcoats of an ethnic persuasion and then a padded, red lumber-jac k shirt over the top. " Ed, SOC 2

"My 14 year old phase when everything was fluorescent, including my matching yellow fluorescent trainers and bag. Everyone took the piss out of me because I wore them both at the same time."

Rob, HIS 1

"Look at us- do we have worst fashion moments?"

Dan Lane and Gobbo 'G', Game Soc (above)

" Brown sandals, white socks pulled up and foot......-------~ ball shorts, wh1lst experimenting with a beard with no moustache ... the kids in. my area, they used to call me Jesus."

Sam, MTH 1 " Layers, I used to wear so many layers. There was this one time, on a nonuniform day and being so fastl ion

or students psychmg themselves up for a new semester of time, pressure and deadlines, contemporary watch designer Storm has created a new range of stylish and sophisticated watches that won't send poor students to the bank begg1ng for an extended overdraft.

F

LU M1NO:

"My entire first year- the general pensioner look.

Hi -tech trainers were involved somewhere, and a multitude of cardigans .

People used to call me grandma."

Hannah Richardson, EAS 4 " A distinct resemblance to Jarvis Cocker - lots of manmade fibres, I couldn't go near any hot substances for fear of melting. lt was 1997, I was '" the lower sixth. That doesn't excuse it though."

Joseph Cattell, EAS 4

(right)

.

Combin1ng advanced technology with user friendliness, Storm, has created the ultimate practical timepiece , the Lumina. Encased 1n a Simple, stamless steel setling, Lummo's secret weapon is a removable torchlight, hidden underneath the d1al. Activated from a button, easily reached through an opening on the s1de of the case, the technol1ght can be used either in the watch setting or independently · 1deal for boys struggling to get home in the dark after a late night session at the Student Union. £97.99 Stainless steel strap Software strap £89.99

NEMIPLEX:

Colour is back! Storm, innovative designers of watches and eyewear, have risen to the challenge and des1gned the ultimate watch, w1th a near InVISible strap, to match any vibrant clubbmg outfit. The new Nemiplex combines the trademark styl1sh designs of Storm with the sheer sensation of a seethrough strap ·a must-have for all the girls out

there who think they have noth mg to hide ...

Shimmering laser dials in radiant shades emphas1se Storm's ability to move beyond the merely functional; to be worn not only as a practical timepiece, but as a stnkmg accessory in its own nght.

Nemiplex

£54.99

Storm are givmg away a g1rl's watch and a boy's watch. All you have to do is email us on su.concrete@uea.ac.uk and answer this simple yet tnvial question: Which film contamed the song The ttme

of my ltfe?

Both ranges are available from Storm boutiques and stockists. For your nearest stockist call 020

7&74 6900.

1a

COFFEE BREAK

www.concrete-on Ii ne.co. uk

HOROSCOPES

Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 200 1

. (#.c-,,. scorp1o.

,m\ Libra

!'

T.J.T

Celebrity Libra Suzanne (Sept 28)

1!\\.

Aquarius ~\

-1,'"\

Sagittarius

/

~

Capricorn

Destiny te ll s al l Librans to have a very happy birth day. This means that you must dn nk cop1o us amounts of alcohol, go out 1n Norwich on Towni e night and be ve ry very naughty indeed. The se mi schievous feel ings are al l due to Neptune being in th e 'evil ' area of your chart.

You might be filled with th e need to st eal this fort night . Su ppress these incl inations as th ey wi ll get yo u into trou ble with th e law. My Dad 's a police man and he's going to put yo u all in ja il.

For those sad Libran s whose birthdays have already pa ssed you might be fee ling a bit run down for th e next few days, Saturn is havi ng a heavy inf luence on the hangover area of your chart. it suggests you drink lots of water and get lots of sleep. Th en go out and make yourself fee l ill agai n. You may feel the need to give yourself a massive image overhaul in t he next fe w days. This is good for you Librans.

You lack direction in your lives. Book an appoi ntment to see the hai rdresse r, and wh ile you're in town, get yo urse lf some of those nasa l pore strips. Th e skie s say you will have c lear skin , and rapid results in ju st f ive short days.

You Scorpions JUSt don't know when to stop. I saw you at the LCR last week. I warn ed you not to overd o it didn't 17 Work is high on your pri ority li st thi s month as you' ve suddenly been overcome wi th the need to ge t al l yo ur work done. The stars pred 1ct yo u will ge t fan tasti c grades ... if yo u spend 72 hours work ing sol id ly, with no breaks .

Not even for water. And then when you've finished doing that yo u should start spendi ng more time with your fr iends. it was very rude of you to neglect them. Who to ld you to do th at ?

If you look at the skies for f1ve m1nutes every night you will see yo ur wh ole future, just across from the Plough , below Ori on.

That 's it. Now how man y stars do you see? Th at's right , th ousan ds. You have thousands and thousands of co mpl icated and t1me-con sum ing tasks to co mpl ete . Don 't wo rry though as you should be able to tackle at least one of th em. However I suspect that you wi 11 spend most of your time in town shoppi ng for new shoes . That 's all very well, bu t you are n't going to change the wo rld with shiny leather.

Nostrad am us, on his dea thbed, told me to te l l all Caprico rn s that th ey wi ll have a ve ry big surpri se coming to th em in th e post thi s fortnight. it might be a chocol ate parce l from granny, it m igh t be a credi t card bil l, bu t wh at ever it is you will feel much bett er for recei ving it. You've been fee ling qu ite ambitiou s recentl y. However, planetary movemen t dic tates th at you don' t whore yo urself ou t to any old co mpany because th ey pay good wages. it migh t be a good idea if you visit th e supermarket th is wee k. Go. Now.

f.J

~Aries

fFtl

'"'Gemini

~Cancer

Now I've been told I was a little too harsh on you Tau reans last 1ssue so I 'm granting you a reprieve. Maybe you are an alnght person after all . I 'm onl y do1ng my job you know. If th e stars g1ve me messages, it's my duty to relay them to you. So this fortnight I'm sorry to have to tell yo u that you migh t be fee ling a little low, yo ur hea d migh t become a l1ttl e wide r and your body will resemble that of a hippo. it's for your own good, you understand. And 1t's also 1n your best in terests that you send me money pa rce ls, soon .

This fortnight you might be feelIng a little b1t poorly, so make sure that your housemates are looking after you. Its high time you l1ve out all yo ur sexual fantas ies too . Make sure you bu ll y your loved one into sa t isfy ing you completely 111 the bedroom.

If they don't, Mars gives you permiSSIOn to slap them. When yo u've fini shed shaggin g, you di rty li ttle bugger, you must concentrate on your socia l life.

Ignore your ala rm at 8am and never ever attend 9am lectures.

They aren' t good for your hea lth or skin.

I have a snea king suspiciOn that you are in very, very big trouble.

Destiny spells the letter 'B' . I'm not sure why, bu t you must stay away fro m peop le 1n Big Bl ack coats as they might flas h at you.

You are of a weak constitut1on and unable to cope with sc hool and work pressures at the moment. Best to stay 1n bed all day watching Lorraine and Trisha. Your boss won' t f ire yo u, I'l l see to that. A man named George wants to get 1n contact wit h you. The stars tell me it's becau se you owe him money, he lent you hi s bike.

Pisces

Taurus

You should feel lucky to be part of such an illustrious Aquarius el1te: Robbie Wlllla ms, Mark Owen, fat Ja mes from the Man ics an d you. And thi s fortnigh t yo u will start to fee l a lot like a celebrity. Watch the drama unfold as an entourage forms behmd you. You r friends wil l become you r PAs and you'll 'do lunch' in stead of ea tin g it .

Just don't get too ca rr ied away and become a primadon na.

Destiny spells the letter 'K'.

Interpret that as you wi ll but I suggest you loo k 1n you r 'K 'i tchen.

Don't patronise this fortnight . it's not big and it's not clever.

Sarcasm IS the lowest form of wi t. I 'm sorry to be the one that has to tell yo u th is but everyone around yo u is so afraid of you r fou l tempe r. If you enrol! in a yoga class it might help get rid of all that excess rage. The stars are tell ing me to rem ind you of a gu y ca ll ed Co lin or Ca llum 7 He wants to ge t in touch wi th you, so you'd better pul l your socks up. I think he might have some news rega rd1ng your swab res ults. Don't worry, though. it 's all go ing to be ok.

Oh dear, oh dear. oh dear. What have you been up to th1s week ! it's all very well you going off and doing your own thing, but look at the repe rcussiOns fo r once. You r mates and fami ly have no 1dea where you are, they think you've been l1v1ng 1n Brazil with a small boy named Raoul.

He used to shi ne shoes by the side of th e road. Thi s fortnigh t Jupi ter tells you to spend less time on work and more lime on play and physical recreat1on.

F1nd out more about an upcoming prOJeCt, or you cou ld find yo ursel f in troubl e.

(t.Leo

d

Frog and Rabbit

Yo ur new image will ca use quite a reac tion w1th th e oppos1te sex th1s fortnight, but don' t forget your current partner. While they may be goi ng through a ha rd t1me at th e moment they will reward yo u for yo ur support wi th sexu al favours.

The Sun is shin ing on your sign's fi nances this fortn 1gh t so look out for a com pet iti on wi n or windfall. Spend th e mon ey on you rse lf - yo u deserve it. Trea t yourse lf to an expensive toy you've had your eye on for a whi le. Then spend the rest on alcohol, whores and crac k.

Here's a story for you. A man looked in to a we ll one day. In the coo l :water he saw h1s en t1re future la1d out before h1m .

Suddenly a leprecha un leapt ou t and bit him on the nose. But what does thi s mea n, I hear you ask . Well, nothing rea lly. I JUSt fa ncied telling a little story. You must appreciate the fairyt ale aspect of life th1s fortn 1ght. Call yo ur fri end s ' Prin cess' and ' Sir', and sit by a raging fire ta lking of memories past . Oh come on. At least it's better th an t he pathetic excuse your li fe has become .

Just get out of it now.

Virgo

CONCRETE WANT TO WRITE? WE NOW HAVE TWO MEETI NGS A WEEK .

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Student Speak • • • Reports of the wrc terror have gained saturation coverage. it's a story that's divided the world.-. If America does succeed in capturing Osama Bin Laden what should be done with him?

"Castrat e him. Torture h1m for a long period of t1me. cause h1m senous amounts of pa1n and then release h1m 1nto Amencan society and see how long he lasts."

Vikki Shaw SOC 2 "Firstl y I think the America n gove rnmen t needs ha rd evide nce that he was directly Involved, because only then do they have the nght to do anything w1th Osama Bin Laden.

Fro m th ere t hey shou ld avo id assas inat ion or anything that wou ld let him become a ma rtyr to the m1ddle eastern fundamenta list Islamic commun1ty. In conclusion; extrad1t1ng h1m, followed by a long period of imprisonmen t wo uld probably bri ng h1m down t he righ t way."

Zoe Grumbridge HIS 2 "I don 't think we should go to wa r.. .we shou ld thi nk abou t 1t prope rl y... " Melissa Wender VIS "Well, I suppose Amenca shou ld be very, ve ry certain that Bin Laden is ac tually guil ty.. . if he is captured, he should be given a fai r trial pun ished accord mgly to the sentence."

Rox Edwards EAS 1 "Ask him shit-loads of questions and f1nd out as much as possible about his plans and fo llowers... there's no po1n t in shoot ing h1 m, it won' t solve anything ... " Kit Cecconi DEV 2

"Whatever America decides to do with him will cause problems as his followers would see him as a martyr, so more prob lems and violence co ul d and probably wi ll ari se."

Ano n DEV 1 "He should be hung from a tree and beaten with a big stick by t he American exc ha nge stud en ts."

Matthew Sparkes SYS 1

LETTERS

Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3 , 2001

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR PO Box 410 ¡ Norwich Fax 01603 506822

NR4 7TB Tel 01603 250558 Ej-mail su.concrete@uea.ac.uk

Freshers unfair I, like a number of other students, have attempted to buy LCR tickets th is morning only to be refused because I'm too old! I've bought probably more than my fair share in the past and age has never been a problem but because I am not a fresher, today I cannot get a ti cket. What rea lly bugs me about this is that there are a large number of events organ ised for the freshers wh ich only they are allowed to go to.

So why is it only they that are allowed to get t ickets for the LCR? K.Farragher {LAW 3)

The ugly truth We believe it is in the interests of your readers tb know about the constitutional scandal that has been seemingly stealth ily brought to pass.

In 'Students Forum ' last year, as reported by your newspaper, the new constitution was approved in an underhand manner that ironically broke the ru les of the old consitut ion . As many readers will be aware, members were illegally voted off Forum to achieve the quorum so that the constitution could be ' legal~ ly' passed . Unfortunately, it is doubtful now whether th is discrepancy can be rectified .

Now of course the Union is to be run according to the new constitution . What the reader may not know is that democracy has been exchanged for effic i e ~ cy (that is putting it generously) . Representative from the academ ic schools have seen their numbe halved to make room for representatives from societies; the argument being that whoever partakes in the Un ion should have a greater say. Imagine then ,

CONCRETE Issue 128 Editor Adam Chapman News Editor Katie Hind Feature Editors Will Halsey & Jo Locke Fashion Editor Astrid Goldsmith Assistant Fashion Kat Realff Sports Editor Alex Thorpe Assistant Sport Mike Mi lner Picture Editor Will Benthall Photographers Claire Burwell Ed Webb-lngall Proof Reader Tahsin Khan Illustrator Stephen Street Advertising Manager Elin Jones Letters should be addressed for the attentron of the Edttor. Adarn Chaprnan. Letters must1nclude conta ct details. but we w1ll cons1der anonymous publt cat1on. We reserve the rrght to edrt for length and clarrty as neccessary.

Optnrons expressed are not necessarrly those of the Publisher or Ed1tor. Use of the name The Event IS by arrangement w1th the copyrrght holders. Planet Zog Lid. No part of th1s newspaper may be reproduced through any means wrthout the express permrssron of the Edrlor. Prrnted by Eastern Countres Newspapers. Thanks to Un1on House Stewards and everyone at ECN Thorpe.

if the House of Commons were to halve its con stituent MPs in favour of representat ives from big business, who have earned their representation for employing citizens. Now then , the ugly truth comes apparent. Students, as students, will not be the prime concern of the union anymore. Instead soci eties will take control (better organised as they are compared to independent reps). In addition , only certain types of societies wi ll make full use of their position ; i.e. pol it ical soci eti es. In real ity, the plethora of marginal pressure groups wil l begin to dominate affairs and the safeguard of moderate independent representatives will be unable to check them . Single issue, narrow aims will be pushed at the expense of well -rounded legislation designed to aid our students. We, the undersigned representat ives from Conservative Students, (a group that could profit from the change) pledge to do our utmost for the restoration of democracy in our Union .

Nathan Bennett {Chairman), Toby Matthews (Former UUEAS Executive Officer), Pete Collins, Paul Goodchild (current UUEAS Executive Officer) and Andrew Holt.

Green appeal We wou ld like to assure students seeking alternat ives to the run-of-the-mill grey parties that there is an active Green Party society on campus, despite the omission from the Student Gu ide .

The society is campaigning on a wide range of issues. Locally, we are resisting the proposed road to the new hospital through the Yare Valley, instead calling for a direct access road from the Southern Bypass. We are part of th e campaign to save Earlham Hall , a listed build ing, from development into a science and technology park.

On a wider scale , we are protesting against New Labour's ever increasing insistence on the global free market and privatisation of essential services.

Green students also play a sign if icant ro le in Norwich Green Party's electoral efforts, which are likely to see the election of our first City Councillor in May 2002 .

We would be very pleased to hear from any students interested in working for a sustainable and just soci ety.

Adrian Ramsay (SOC3) and lngo Wagenknecht (SOC2), Green Party Students Society.

Belated note from abroad To the low-lites of society who wrote that poor excuse for a paper. Where are your facts? Where are your numbers? You say we didn't go to the moon (Issue 109: February 16, 2000). NASA has made available all the flight data (the fake data because we didn't go to the moon) for publ ic viewing. I've seen the video. We know there was a time delay.

What facts do you have to support your claim? You have the testimony of one guy saying that there were inconsistencies. Here's an inconstistency for you ... the ozone layer over the south pole is gone but the researchers there aren't dead. You know why?

Because it takes prolonged exposure to radiation to affect you! If we were trying to go to Mars, ya . Not having the Van Alien Belts would be a problem . So to you I say this: Get a life. Get with real ity. If you can't accept reality ,go kill yourselves 'cause society doesn't want you!

Alex Kaempen, a 15 year old kid from America with more brains than you.

P.S. Here are some theories for you to agree with : I think that we never summitted Everest because the pictures we've seen at the top could be of any mountain. Nepal is attracting people to it so they'll keep a lie. Ah shucks I don't have facts. Oh well I must be right 'CAUSE I SAY SO! !!!!! Think about that!

Correction We would like to draw your attention to a mistake in the Union Handbook. The takeaway listings on page 62 contain the wrong number for The Triangle 's Mr Pizza. The correct number is (01603) 615013. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to those affected by the mistake.

19

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3 , 2001

21

UEA HOCKEY CLUB BOAT CLUB SETS CELEBRAJE FORMER HENLEY STANDARD PlAYER'S LIFE Qualifi~illion ~~"~~!~emgn1 for UEA Ex team-mates collect cash in memo[Y. of meningitis victim ALEX THORPE Sports Editor

UEA Hockey players have raised £825 for the National Meningitis Trust in memory of a for mer player.

Mike Covell, who died of the disease on December 12 1997, was an active member of UEAHC early in the 1997/98 season.

His team mates of the time turned out, with a few ringers, to take place in a memorial match between the 1997 2nd XJ and the 200 I I st XJ.

Fundraising The fundrai sing event was simply going around the bar asking students for their money, and it paid off.

Covell , who wa a first year tudying Law when he died, was a popular member amongst the Hockey Club and had already shown his talent during his brief university career.

Club Captain of the time Tom Hawes aid that Michael had been

an excellent player. " He was liked by everyone, and would have peen the future of the cl ub," he added.

The Club have been raising money for the ational Meningi ti Tru st ever since, last year's Hockey Ball re ulting in a £250 donation.

The memorial match took place

Memorial on Sunday a(ternoon after one minutes silence was observed for both Covell and the victims of the World Trade Centre Disaster.

The atmosphere was distinctl y pre-sea on friendly, as mass substi -

tutions every five minutes by the Old Boy kept the game ti cking over.

Cheese Playing for a pre entation shield and 1.5kg of cheese - a reference to an anecdote of Covell's time at UEA - the de ire of the Old Boys to get one over on the ·young upstarts' was too strong as they surged to a 3- 1 victory and the lump of Cheddar.

Pres ident Richard Club Dickenson aid. ''I'd like to thank everyone who's got involved in this. " From all the players who have come back to everyone who gave money last night, th anks."

GOOD START FOR WOMEN'S HOCKEY Future for gromotion push looks brigld JOHN STEVENS

THE UEA HOCKEY Club Women's Firsts made a great start to the new season on Saturday, securing an excellent 3-1 victory over highly-rated Great Yarmouth.

In past seasons Great Yarmouth have lived up to their epithet, beating UEA 6-4 in the corresponding fixture last season, on the way to a final league placing of third in the table.

This time it was a case of sweet, sweet revenge for UEA as they more than made amends for that result with a performance of hard graft and skill.

The Yarmouth side that UEA faced was a pale imitation of last season's outfit, having to include a 13 year-old such was their player shortage, but, despite relative inexperience, were clearly no pushovers.

That was apparent in a tense

first half, which for long periods they dominated. Despite almost constant Yarmouth pressure over the first 20 minutes, the UEA defence, well marshalled by their outstanding defensive lynchpin Rachel Suckling, held firm. Only in the 22nd minute were the opposition presented with a sniff of goal, but Kale Barton in the UEA goal dived bravely at the feet of the onrushing Yarmouth forward.

This was a rare piece of excitement in a first half largely devoid of entertainment, despite the best efforts of Vicki Phillips and her biological banter on the sidelines. All that changed on the stroke of half-time however, as Kate Nichols, putting the 'sexy' into 'sexy hockey', drove home after a well-worked short corner.

Fillip This provided the necessary fillip for the UEA belles, who came out for the second half a team now firnijy in the driving seat.

Within - mintides of tt\e reBtaA tiEA's insPirational captait'\, ·eex· Strange led by example as sh-e scored a goal of quite breathtak-

For the first time since 1997 the UEA Boat Club was represented at Henley Royal Regatta when on July 4th the Men's 1st VIII rowed in the Temple Challenge Cup. Competing alongside the elite of both the British and American University rowing worlds, the UEA faced crews from Oxford, Harvard and Yale amongst others, not to mention O lympic standard athletes.

They were asked, along with 46 other crews, to qualify for 12 places 24 crews having already pre-qualified. The feat of qualification was made greater still by the fact that the number of entries was reduced from 48 to 36 crews.

The Daily Telegraph went as far as judging the Temple Cup "the toughest event" of the regatta due to this reduction in the number of crews that would eventually compete.

Five days after the qualification races the crew and its coach, Charlie Kepinka, was back on the

UEA 's Mens VIII qualifying for Henley

water at Henley to compete in front of a packed crowd of several thousand.

Drawn against Loughborough's 1st VIII in the first round , and despite losing ground after a poor start, the UEA crew gritted their teeth and came back several times at the Loughborough boat.

In spite of their efforts, though , they couldn't quite draw the extra reserves needed to keep up with their opponents, losing the 2112 metre race by two lengths.

For a crew consisting of six athletes in their full year of rowing , the only feeling was one of satisfaction at a proud end to a successful season. This yea r, the boat club will be hoping to build on this success and

see whether they will be able to go one step further at next year's event.

Fitness Challenge • THE BOAT CLUB began their new season off the water last week when four members of the Henley Royal Regatta crew took part in a publicity event for t he new Fitness Exchange lei sure centre, which has recently opened its doors at the Riverside complex.

The challenge took place in the Castle Mall, where passersby were asked to guess how long they thought it would take four rowers to row 41 ,000 metres on the Concept 2 Indoor machine-which are also used in the Sportspark.

Ben Whattam, Tom Baumann , Jamie Walshe and Andrew Vinsen comp leted the challenge in two hours, twenty-th ree minutes and filly-six seconds taking it in turns to row twenty 500 metre bursts each.

ALLSTAR TAXIS

ing audacity. Dribbling the ball past five opponents, she fired in an unstoppable drive that beat the despairing lunge of the Yarmouth keeper.

Celebrate lt was time for UEA to turn on the style, and soon it was Gemma Nicholls' turn to celebrate, a precision finish following more good work by Strange racking up an insurmountable 3-0 lead. A late consolation by Yarmouth's Ellen Vanl int was nothing more than that.

After the game, Kate Nichols was in celebratory mood.

"Getting the goal just before half time was really important.

We came back out thinking, 'yes, we really can win this', and I think it showed in our second half performance."

Such a dominant display will no doubt encourage high hopes for the rest of the season. With promising debuts from new recr\Jits such as Sarah Peck and Elea.,. Nicholson, the team ooul<j 'be set to li.lrn 'those hopes into reality as they push for ltleir second :promotion in three years.

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www. concrete-on Iin e.co. uk

Concrete's hard-as-nails football column ...

Studs Up

Edited by Will Halsey

Scum Again?

Norwich City have issued an apology to dead ly rivals Ipswich Town over an incident involving the Carrow Rd scoreboard. At haiHime m the Norwich v Burnley match, the electronic board flashed up Ipswich's latest score as 'Manchester United 1-0 Scum '. However, City fans are less concerned about the blip. ''Is there any need to apologise?" asks website canarycorner.com. "After all, it is a fact that they are scum."

Taylor's Death Wish? ~;;;;;;;ii~;;j&;i;;i;;;J Following Peter Taylor's sacking as Leicester City boss, it could be assumed the ex-England coach will be seeking alternative employment.

However, as anyone on the Unthank Rd would

lii

.!iiillfliilllij'ii•iiillliiii.IJiiill•.-l!lf testify, this should not r;;:..'"""""---"'----"--==::.:::...--=---=Prove to be a problem.

Strike lt Lucky.. .'

As strike action looms concerning the PFA's cut of TV money, the potential grows of Alan Shearer and Roy Keane standing side by side, captain by captain, in a picket line supporting the players' organisation.However, clubs have been quick to say that players will not be paid if they do not play, and for this reason, Studs Up is launching a campaign to supply the stars of the Premiership- and Tahar El Khalej -with food during this difficult period. With the disastrous consequences of Jordan going without champagne for a few weeks (though Dwight Yorke's spare time should compensate here) students are being encouraged to donate spare prime fillets of steak and salmon to the cause. If you're interested in he lping, email su. concrete@uea.ac .u k

Quotes Of The Fortnight "Players must stand up for their brothers and the honourable men who look after our profession and interests." Gianluca Vialli unites the masses for the long strike ahead. Or not, as the case may be.

"I had a conversation with Roy Keane about it and he agreed, saying 'They sold you like a cow'." Jaap Stam complains about Man Utd treating him like a piece of meat. Sadly, he appears to be playing like one for Lazio " Michael Owen isn't the tallest of lads, but his height more than makes up for that. " Mark Lawrenson shows why the BBC walks all over ITV's The Premiership.

Gary Neville's Soapbox

My Favourite Match ...

Name: Anthony Lovell HIS P/G Match: Southampton v Arsenal 19/5/01

"I

t was the last ever league match at The Dell. For a diehard Southampton fan like me, it was always going to be an emotional occasion, no matter what the result.

With the score at 2-2, and Sa ints playing well against one of th e best sides in the co untry, Matt hew Le Ti ssier, assuredly one of the greatest players ever to wear the red and white stripes, was sent on to win the game. In the 88th minute, he hit the fin est left foot strike of his ca reer to win it 3-2, and the roof almost came off the ground which had been our home for over l OO years. As if th ings cou ldn't get any better, the end of th e match saw the team going on a lap of honour around the ground, with the whole of the sold out crowd on its feet singing "Stand up if you love the Sa ints". As I left The Dell for the very last time t hat afternoon, I was in tea rs. Perfect ion."

Do you have a favourite match? Why not tell us about it by emililing 200 words to su.concrete@uea.ac.uk

Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2001

Boy from the Black Stuff Former Great Britain athlete Roger Black won an Olympic silver medal in hi s sport ing caree r, but now tours the co untry as a publ ic speaker on motivation in business. Nick Henegan met him at UEA ... t seems that betng famous qual1f1es you for anything these days and Roger Black is no exception. Once Britatn's premter 400 meter runn er, Black has reinvented himself as media darling, business guru and motiva tional speaker. The latter involves the eternally youthful Black standing up 1n front of a bunch of ambitious local businessmen and talking about himself for 90 mtnutes, making a series of tenuous links between his athletics training and his success in business. it's after one of these self mdulgent and ultimately useless events that I meet Roger Black.

After waiting for half an hour while he stgns autographs and accepts business cards from the great and good of the Norwich business community I wonder whether these local entrepreneurs realise that a great deal of Black's off track success is down to his fame rather than stunning business acumen or whether they are JUSt willtng followers of the cult of celebrity.

Finally Black strides over, looking re li eved to have escaped his admirers. I ask him how he got into publtc speaking.

"I JUSt fell mto it," he says in the blase tone of a man with life going his way. "You do well on the track and people ask you to come and speak. Some people run a mile because they are afraid of speaking to a crowd but I just felt that I had many references from my career that were relevant to other things. If JUSt one person takes something from what I say then I'm very proud to have affected them. it's a privtlege when people react when you are basically talking about yourself. Plus I get a lot of money for 1t, which I'm not ashamed to admit." it turns out that Black's athletics career started in a stmt larly unplanned fashion. " I never did athletics at school, I hated it. I always preferred team games like football and rugby. When I was young I always wanted to be a doctor but then I got D at maths A-level which meant that I was reJected from untversity. lt was the worst day of my life but in some ways it was also the best day of my life as it got me into athletics."

While taking a year out Black was invited to tram at his local athletics club. Two months later he was running for Great Britain and later that year became Jun1or European champton over 400m later that year.

Dressed in a simple black suit with boyish hair and lithe phystque he doesn't look like your typical hardened businessman but then , of course, he tsn 't. Throughout the earl y 1990s Roger Black was one of th e wo rl d's top 400m runners, winning gold medals at European, Commonwealth and World champtonshtps. There was one accolade that eluded him , however: Olympic Gold. lrontcally, tt IS winning the silver medal at th e Sydney Olympics th at he rega rds as his greatest triumph. The reason? lt was the best anyone could have done against the superhuman talents of Michael Johnson , the man Black describes as "a n extraordt nary ath lete, the type who on ly comes arou nd once in a li fetime". " lt was undoubted ly the greatest moment of my career. I ran the perfect race , my perfect race and came second," he enthuses. " I couldn't have felt happier. When I was on the podium I knew that both Michael Johnson and myself felt exactly th e same . If you know you have given it your best shot you feel like a champion, you don't need a gold medal to feel ltke a champion."

I turn the conversation to one of the most pressing problems factng athletics, performance enhancing drugs. Black becomes truly an imated for the first time during our co nversation. " As far as I'm concerned the vast majority don't take drugs, if I didn 't believe that ,.(: · then I co uldn 't cover athletics for the BBC. Plu s the greatest performance over the last te n years has been from Jonathan Edwards and if you meet him then you know he would never take drugs. I think it is dangerous to assume that if someone succeeds then they are on drugs".

With former team -mate Linford Christie having tested positive for banned substances in the past I ask whether Black himself has ever

been offered drugs.

"I have never been offered drugs," he says vehemently, "but I have been told by one at hlete that th ey really do work" . Enough to have beaten Johnson? " No, I wouldn't have beaten him even on drugs. No, I could never have run that fast. " Today, Black is best known as the presenter of the BBC 's athletics coverage that, with former ath letes John Regis and Sally Gunnel! as eo-presenters, is looking increasingly like th e Team GB media mafia.

I ask him whether he thinks the increasing number of ex-pros fronting sports broadcasting is a positive move. " I have to be careful how I answer this one " , he jokes before becoming deadly serious. "I personally think that it is a good thing because we bring a knowledge and a depth to the sport that you cannot have if you haven't done it. We've all got the knowledge to do the JOb and, wtthout sounding arrogant, if you ca n't do the job then you'll get found out. I mean you wou ld n't question Gary Lineker, Sue Barker or Mark Nicholas and hopefully myself so I think we are doing a good JOb. I can understand journalists thinking 'They 're only here because they're famous' but the world of television has become like that. So if you can do the job and have stood on the Olympic line as well it's worth everyth ing to th e viewers."

The tntervtew ends when Black excuses himself, saying that he eeds to get back to London. As I walk home he lis up at the traffic lights in an Immaculate silver Mercedes. He waves to me and I wave ck. The lights turn n and he roars off presumably happy to leave Norwich hav-

"You don 't need a gold medal to feel like a champion"

Roger B lack and his medal

-

Concrete

W EDNESDAY, OCTOBER

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SPORT

www.concrete-online.co.uk

3, 200 1

23

CITY'S IT ESS MIKE MILNER Assistant Sports Editor

Hinl:goal

Nlgel Worthlngton can be more than happy with the way his team has played so far this season.

Many fringe players bought by Bryan Hamilton last season who looked like they did not have a future at the club - have been playing some inspired football that has seen the Canaries continue their march up the table.

G ianluca, Elto n and Watfo rd came to Carrow Road on September 19, onl y to walk away empty-handed.

Composed City were two up inside 25 minutes, thanks to goals from Roberts and edergaard , before a poor pell saw Watford come back into the game after a goal from Ramon Vega.

1. Wolves 2. Burnley 3. W.B.A

4. CITY 5. C. Palace

P 10 11 10

W D L GO PT 7 3 0 11 24 7 1 3 9 22 6 1 3 7 19 10 6 1 3 0 19 9 6 0 3 9 18

COMING UP...

Crewe (h) OFF Due to International call·ups 9110 Walsall (a) 7.45 13110 Gillingham (a) 3.00 7/10

CLUB TOP SCORER 3 lwan Roberts

However, a composed display by the defence a(ld a goal from Mal ky Mackay sealed the three poi nts for the yellow and a comfortable 3- 1 victory.

Bum ley marched into town for a top-of-the-table clash the followi ng Saturday and fOa full house.

Destroyed Ci ty were hit by the news that Zema Abbey wi ll be out for the rest of the season, but despite intense transfer speculation regarding Jwan Roberts joining Cardiff, he instead penned a new two-year deal.

Gary Holt destroyed any possible nerves for the home si de wi th a 25 yard screamer in the fourth minute, and it was Roberts who doubled the lead in the 58th.

However, Bumley demonstrated why they we~e top of the table and played the better football for the remainder of the game. Despite th is, they cou ld onl y pu ll the game back to 2-1 as Cit)I'S defence held on.

However, jf City are to have any shout of promotion their away form

FooTBALL:

UEA FC have signalled their Intentions to junior football In Norfolk In spectacular fashion, scoring 16 goals in their fist two matches of the 2001/02 season.

Having won 7-1 away to Taverham (Crozier 3, Brown 3, Bamber) in their Rogers and Norton League opener, they went two better when Spixworth visited Colney Lane the following Saturday.

Gary Holt: picked in Scotland squad

must soon be sorted out, and quickly.

Hangover On September 26, a Preston side ufferi ng a play-off hangover convincingly beat Norwich 4-0.

Without Mackay the defence looked fragi le and disorganised , suggesting the decision to relea e Matt Jackson will backfire.

The defeat wa s followed on Saturday as they lost again - this Li me to Sheffield Uni ted.

Both the goals came in a period th at Worthington described as a " sloppy 10-minute spell" and Nedergaard could on ly score a late consolation in the 83rd minute. If onl y all their game could be played at Carrow Road.

World Class SRuash P.IBv.ers live UR to toR ANDREWTRIM

THE WORLD CHAMPION CHALLENGE Match between the top two world ranked squash players, Cassle Camplon and Sarah Fltz-Gerald, was another keenly fought match between the two stars.

The Challenge was the third match to be played in the series with Fitz-Gerald winning the first two in Cardiff and Tynemouth . Campion, originally from Norfolk, was hoping that with plenty of home support she could clinch her first win over her Australian rival. normal court, both sides got off to a shaky start. After some long and entertaining rallies, Youngs and Reeves won two games to one.

The challenge match then followed. Fitz-Gerald dominated play in the first game winning 94, aided by the help of a number

UEA 9-0 Spixworth ALEX THORPE Sports Editor

STARS PUT ON SHOW billing

Spectators were first treated to an exhibition doubles match between Norfolk number one David Youngs and Chris Reeve and Matthew Bolt, number six in England's Under-19 side, and lan Cox. With new doubles eye protection in regulations and a wider than

UEA off to great league start

of dubious calls by the referee against Campion.

The calls against the English star continued in the second game for Fitz-Gerald to win once again 9-4.

Despite the support, Campion , returning from injury, appeared to tire in the third - hitting lots of shots into the tin and being punished for loose shots. Sarah won the match 9-4, 9-4, 9-5.

Afterwards, she said she had played well despite losing and that these matches are good practice for her return to competition after a back injury.

Campion's aim though is to be in peak condition for the world championships in Melbourne in October where, if all goes well, they are due to play each other in the semi-finals.

Spectators were treated to a Question and Answer session afterwards which highlighted the extent to which they train .

Left: Campion and Fitz-Gerald in action at Sportspark.

UEA took the opportunity to try out a few new freshers in the easier setting of the league before their Norfolk Junior Cup 1st round tie against CNS Old Boys.

Stylish In their usual brand of stylish football , UEA dominated from the kick-off. Graeme Byrne and Richard Crozier both had good chances before the breakthrough was finally made in the 26th minute when Byrne rifled into the top left corner after Paul Jarrett had broken the offside trap.

Once the Spixworth defence had been breached, there was no stopping UEA as Andy Gaskell added another two goals

in the following six minutes.

Charging down a defensive clearance, Gaskell made it 2-0 before breaking the offside trap and rounding the keeper to score his second.

The Blues had effectively wrapped the game up by halftime. Terry Swann broke free down the left wing, and crossed for captain Jarrett to score after a James Brown knock-back.

And Brown , on for the migraine-suffering James Ryan, made it 5-0 before the break tapping home a Jack Cullis cross.

Two more early goals from Crozier and Jarrett in the second half equalled their opening day score, before a brace of goals in the 81 st minute from fresher

striker Nick Dyer completed the rout.

The match marked the final time the full first XI will play in the Rogers & Norton League this

Final

•

season, as from here on in the Junior Cup and the Midland Universities League take priority.

Their successors got off to a less than convincing start, only winning 2-1 away to Norwich Union A in the 2nd Division , while the A Team won 1-0 at home to Easton Reserves.

• In the opening round of the Norfolk Jumor Cup the Men's 1sts won 4-1 away to CNS Old Boys.

OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK • 20 Snooker tables • 3 pool tables • 2 American pool tables • Satellite TV • Video Games • £250 jackpot machines • Hot and cold food available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week • Licensed bar at low prices 10am·11pm, 12·10.30pm Sun I STUDENT MEMBERSHIP £1 St Mary's Plain, Norwich Tel: 627478 Only 5 minutes from Norwich market

I c.

••

!mpressjye Rerformances in national comRetitions Rromise a season to remember I I LUKE HARWOOD

UEA SAI LING CLUB had a summer to remem ber as they achieved some of their best results in recent years, which shou ld boost confidence for their upcoming events.

Both Dart 18 and Laser Radial competitors placed well in national competitions and are looking forward to the coming season.

Variety Luke Harwood, the club's Race officer, took part in the Dart 18 single-handed nationals held in Worthing, Sussex.

Through a large variety of wind conditions over the course of the regatta, Harwood finished 4th overall in a fleet of 30, which consisted of 3 former National champions and the current European champion.

From a mid-fleet position of 16th due to heavy winds, Harwood took advantage of the lighter conditions to take 4th place overall.

President David Day finished as top student at the 'TEVA' Laser Radial Nationals held in Paignton , Devon.

He finished 32nd overall out of over 90 entries in an extremely

•

Victor: Laser winner Steve Cockeri/1 finds some clear water

light wind regatta in one of the UK's largest classes, which has been a stepping stone for many of the highly successful British Olympic team including Laser class Gold Medallist Ben Ainslie.

Disappointed Day said, "I'm disappointed with my overall position . I'd hoped to break into the top 20, but given the conditions and standard I'm glad to finish as top student."

As well as runn ing RYA courses for new sailors throughout the year, the Sailing team will be attending the BUSA Student Nationals in Weymouth in November, along with their BUSA Team Racing qualifier in London, where they will be hoping to make it to the BUSA finals for the first time in the club's history.

FURTHER REJECTION FOR UEA Another successful UEA team has been shunned promotion by a local league through 'restructuring ' after the Netball team were denied the move up despite C) stunning 100% season in 2000/01 .

The Norwich and District League Division Three champions were told post-season that no promotion places were available due to an influx of new applicants whose ability was judged on their performances in summer leagues.

.......

This is another kick in th e teeth fo r winning UEA sports teams. UEA Netball Club won all of their games in their division last season, clinching the title, but have been told to stay in the league they won so easily because it has been judged that both John Lewis and

m

Drayton Marriotts, new to the Norwich and District League, would be better teams.

The purely arbitrary decision by the league has angered club president Rachel Taylor who, along with Director of Sport Keith Nicholls, has complained in writing to league

officials.

The decision to base the league structure on summer leagues seems designed to exclude the UEA side from any possible promotions as students are away on their holidays.

#21

Set by U.S. Morgan

Sponsored by

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r--------------------------, There 's a £10 book voucher from campus bookshop Waterstones up for grabs for completion of the crossword, ideal for all those course book purchases. Fill in your name and a contact number or e-mail address below and put it with the completed grid in the competition box in the Hive

by Fnday, 12 October.

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