Concrete issue 130 31 10 2001

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Issue 130 路Wednesday, October 31, 2001

YOUR AWARD-WINNING NEWSPAPER

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News Editor

been exposed as having a major role in the world-wide anthrax scares. Or Rahib Rashida Taha aiAwazi , who studied at the University in the early eighties, is now a key figure in the development of bio-weapons including anthrax. Dr Taha is now working under Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein. And Concrete can reveal that MI5 even visited the UEA campus to visit a lecturer who knew Dr Taha, in an attempt to involve him in encouraging his former student to divulge top secret information to the British and American Secret Services.

Plot MI5 agents flew the member of UEA staff, who wishes to remain anonymous, to America to meet up with Dr Taha as part of a plot to encourage her to defect. Norwich North MP Dr lan Gibson , a senior lecturer in BIO at the time Dr Taha was studying in the school, remembers when the secret service staff visited the campus. "The idea was that Dr Taha wanted to defect as I believe she was fed up with what she was doing," said Dr Gibson . "I don't think a direct meeting took place when the lecturer flew to America, but he definitely stayed in the same hotel as Dr Taha." But despite knowing she was involved with Iraqi warfare , the

Labour MP was still shocked to hear that the former PHD student is connected to the anthrax threats. "I am amazed, I never thought she would be hell bent on being in charge of an Iraqi programme like this. She told me she was going back to be a teacher." "She was a very quite girl and had no obvious political interests at all. Perhaps, looking back, I should have tried to recruit her into the Labour party," said Dr Gibson.

Recluse And Dr Taha's advisor, Professor John Turner, who taught her in BIO between 1979 and 1984, has spoken for the first time for over four years about the powerful Iraqi labelling her a recluse and unpopular. "She was a nice girl, but was only liked by a small number of people. She was reclusive." "Her two best friends were Iranian and I remember vividly the two girls watching the television when the war between Iraq and Iran was going on. I think they both had relatives there, but were two opposite sides, it was really poignant." And he is shocked at the news which could make Dr Taha, who has been dubbed Dr Germ by UN officials, one of the most dangerous women in the world. "She wasn 't an outstanding student, I never thought she would go on to do something major, you could have knocked me down with a Continued on page 3

INSIDE: MELVYN BRAGG INTERVIEWED PAGES 10-11

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Concrete

WE DN ESDAY, O CTO BE R

3 1, 2001

LYING CHARITY rtfAL~E CAUGHT OUT

PLANS to change the name of the Union were by Students' rejected Council last week.

• UEA graduate exposed as Dr Germ , Saddam Hussein's anthrax adviser.

• Union reject charity event. • UEA students successful at Fringe.

• Foreign students face deportation. • UEA second in drinks league table.

• New library opens in city centre. • Rag relaunch .

• UEA trying to appeal to poorer students • Golden Triangle burglaries continue.

• Philosophy lecturer attacks university over freedom of speech.

• Concrete continues its Class of 2002 Campaign.

FEATURES

New charilY. misled Union over campus events WILL HALSEY

A CONTROVERSIAL new charity has come under fire after promoting events that do not exist. Uniaid is a charitab le foundation aimed at raising money for students - but Union officers are unhappy after fliers advertising an event at the University last Friday we re circulated - despite OPM appearing at the LCR . And they claim that they have been misled by Uniaid in their attempts to arrange events at UEA.

Poverty

PROFILE: South Bank Show and celebrated author Melvyn Bragg interviewed in depth.

LIFESTYLE: • Fancy breaking up with your respective boyfriend/girlfriend? it's never as easy as it might seem . • National Stress Week is November 7. We look at various ways of dealing with it. • My First Time- the fireman . • Your problems answered .

TRAVEL: An examination of hippie central Byron Bay, plus a 60 second look at the home of The Sound of Music, Salzburg.

SPECULATION: A year ago The Sun claimed there was a gay mafia running the country. We take a satirical look at the situation a year down the track.

LOOK: • Photo synthesis: an examination of new forms of fashion advertising. • Big Bird chic in The Equation • Cullotes dresses come under fire in Faux-Pas.

SPORT 21

• UEA's footballers draw 1-1 with Oxford in home BUSA opener. • Leicester's MUL side are no match though , crashing 7-1.

• Studs Up: Concrete 's sideways glance at the world of football. • Darren Kenton , Norwich City defender, talks to Concrete.

• UEA tennis and table-tennis sides suffer home defeats. • BUSA Roundup.

• Mixed fortunes for UEA's basketball sides. • Your prize quick crossword.

"We obviously welcome any organisations that work to reduce the burden of poverty so many students face ," said Union Welfare Officer, Pally Evans. "However, we were not fully assured how profits from any event wo uld be spent. Uniaid descriptions of fund all ocation were vag ue and confused - this gave us no guarantee profits wo uld reach UEA students," she added . The new fo undation launched on October 26 with a week of campus events across th e cou ntry, inclu di ng a 52- hour co ntinuous play record attempt at Manchester Metropolitan Un iversity. An d Uni aid re presentati ve,

Emil y Latham, defen ded the organisation - insistin g they are positive and want to help students. "Uniaid was created because the average student leaves university £12,000 in debt, and one in six leave university before graduating because of debt problems." "We offered universities the opportunity to put on a campus event to get involved in Uniaid. All money raised would then go direct to th e Welfare department," said Ms Latham. "So far it has been a tremendous success and we have been overwh elmed by universities wa nting to get involved next year," she added . But student unions across th e co untry have raised co nce rns about th e charity.

Concerns "We have contacted a number of student unions who express sim ilar doubts about th is organisation and are not participating in events ," added Pally. She also defended the Union's decision not to participate in a £1 Uniaid screening of cult Kevin Smith movi e Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, which is now avail-

T he proposal , whi ch wo uld have seen the current name, the Union of UEA Students (UUEAS) changed to the UEA Stu dents Uni on (UEASU) were quashed when the maj ority of members voted against it.

Un ion bosses, who were also against the swap, were concerned that it would cau se unnecessary work and massive costs to change legal documents and Union property. Union Communicati ons Officer. Emma Reynolds backed .the decision. ·The amount of money that it wou ld ha ve cos t the Union to change the name is vastl y disproportionate to any benefit that wou ld be gained." 'T here does not appear to be any reasonable expl anati on or the desire to go to the tro uble of it." said Emma.

HELP FOR STRESS Above: Union Welfare Officer, Poffy £vans

able to City College stud ents .. "We weren't co nfident anyth ing Uniaid promised would co me to fr uition after bad experiences."

Understand "But we understand th e film will be popular with stu dents and regret students will miss out," added Pally.

STUDENTS can now relax t hanks to a stress reduction workshop which will be running next month. The cli nics, which will be run by Dr Pearl Cooper, teach basic relaxation ski lls which can help reduce te nsion and i mprove sleep, concen tration and confidence. The work shops will be running on November I S and 22 - from 6pm until 8pm. Tickets cost £5 for stu dents and £7 for others. For more informati on contact Pau la Middleton on 01603 59265.

POETRY GROUP ON FRINGE OF SUCCESS JOANNE BUTLER

THE NORWICH Fringe Festival ended in success for two UEA students last week when they won the most refreshing new act with their poetry group, Aisle16. EAS second years, L uke W right and Paul Joyce were joined by the group's two other members, Ross Sutherl and and I an McKenzie, for a night of poetry, plays and comedy. Now the success ful group have won spon sorship from local beer compa ny Adnams to go to Edinburgh and take part in the city's Fri nge Festival nex t year.

Thrilled And Luke is thri lled at his chance to perform in Scotland. "It is an honour to win the competi tion and it will be brilliant for us to go Edi nburgh as for peopl e involved in the arts scene, it is the big one, there are lots of opportuni -

ties up there." said Luke. " ! know that i f we put the hard work in. we will get it as we have the support from Ad nam s," he added.

Better And Luke hopes that the nex t performance wi 11 be better - as he has plans to use more equ ipment. ''In Edinburgh we want to use more mu lti -media, we will have films. a DJ and slides." And Aisle 16 have also had anoth er success thi s month and are set to be on te levision. They took part in a TV pi lot in London last week ca lled 'Beat Two· and will be on air in the near future. But stu dents can experi ence Aisle 16's poetry at Jazz Cafe nights in The Hive.

NEWS3

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Post-grads in trouble after work row

Above: Norwich North MP, Or /an Gibson

Continued from page one

KATIE HIND News Editor

TWO INDIAN students could be ordered to leave the country after being caught breaking their working visa. The pair of international students were temping for_ Norwich agency, Aptus Personnel, when they were found to be working more hours than their permit allows. The students were arrested when police swooped on them while they were working at a chicken factory in Eye, Suffolk.

Risk And University International Students Adviser, Carla Stanton, has issued guide-

POLICE APPEAL AFTER THEFTS POLICE have warned students living on campus to be on their guard after reports that two local girls have been stealing from University residences. The pair, who are from Wymondham, have been posing as students pretending they have forgotten their keys in attempts to be let into campus accommodation - where they have helped themselves to COs and other equipment. Police have described one of the girls, who has been heard boasting about her actions in local pubs, as being aged 19 with shoulder length blonde hair, medium build and about five feet seven tall. Anyone with any information should contact PC Matthew Ell is on 01603 768769 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 I 11.

lines to ensure that more foreign people at UEA are not at risk. She has advised all students to check their passports to check they are eligible to work - and has reminded those who do work that they are limited to 20 hours employment each week.

Agreement

allegedly working in excess of 20 hours per week during semesters," said Ms Ogden. And she insisted that all foreign students have been alerted to the problem by the University. "All international students are being reminded by the University of Government rules restricting employment," she added.

University spokesperson Annie Ogden admitted th'at the two students were violating their agreement with immigration officials. ''The University is in discussion with the immigration authorities concerning two international postgraduate students charged with breaching visa regulations by

Trouble

compromising their studies by working too much." "I'm not sure if that is anything to do with immigration though," said Ms Halliday. This is the second time that Concrete has found Aptus Personnel to be involved in controversy surrounding students. Last term the Prince of Wales Road firm were found to be treating workers from UEA unfairly.

Aptus Marketing Manager, Alyson Halliday admitted that the students were in trouble but claims it was due to them working so they missed their lectures. ''They worked for us, but the reason they are in trouble is because they were seen to be

They were accused of not paying their workers properly, overloading their mini-buses which transport their staff to a range of Norfolk factories and not carrying out proper hygiene checks.

Accused

Above: Concrete's expose of Aptus

EA COME SECOND IN DR NKS SURVEY UEA rated one of the chea'-est in UK

feather, I was flabbergasted," said Prof Turner. "She used to buy my children presents and when she came back from Iraq she would buy my son really nice dates. We went through all that and we never even thought of anthrax." "I don't know the evidence about what she is doing, but I'm sure it's right. When she left, I never heard from her again," he added. Dr Taha, who lived in Waveney Terrace and Earlham Road, is now married to a leading official in the Iraqi government. And she is believed to have started the Iraqi biological weapons programme after recently buying samples of anthrax from America by mail order. Intelligence experts have also claimed that she created a remote-controllable plane which is able to spray enough anthrax to kill thousands of people. Her Iraqi weapons department is believed to have been behind the making of 10 billion doses of germs and thousands of gallons of anthrax. Dr Taha, whose studying at UEA was funded by the Iraqi ministry of higher education, is also under suspicion of being in charge of testing anthrax and other bio-chemical weapons on Iranian prisoners. Office But a Foreign Spokesperson has also admitted he is worried about the situation in the Middle East. "We are concerned that Iraq still has chemical and biological weapons and is seeking further capacity to develop them. "But to link the country to the attacks in America is only speculation," he added.

A RECENT survey of pub prices revealed that UEA is one of the cheapest universities to drink at. 16 universities took part in a bar price comparison and across a wide range of drinks UEA came in second place. The survey looked at the cost of eight different drinks - including lager, SmimofT Ice, Jack Daniels and coke and the average price at UEA was just £1.50 compared to £1.71 at Kingston and Sheffield Hallam.

Economical Along with Anglia Polytechnic Univer ity, UEA is rated the second most economical place after Bristol to buy a pint of premium lager. Overall Loughborough proved to be best for students on a budget with their average price for a drink being just £1.44, while the most expensive drinking holes are in

Kingston and Sheffield Hallam. Union Finance Officer, Jon Cox, is delighted with the findings - but hopes that students will not be tempted to drink more.

survey and we're sure that people have been to cheaper Unions. And we would have liked a survey to be

more exten ive so that we would be able to have a far clearer picture of the differences," he added.

Pleasing " I think that although many students sometimes feel out of pocket because of drinks prices, it is pleasing to see that we offer cheaper drinks than many other Student Unions, even in the orth." " However, this is no excuse for students to drink any more than they already do, even cheap drinks soon add up," said Jon. But he also believes that the urvey is not completely accurate as such a small number of universities took part. " We are aware that thi s is a small

PROFESSOR LMNGSTONE TOP DEV professor lan Livingstone died from a brain tumour last month. Professor Livingstone, who suffered a brain tumour, spent most of his life working abroad and with foreign governments. Professor Livingstone leaves his wife, Grace and four children.

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Concrete

W EDNESDAY , OcTOBER

31, 2001

Cutting-edge libra[V_gRens its doors HELEN SH AR PE

STUDENTS will now be able to study at a state-of-the-art centre after the opening of the city's new library last week. The building, which is part of a 拢63 .5 mill io n Mill enni um project for the East of England , replaces the old library which burnt down fol lowing a raging fire in 1994. And with the University's library being the only one in Norwich, the Millennium commission, Norfolk County Council, the

City Council and the business community joined forces to fund a new one.

Landmark The library is situated inside Norwich 's modern landmark structure - called the Forum and features popular titles, interne! access and word processing and desktop publishing facilities.

And it will not just provide its customers with books - there are thousands of CDs and videos available to hire too. Forum Spokesperson , Jodie Batton claims the new library is going to be useful for everyone, providing better services than before including places to eat and drink. "lt has lots of new innovations

and features and it is much larger and better equipped than the old central library."

Connected "lt is also connected to 50 branch libraries around Norfolk so that everything in stock across the country can be identified for people wanting them and be reserved ," said Ms Batton.

New charitY. societv. formed HELEN SHARPE

UEA is set to have a new Rag society after the previous group ceased to run last year. Pres ide nt Becky We ll s and he r comm ittee ha ve introduced th e new c lub aft er the old one fo lded due to a lack o f su pport. Rag Society Secretary, Lizzie Cook is pleased at the chance to start the soc iety up again. "The Presi dent, Becky and I wanted to join Rag this year, but there was no one representi ng them at Socmart so we decided to take it on ourselves,'' said second year History student, Lizzie. "We arc goi ng to start off small apd work our way up and I hope we will be able to match Rag's achievements of last year.''

Ideas And Liaie c laims that the new members already have ideas to raise more cash for charities - but is appeali ng for fund ing to al low the society to get off the ground. " In the past Rag raised huge amounts of money, sometimes as much as 拢3000 per event, we wou ld welcome more members and have lots of events planned already, including a mini rag week ." 路路we arc open to suggestions for new events or charities."

We arc also thinking o f constructin g an academi c ca lendar for 2002/3 but we would need sponsorship to pri nt them" she added.

organi se events and projec ts to raise fu nds for charities.

Nation-wide

Other planned events for the near future include a a possible pool competition, a Christmas hamper fo r the elderly and a slave or date auction.

The soc iety, which is present in mos t un ive rsiti es nati on-w ide,

Events

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2001

UEA TO APPEAL FOR TRIANGLE LESS THAN POORER STUDENTS CiOLDEN Uni bosses to attract less well off

Thieves target student houses again

KATIE HIND News Editor

WILL HALSEY

UEA is set to have more students from poorer backgrounds following a warning from a Government official. Last week Estelle Morris told vice-chancellors from universities nationwide that they should do more to get applications from working class people. Ms Morris claimed that the odd summer school was not enough and instead constant contact is needed with schools and colleges. Pro-ViceBut University Chancellor Moya Wilson has insisted that UEA bosses are working hard to entice potential students by offering a series of schemes. 'We have been doing summer schools for the past two years and we plan to do it again this year. We have 200 people from inner city areas who wouldn't normally go to university."

Extend 'We are also going to extend the scheme by having students going into local schools and mentaring A-level students. We are currently working with Earlham and two schools in Thelford," said Ms Wilson, who is responsible for External affairs, local community issues and admissions. And it is not just students that the University is targeting. Parents need to be persuaded that the cost of doing a degree is

worthy for their children. "it's important to engage parents from early on . We have looked at how we can put the message over that the money is worth the effort of university. We are also hoping to increase our participation in parents' evenings and speech days," she added.

Debts Despite attempts to get poor students into higher education, students are still concerned about running up huge debts. But Ms Wilson intends to raise money for hard-up students by asking former UEA alumni to contribute. 'We are going to do a telethon this year and ask our alumni to donate to student access funds. I think they might want to contribute as they were poor once." "Political lobbying is needed to make sure whatever decisions are made does not make the situation worse. The Dean of Students office has given out much more money than it used to five years ago too." But UEA is currently not meeting benchmark targets introduced to get working class students into University. A figure of 12% of students from a poor background has been set. UEA has managed to reach 8%.

A UEA student was left shocked after returning home to discover a burglary in progress. EAS student David Swettenham returned to his house o n Trinity Street last Sunday eve ning where he discovered a man dressed in a black leather jacket - running away. " I came back at about seven, there were no lights on in the house and the door was open. A bloke appeared at the door, walked past me and told me he wasn't trying to steal anything," said David. "It didn't occur to me immediately that he was a housebreaker until he said that, it was over so quickly. lt was dark and I didn ' t see much," added David.

High-risk University Liaison Officer, PC Matthew Ellis warned that students in the Golden Triangle are in a highrisk area for break-ins. "The Golden Triangle is a hotspot for burglaries at the moment. The main problem is the whole area is

connected by alleyways and people enter through the rear of the premises."

Simple But he insisted that simple procedures can make properties more secure - and force burglars to find an easier target. "Make sure you've got window locks, and deadlocks on the door.;. Don ' t have things on display through the windows, and you can buy timer.; very cheaply for leaving lights on," said PC Ell is. " lt 's all about making the burglar make as much noise as possible in entering. If they've got to smash a window or break a door they'll disturb the neighbours," he added. PC Elli runs a fortnightly urgery for tudents to seek crime prevention advice. The next surgery is Wednesday October 31 at the Dean of Students office between 24pm.

PROF WINS PRIZE AN HONORARY graduate of UEA has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine. Professor Sir Paul Nurse, who began his research career in BIO is delighted with his honour.

"I am thrilled to win the Nobel Prize, particularly as the prize celebrates its centenary this year. it is important to remember that it is a team effor though," he said.

DIRT ALERT Survey_Rroves students are dirtY. A RECENT survey has revealed that students live in houses which are dirtier than pubs. Student accommodation has been described as bei ng so dirty that it would be better for students if they moved into their local,

writes Becci Lawrence. Dirt in student residences is 30 times more than that found on pub floor.; - and 50 times more than shops.

Grime One square metre of the carpet in one of the grime filled houses studied contained two and a half kilos of soil. Chris Tu lieu , Marketing Manager ofVAX vacuum cleaner manufacturer.; who commissioned the research believes the findings have seen the beginning of a new generation. ''The dirt content of the student carpets highlighted a new kind of

....

per.;on we dubbed the 'loathe-toclean-teen'. When students leave home and go to university the coast is clear to be messy," said Mr Tullet.

Clean But a spokesperson for Prolet Property Services, who rent many houses to UEA students claims that their houses are very clean. "We form a good relationship with our clients, and this year.; residents have been very good." And Prolet holds regular inspections with their tenants . " If anything is particularly bad, we may ask for a damage contribution." We have had bad situations over the year.;, but we do go and meet out clients and form a two-way communication. We haven't had to evacuate anyone yet." he added .

Multi award-winning Continental Italian restaurant A la Carte menu using fresh Italian produce 65-seat function room- free hire Open 10- 11 every day (11 - 10.30 Sun.) Taking bookings now for Christmas Thursdays - Live Jazz WIN a meal for two on page 3

,. . ., 15째/o student discount with NUS card'""

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Concrete

W EDNESDAY,

31 October 2001

FEE MARCH STUDENTS will be able to air their views on the current higher education funding system at a regional rally in Cambridge.

SOC tutor in row over American terrorism LIZ HUTCHINSON

A LECTURER has hit out at the University, claiming that he has been gagged by the Communications department over a complex political issue. SOC lecturer Rupert Read has complained that an email forwarded to all mem bers of staff notifyi ng them of the Euro pea n day of mo urni ng held to remem be r those tragica lly ki lled in the A merican terrorism did not recognise the thousands of other people killed in te rrorist attacks over the years. He wrote to the University Head of Communications, Alan Preece to ask him to make an amendment to th e plans - but was refused on the grounds that the staff email is used sparingly for important information only.

But Mr Read and many other University members are angry at the actions who claim the university should not be seen to take a particular political stance. "The problem is that the email had an air of neutrality but real ly it was taking an actual point of view. While we mourn for the people in the World Trade Centre we shou ld also mourn for the people in Iraq and Afghanistan who have been killed by Britain and the US over the years ."

Important The lecturer, who was involved in a protest at a nuclear submarine base last week ,

believes that this important issue needs to be dealt with. "I don't think he should have sent out the email that he did , it seems to me that we should have had a discussion on it. The university should handle different political points of view.

Militarist "UEA is covertly going along with the rampant militarist agenda that Blair and Bush are pushing ," he added. But Alan Preece has defended his actions - insisting that the controversial email was used to notify staff of the day of mourning , the chaplaincy service

and possible disruption to the arrival of American students.

SPORTS SUCCESS UEA'S first sportsnight has been labelled a success after over £500 was raised for the hockey team .

Sparingly "The all staff email is used sparingly to avoid everyone by being overwhe lmed messages. Many colleagues across the campus have taken the wide range of opportunities available through news groups, email and face to face to discuss these difficult and complex issues," said Mr Preece."There is ample evidence of debate with all views represented which suggests that the allegations of 'gagging' are wide of the mark," he added.

Th e protest. which is being led h) the Union. has been sponsored by Th e Mirror newspa per in an aucmpt to abolish fee <, a nd \\in ha c ~ financial s upport for student >. T he Ea'>t Ang lia rally will be on Tuesda y Nove mber 20. Anyone wanting to be involved in orga ni si ng the march shou ld contact su.com rn s@uca.ac. u~ or for more information contact su.acadcmic(Q uca .ac.uk .

The e\ c nin g. w hi c h took place l\\o weeks ago. gave sports teams the chance to celebrate arter the1r midwee~ BUSA matches. "E \Cl') one enjoyed thc1mel ves.

it \\·a, a gn:at ...,ucccs...,_ The

Above: Rupert Reed

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crJtass o 2002

Concrete

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER

31, 2001

r------------------------------------

CONCRETE crila.s.s 0~ 2002 criampai9n

TWO weeks ago we launched our campaign for a better graduation for UEA students. Last year, many students were disappointed with the ball being held in the LCR and the ceremony taking place in the old sports centre they believed that their last night at University should have been far more special.

research this with Concrete and present our suggestions to the University in the hope of achieving a change ." Emma claims the Grad Ball is no easier - because it costs too much money.

Through our campaign , we hope to put pressure on the organisers of the events to ensure that they are that much more memorable.

"A similar problem faces the Grad Ball. The idea of changing it is not a new one - it is not held in the LCR because we are hell-bent on saving costs." And the Union have plans to meet with students and find out exactly what they want. "We'll be happy to listen to the students on this and give any explanations that they ask for. We hope to hold a discussion forum with the ents depart- L.,._ _ __.._ __

Victory And we have already had one victory. Union Communications Officer, Emma Reynolds , has promised to back the campaign but has warned it may not be easy. "We would support a campaign in finding an alternative venue for graduation if a suitable one can be found. However, it is important to remember that this has been tried before with little success at finding a venue for it," said Emma. "We appreciate though that a lot of students are unhappy with the venue, indeed I was one of them, and we are happy to

Problem

ment and with all graduating students to discuss plans for this ball," said Emma . year's

What do you think? If you haven 't submitted a questionnaire yet, please fill out the one on this page and return it to the Concrete office in Union House addressed to the Editor, Adam Chapman, or put it in our pigeon hole.

Ceremony 1) Oo you think the university is right to hold the graduation ceremony in the Tyndall Centre?

O Yes

2) Wou ld you be willing to pay for tickets if the venue was changed?

OYes

3) How much would you be willing to pay?

£1-5

3) How far would you be willing to travel for a better ceremony?

£5-1o

1-2 miles

£10-15

2-5 miles

£15-2o

5-10 miles

Ball 1) Do you agree with the decision to hold the Graduation Ball in the LCR ?

OYes

2) What price to you th ink the Grad Ball should be if it is held in the LCR?

£5-1o

3) What do you expect to be included in your tick€¥ price?

fairground rides

fortune teller

limited alcohol

Z-list celebrities

a name band

Other .... ......... .... .

4) How much would you be willi ng to pay if the ball was to be held in a different venue with whatever you have chosen above? 5) Would you be prepared to pay to travel to the venue?

0 O

£10-15

£15-2o

0 0

£2o-3o meal

£2o-3o £3o-4o £4o-5o £5o-6o 5-10 miles O 10-20 miles O 20-30 miles OYes

6) How far would you be prepared to travel ?

SO IS UEA THE PlACE TO GRADUATE? Prices and Services A4 single sided copies A4 double sided copies . A3 single sided copies A4 full colour copies .. A3 full colour copies . A4 black and white transparencies A4 full colour transparencies .. A4 full colour from slides . A3 full colour from slides . Comb-binding . Fast-back binding . . . A4 laminating .... . A3 laminating .

While UEA students were not impressed with the Grad Ball last year, are graduates at other higher education institutions in England any more satisfied? Are their leaving events better than ours? Concrete found out what other students get for their money on their last night at University.

.. ..... .. 5p . . 10p ... 10p .. . 50p . .... . £1.00

Essex

.. 45p . ...... £1 .. .. 75p . .... £1.20

Essex students pay £40 for a ticket with a 3course meal or £27 for ents only. The ball consists of a marquee with live bands such as Atomic Kitten , Chicane and tribute acts. Graduates can take part in karaoke, casinos and fairground rides. 3,500 tickets are available and it finishes at 5.30am.

. . from £1.50 . .. trom?Op

.. ..... SOp . ..... . ... £1.50

Gifts and Novelties from your own photos or artwork

Sheffield

Badges ........ . from35p Key rings ... . . . . . • . . . . • . • . . . . . £1 .25 Coasters ....•..... . . £1 .50 Mugs . . ........ •. ...• . .. . •. . .. £8.00 Mouse Mats . . .... £8.00 Baseball Caps . . .... £8.00 . .... £12.00 Jigsaw Puzzles .. T-shirts .... .. from £9.95

Sheffield's Union do not arrange a ball , but separate departments have their own. But they do have an end of year carnival for all students (like our Summer Ball) on their campus. 3000 tickets are available at £25 each. it's just a party night, the Lightning Seeds and Bjorn Again sang last time.

You will need to allow 2-3 days for collection of the above items. full

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Located opposite the Tyndall Centre (old Sports Centre)

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Bath Bath do not have a Grad Ball either, but do have a summer one. it's at the races course nearby and caters for 2000 students. Tickets cost £38 for a meal and £28 for ents. They had Shed Seven performing last year and their ball features a fun fair.

Brighton

Unhrorslt J' of llrltlhton

No ball is organised by Brighton by the Union as there are lots of different campuses far away from one another. Students arrange their own with people from their courses. A typical Grad ball would be in a hotel with a sit-down meal.

Lough borough

1_11 Loughborot •

Last year Loughborough had a masquarade ball with a Bungee run , bouncy castle and fireworks . Tickets cost £32.50, which includes a buffet, breakfast and a couple of complementary drinks. Last year Loughborough played host to Jools Holland and various tribute bands.

Cheltenham & Gloucester The Union at Cheltenham leave the work to outside organisers. it is a black tie event which can cater for 1000 students in the town hall. Tickets are £20, includes a champagne reception . Tribute bands appear.

University

COMMENT

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Concrete WEDN ESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2001

Opinion

Terrorist breeding ground

Above: The Forum, a new addition to what is fast becoming one of the most up and coming cities in the country.

More than fine? Will Halsey says that with new attractions across town, Norwich is fast becoming a city for the twenty-first century. And he wasn't even paid to do it. eet Mr X. Mr X is trying to decide which university to choose . Mr X is visiting said universities and examining the courses on offer. And Mr X is also taking a look around town to check out the local scene, gauge the nightlife and see just where he will be living. it was this end bit wh icf-J used to let UEA down . Don 't get me wrong, in many ways Norwich is lovely. The castle is impressive, the Norfolk broads are but a short tra in ride away, and the city centre is very pleasant. Indeed , I'm sure there are plenty of students here that have more than a little bit of affection for the quaintly named ' Fine City.' But as soon as you mention cl ubbing or impressive, state-ofthe-art facilities, UEA students typically become a I ittle quiet. In many ways, Norwich is just that: a little quiet, and a f ine city. But - and this may come as a shock to those settled into Norwich life Norfolk might be about to go 21st century on us.

This may come as a shock to those settled into Norwich life, but Norfolk might be about to go 21st century on us

This is definitely the t ime to be in East •Angl ia (if such a concept exists, that is) . Norwich City are riding high in division one, hinting at promotion to the Prem iersh ip. Norfolk is becoming the destination for Londoners desperate for a country retreat (and driving house prices up a staggering 50% in two years) . A spanking new hospital is opening to keep the retired old people of Norwich alive a little longer. And a new high-speed rail link to Cambridge is in the pipel ine to add to the top quality London service . God , at this rate we might even get a motorway. But the jewel in Norwich 's crown , as of this week, is the new library. Called the Forum - yes it's poor but let's disregard that for a moment the millennium-funded £63 .5m complex looks, qu ite simply, top notch. Now, we 're all students here and I'm sure you 'll agree that getting excited over a library is a rare even t (unles~ it comes to shagging in one of those study rooms on the third floor, but that 's something else entirely) . The differen ce here is that someone with a bit of intelligence has come up with the design and , bril liant ly, included a bar and classy restaurant. That's right , as wel l as being made of glass, full of books and looking quite spectacular, the Forum also contains pizza and alcohol. Genius.

ut if you take a look around the whole of Norwich, we 're not doing too badly there either. New bars are springing up left, right and centre; there's the odd place to eat, too. Okay, so if you want to go clubb ing (and that's proper, serious, going-for-the-music clubb ing)

then Manchester, Sheffield , or London may su it you better. But the downside of picking a huge city is the cost - from basic prices to accommodation to insurance you 'll get screwed . I know what you're thinking - just who from the Norwich tourist board , or UEA admissions for that matter, has paid me to write this? it's a good question ; maybe I'm just trying to convince myself that th is is the place to be . Or maybe I actually like it here. Whatever, there 's a decent chance Mr X will take a walk around Norwich, see the Forum, see Norwich City, see the new bars- note I'm not mentioning the concrete jungle that is UEA here - and think, "yes, this is the place for me to spend the next three years of my life. " Or not. In fact , I bet only a minority of students will even use the new li brary, and those new bars are always full of townies, and no doubt Norwich City will piss it al l up the wa ll come Christmas, and who wants a rail link to Cambridge anyway? Oh bollocks. I'm not going to get paid now, am I?

That's right, as well as being spectacular, made of glass and full of books, the Forum also contains pizza and alcohol. Genius.

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

The revelation that UEA educated an Iraqi antrax mastermind allegedly creating technology capable of killing thousands could be seen as bad publicity. Indeed, any association with the terror attacks that are sweeping America is difficult to view in a positive light. But the University cannot be held responsible for Dr Rahib Rashida Taha's work since leaving the institution - in fact, it could even be commended. Not many students wi 11 leave U EA and go on to great things, but here is one such example. Dr Taha 's development of anthrax is not a positive move, not great in the conventional sense, but nevertheless significant. Like it or not, Dr Taha is now a crucial world player, and one that the West must sit up and take notice of in the fight against terrorism. Perhaps a true great will emerge from the corridors of University in the future. Perhaps there is a future Western world leader currently learning their trade at UEA.

Commo·n people UEA is not attracting enough people from poorer backgrounds to university. And despite the target set being only 12%, the university has only reached two thirds of that figure. Admittedly, schemes are in place to up this figure in the next few years. But the question is whether these schemes are enough. lt can only be hoped that the new Government measures - in conjunction with UEA's attempts to attract the less well off - reverses the trend of rich over poor.

Filthy So university accommodation is filthy. Big news. Indeed, anyone enjoying the comforts of your average student house could have told you that without the need for a survey. But the revelation that your average student floor is 30 times dirtier than the pub is quite a shock. In fact, you might want a stiff drink to take that in .

PROFILE

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Concrete WEDN ESDAY, OCTOBER 31 , 2001

•

The South Bank Show is celebrating 25 years on television, but presenter Melvyn Bragg regards himself primarily as a writer and has produced 18 novels. Will Halsey met him to find out how to juggle television, writing and personal trauma

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elvyn Bragg is not 45 years old, he just looks it. And as the suave 62-year old strolls purposefully into the English and American Studies meeting room, he looks every inch the television personality of a quarter of a century. Except, he 's here to talk about his writing. "I could've learned a lot here ," he says, looking round the room of Creative Writing MA students. "There was nothing like UEA when I was starting out . This place is full of friends ." This does not come as a surprise . For although there is a significant element of feeling you should dislike Bragg for his somewhat smug approach and habit of sly namedropping (see Martin Amis, Seamus Heaney) , it is actually very hard to do. Furthermore , he has the ability to talk about writing without sounding entirely up himself -which is no mean feat. "Writers finish the stories everybody starts," he c l ai m s ~ " Writers don 't have something different to everybody else. " Bragg should know. He has been writing for 43 years, sign ifi cantly longer th an his 25 year stretch fronting the South Bank Show for LWT. He also regards himself as a writer not a broadcaster, albeit reluctantly. " I'm a writer who broadcasts, " he confirms. " I hate to say that because it seems to put broadcast ing in second place, but I've given up broadcasting for writing, and never writing for broadcasting. "Th e schedu le fi ts into my writing. The truth is, and this may sound idealistic, when I 'm writing, I feel most intensely who I am. I can 't do that for more than three or four hours a day, and I can 't do

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it every day of the week, but there's something going on there that makes me feel more keenly who I am than anything else ." Bragg clearly enjoys talking about his writing, but is also refreshingly aware of the need to do other th ings, to work in the real world too . He has never had ambitions to be a writer, and never believed that he wouldn 't have to take alternative employment . " lt never occurred to me that I could make a living from wr it ing, " he explains. " Thai meant I had to have a job and earn money. I scarcely know anybody who earns enough from writing alone . "Th e on ly time I haven 't worked while writing is 1968 to 1972 , and I got very depressed , very broke and al l sorts of things went wrong in my life. I reali sed then that work gave me a great number of th ings I needed to have. I love solitude, I love being on my own writing a novel, but working with other peopl e brings things out of you . One of the joys of television is the people you work with." espi te a quarter ce ntury on television and a CV boasting 18 novels, life hasn 't been all joy for Melvyn Bragg. He grew up in Wigton in Cumbria (and still maintains enough of an accent to add to his brin ging-arts-to-the-masses appeal) before leaving to go to university. He maintains it was a happy childhood, but as an only child living above a pub his teenage years were by all accounts awkward. He has described "a particular sort of private , locked-in desperation. There was a time between the age of thi rteen and fifteen or sixteen when I had a sort of nervous breakdown , unacknowledged by myself or anyone else." He got through - rei igion played a part - and went to grammar school , before being awarded a scholarship to Oxford. " I didn 't long to go to university," he adm its. " I had no aspirations for education , I co uld 've stayed in Wigton quite happily -there was a lot going on there ."

But despite the lack of a burning desire to attend university, Bragg's three years reading history had a profound effect on his life. Generally a happy time , Bragg developed many things at university, including a love for writ ing . " I liked doing things, " he says simply. "I loved writing, I loved making a film . I liked acting and toured Germany with the Tempest. I played rugby, I sang in the choir. And it sounds awful but I kind of Ii ked reading history. " I started writing poems - at that age you write either because you 're in love or not in love . But writing fiction came quite suddenly. I wrote a short story at Oxford and decid.ed that's what I want to do for the rest of my Iife ." Bragg also met his soon-to-be wife Lisa Roche; they married in 1961 after graduating at the age of 21. But things soon began to go wrong; her parents adm itted she had suffered mental illness. Severe asthma and back probl ems left Bragg little more than a nurse , before Lisa's mental problems escalated in the late 1960s. She committed suicide in 1971. In 1972 , he returned to work in the media as well as continuing to write. He remarried a year later, and now has two children with second wife Cate Haste . And despite the tragedy in his life , he insists that he has not used writing as therapy. " I hope I haven 't used writing to deal with difficult times in my life, " he maintains. " I'm not of the school that believes writ ing is therapy, except in extreme cases. When someone dies, you write, but it's a different kind of writing, a holding on . When you write fiction, you then turn it into something else. When I wr ite fiction , I suppose I want to extend myself in certain ways. " Recently, Bragg has been hugely affected by the death of his father six years ago. But despite his clai ms to the contrary, it wou ld appear that Bragg has used writing to confront his demons . " I now think more about my father after writing those two novels [The Soldier's Return and A Son of War), " he

1968 to 1972 I got very depressed, very broke and all sorts of things went wrong in my life. I realised then that work gave me all sorts if things I needed. "

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2001

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PROFILE

admits. "lt might have had the effect of making me think harder, but that wasn't what I set out for." Bragg uses the term autobiographically based to avert intruding eyes from his recent work, but is aware that you can't avoid drawing on personal experience. "You can make efforts to disguise you own life if you wish, but in fiction it is difficult. Scene after scene in a Son of War, if you asked me if that happened, no, not that I remember. But that sort of thing was around. "Some people make huge efforts in departing from their owe life, but then along comes a scholar a generation or two later and says, 'that's exactly what happened to them."'

ecent focus on Bragg has concerned his completing 25 years with the South Bank Show, the bastion of arts on television. Bragg is also an outspoken defender of television as a medium, and speaking as a writer, broadcaster (he fronted BBC Radio 4's Start the Week for a decade) and presen路 ter, he is in a good position to make the case for the defence. "Anybody who says television isn't important is a complete fool," he says bluntly. "Television is now the eye on the world. After September 11, the...only question in town was 'did you see?' Television can have a massive influence." But despite the importance Bragg places in the power of the image, he claims to have no interest in his own. "Unfortunately, I'm not very conscious of my image," he says. "If I were. I wouldn't have to keep getting told to get my hair cut or that I'm wearing the wrong jacket. I'm not very bothered about it." That doesn't fit with the Melvyn Bragg who looks a good decade younger than nis years, but he jogs, keeps himself busy and claims to do a job that allows him to take a lot on. "I've found a job I love and that gives you energy rather than drains it," he explains. Indeed, Melvyn Bragg has recently upped his workload further in becoming Lord Melvyn Bragg, but while speaking on particular bills- the recent broadcasting bill, for.example - there is still, it would appear, a student trapped in Bragg some路 where. "You can have a bit of influence in the House of Lords," he says. "But I'm quite happy to be a backbench Lord- anything e!se means extra work."

Heading South: a potted history of the South Bank Show Twenty five years is a long time in television, but the South Bank Show soldiers on regardless. Will Halsey looked for the secret wo million people. That would fill Old Trafford 15 times, but is regularly what The South Bank Show pulls in on a Sunday night in a celebration of the arts - no mean feat. How the programme has done this is a good question in a television environment more suited to instant gratification than artistic appreciation. Indeed, the show has offered retrospectlv~s of artists from every sphere. . Not only this, the show has also just entered its 25th series, another rarity in television today. And despite the quarter century milestone, presenter Melvyn Bragg insists the programme hasn't changed massively, merely evolving with the times. "The South Bank Show has developed in the sense that we're hiring new young producers who are putting their own slant on the show," he explains. "We'd never have dreamed of doing Tracey Emin 20 years ago, but a producer wanted to it so I went along with it. "People thought Emin was a drunk, a phoney. By the time the South Bank Show had finished with her, she appeared as she is: an intelligent, interesting young woman who has had a terri路 ble background."' Bragg sees the future of the programme in the hands of these young producers, although he admits that not every programme grabs his attention. "If you ask me if I like all the subjects equally, no

I don't. But if I'm going to employ talented people, I have to go along with them." The programme has always looked to subjects of popular culture as well as more highbrow material. Alongside Guilini conducting an orchestra was Mick Jagger or the Beatles. Blackadder and Fawlty Towers would be treated with the same seriousness as Tom Stoppard or Woody Alien. Indeed, some of the more notable recent subjects have included Blur and Steve Coogan. "I think Steve Coogan's brilliant," says Bragg, ~we pioneered doing documentaries about comedy writers, and we've continued that. Steve Coogan was clearly the best shot in town. New people are coming up - and that's what is new, not the basic drive of the programme." Certainly, Bragg sees the programme reflecting a resurgence in arts over the past few decades, and while he stops short of claiming some credit for that rise, he is c,ertainly proud of the role the South Bank Show has played in maintaining the promotion of the arts. "One outstanding feature of our .national life over the past 40 years has bei:m the rise and rise of the arts and arts audiences," Bragg wrote recently. "Galleries in which, in my youth, mice could safely roam, are now crammed. Opera audiences increase. Where theatres are well-financed, they are well-supported. Movie audiences multiply. More novels are written and poets have their own gigs. There is plenty of talent; all that it needs is the opportunity."

Contemptnry subjects: A.bowe, D.lmon Albam. LBft, Stntt Coopn

Ll FESTYLE

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2001

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The honeymoon period is over, the single bed is feeling smaller every night, and the Fresher feeling just ain't there anymore. Answer? Dump 'em. Amaris ElliottEngls found out the Qest way end your relationship · ou don't fancy your girlfriend anymore. Your boyfriend just isn't listening. You want to be single. You like someone else. All you do is fight. Conclusion: you want to break up. Now all you have to do is tell them. The -easiest thing to do might be to stop calling. But be warned, "the worst way to do it is not to call them," says Sieve Rackley (ENV 1). At age 13 he dumped a girl by never calling her back. Later, after experiencing the method himself with a girlfriend who moved to another country without the guts to tell him she wanted to break up, Steve absolutely rejects it. "it was just bad. You have got to let them know you're alive." But if th e not calling method is out, then what is an easy method to dump someone? For Hayley Brazier (EAS 1) it's "best to come to an amicable.decision." Her easiest break up came when she was kissing her then boyfriend. "We just sat there and I said, 'it isn't t he same anymore' and he agreed. it was cool that we came to a decision together." In ''Rebuilding - When Your Relationship Ends," Bruce Fisher, a divorce therapist, advises that open-

ness and honesty lead to the healthiest break ups. "[They) end with a fraction of the pain that could be there from trying to stretch the relationship into something it is not," says Fisher. For Chris Fernandes (EAS 1), it was better to get it straight when his girlfriend of six months wanted to end it. He explains: " She was brutally honest and said she couldn't give as good as I was giving her." Even though it was difficult in the beljjnning for Chris, he thinks that frankness saved their friendship. "We still believe that we are soul mates. VIe were so close before and during our relationshi:> that we had to stay friends," Chris says.

Girls: How to lose your guy•.•

Whilst brutal honesty can work, sometimes little white lies can go a long way. When Hayley stopped fancying her ex·boyfriend she didn't know how to end it. "I didn't know how to tell him and I didn't call him for a week and half. " When he finally called her, she didn't tell him that her sexual interest had dimmed and instead asked him to stick tc their agreement to split up when they went to university. But, despite breaking up they still talk often, xoving that it is possible to remain friends. The honesty policy also applies to using a break up request as a ruse for addressing problems in a relationship. For visiting student Becky Judycki (SOC), saying that she wanted to break up was a bad move. "I wanted to create a problem to stir things up a bit because our relationship got really boring. I really regretted it and I lost a great guy," said Becky. But as Louise Worthington (SYS 1) explains: "The honest way works best, but it doEsn't work out if the other person is stubborn." A long distance ex continued to send her constant text messages for two months after she told him "that long distance things

"These once a month 5 minute bedroom sessions are wearing me down. It's· too much for me." "I'm washing my hair. Every day. Twice a day. Forever." "You're just so amazing in bed - I have to let you go. lt would be selfish of me to deprive woman~ind of your prowess." "I've seen woodlice bigger." "What do you think of this wedding dress, darling?"

"I wanted to create a problem to stir things up· because our relationship got boring. I lost a great gul'

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've fallen in love with my best friend's girlfriend and whenever they have an arguement she flirts with me loads. I keep trying to forget about her but because I see her so much I'm finding it really hard. My friend asks me for advice when they fall out , which makes it me feel worse. What can I do?" Worried second year "I think that you should be very careful. If you tell your friend what has been going, you could risk losing a good mate. On t he other hand, if you reject his girlfriend, she might get vindictive and tell him you've been trying it on. I think that you should try and stay out of their way and go out with other frinds. If your friend says anything, say that you don't want to intrude on a them. Perhaps get him to go out with you on your own without her there. Then you get the best of both worlds." Emily HIS 2 "If he's your best mate you will either forget about her or suggest a 'menage a trois' to your friend. Maybe that will diffuse the tension. If it doesn't happen, at least you tried." Vicky ENV 3 " If he is your best mate you should stay well clear of • his girlfriend. People will end up getting hurt, and that includes you." Sarah MGT 1 "I think that you should forget about her. When they argue, you should go and get friendly with your mate. Boys are better to have sex with than girls." Alice HIS 1 " I think that she's only flirting with you to make him jealous. What a tart! Don't fall for her evil charms!" Chris MGT 2 "Dude, forget about this girl! lt's not worth the hassle. Blood is thicker than water, and friends are-your family here." Brett EAS 1

Boys: How to let her go.•.

"Even if you did get it on with her, you wouldn't be able to trust her because you know what she is like with her boyfriend now. So, just leave her and get on with it." James LAW 2

"I lied about my age. I'm really 13 years old."

"Your father made a pass at me over Sunday lunch. I really liked it."

" If she is offering it up on a plate, it would be rude to say no!" Jonathan MGT 3

" I was bitten by a radioactive squirrel and I now have superpowers. I'm sorry, but the world needs me." "I used to be a woman. Yep, it's prosthetic."

"You should tell your mate about the flirting. it doesn't sound like she cares much for him. But don't even think about seeing her. Friends' girlfriends and boyfriends are always off limits!" Alex HIS 1

"I was thinking about our holidays. How about Afghanistan?"

"Don't even go there! lt's your best mate! What kind of friend are you?" Kate EAS 1

November 7 sees Stress Awareness Day attempting to relax Britain, but what causes the plague of the new century in students? Zoe Lambert investigated

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don't work and we should just be friends," said Louise. Eventually ~e stopped the harassment because Louise stuck to her break up resolution. Whilst getting back with your ex can be tempting if you 're not used to the sudden singleton lifestyle, it isn't always the best move. Gemma Clark (LLT 1) learned the hard consequences of getting back together with her boyfrieud. "I kept dumping my boyfriend and then deciding that I really liked him again" said Gemma. After repeating the cycle for so long, she regrets losing contact with an important person in her life. "Now he doesn't want anything to do with me." After learning the hard way, Gemma now advises to "try to justify that you want to be friends and that you do want to have something to do with them." So, the lesson seems to be honesty is the best policy if you're thinking of dumping a not-so-loved one. Whilst breaking up will never be easy, it will always be better than staying in a dead re lationship. Remember that it could be a good idea to remain on speaking terms, and don't slag them off to all your friends, because if you change your mind and want them back, you'll want to keep your options open.

Winter blues Stress, the buzzword of the 21st century, has become a symptom of "modern life." But is it actually, as some have suggested, the real millennium bug? "There are many myths about slress," says Caroline Raymond, a contributor to Stress News. "Some people think it means an individual is weak and unable to cope and that it only happens to 'high fliers.' · "Others think it is an illness. Many individuals are confused as they believe thct pressure and stress are one and the same.'' Pressure can be the required factor to get the adrenaline going in order to write that essay, but being stressed out can make you panic and lose any ability to concentrate. This is when you reach for ten pints of Stella or four bars of chocolate. The first thing that comes to mi1d for students

Ll FESTYLE

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Concrete WEDNESDAY; OCTOBER 31, 2001

as a cause of stress is exams, but there are lots of other causes at UEA, with just coming to university being one problem. With a complete change of lifestyle - probably your first time away from home - not to mention extremely stressful decisions at the other end about the rest of your life regarding careers and the like. Money problems are also a major stress factor at university, with major debt being unavoidable rather than an extravagance. If you work as well, then there's no time to even think let alone relax. Never mind problems with housemates and landlords and boyfriends or girlfriends. But what is stress? Or Rae Burn suggests it is all to with reacting to events. "lt is not what happens to us but how we react to what happens to us that causes stress," he explains.

But not everybody realises that they are stressed - but feelings of anxiety, loss of concentration, and being irritable, moody or upset are handy signals. Also, ·students increasingly experience a definite lack of feeling in control when things get . too much. Many students develop erratic eating habits with the choice being all or nothing. Often people have difficulty sleeping and th e subsequent t iredness aggravates everything. Headaches and becoming more susceptible to colds are common. lt's also possible to develop a strange rash or hair loss as a result of stress, which is guaranteed to then worsen the situation. But whilst stress is something that is increasingly relevant to all of our lives, i1 is a condition that is not fully underst ood. Perhaps days such as November 7 can change this.

• • •

Stress reduction tips For Body Do take time out tor yourself. Try a long bath. Do some exercise. lt relieves tension and releases endomorphines. Eat complex ~bohydrates like pasta and rice tor sustained eneraY·

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For Mind Manap your time: plan, make lists. Enhance assertion and say no to added pressures. Talk about problems with friends or a councillor.

Herbal Remedies Bach Rescue Remedy (available in Boots) tor moments of panic. Quiet Life or Kalms {also, Boots) contain passaflower and hops which have calming effects and aid sleep.Ginseng improves your concentration.

The UEA Cqunselling Service provides stress management workshops. Call 01603 592651 or emall csrOuee.ac.uk tor further details.

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The Fireman "Having fended off the adolescent advcnces of several over-enthusiastic boyfriends, by the time I reached the ripe old age of 17 I was gagging for a bit of action - and who better to IX>P my cherry than a twenty-six year old fireman? Despite the fact that I already had a bajfriend, I had been flirting with Roger {yes, I knoH) for weeks and had taken to wearing no knickers when I knew I'd see him, 'just in case'. After about a month of frustrating sexual banter we had taken to meeting in the shadows at the Waitrose car park and sneaking off to out-of-theway country pubs where 'Roger would ply me with drink and th en we'd have a quick fumble in the back of his Astra before he dropped me off at Nick's house. One night Roger decided IQ follow our usual drink with a tour of the fire station Including a particularly in-depth look at the inside of a fire engine. I'm sure you are mentally making all the gags about hose pipes, ~hiny helmets and uniforms, and let me assure ~ou that, despite the fact that I didn't get to see flashing lights, the cliches are all true. Oh, and semen is not an easy stain to get out of fire retar:lant trousers." Elin HIS 3

TRAVEL

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Shi·ny hippy people The clocks have gone back, the winter is drawing in. Why not drop everythin.g and move to hippy paradise Byron Bay in A.ustralia? Ruth Charnock advocates a visit

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2001

Sorry where? Yep, one of the lesser known but equally stunning cities of Austria. Tucked over to the West of Austria, this beautiful city attracts crowds just like Vienna. Let us not forget that The Sound of Music was filmed in the surrounding mountains and tours are non-stop for those musical fans. So what can I find hidden within these side streets? Well Mozart's birthplace for one thing. The irony being that McDonalds is situated right opposite and so one can munch a Big Mac whilst dreaming about the great composer himself. Designer shops mingle with gift shops frequented by tourists but everything is situated in old stylee buildings making even the interne! cafes look picturesque.

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Hmm, I'm still not smitten. Tempt me some more OK, how about a divine fortress. The Hohensalzburg gives the place a real battle feel, and for extra authenticity try pretending to gallop around the castle grounds with a make believe maiden tucked under one arm, or alternatively just gaze over the castle walls and absorb the beauty. Glacier exploration is also very popular. lt gets very chilly but the caves are magnificent and worth putting on 15 layers for!

Why Salzburg and not Vienna? Salzburg has a compact city centre and you can't get lost, even if you try very hard. And if you like Baroque architecture, then this is the place for you. If you don't know what Baroque is then Salzburg will teach you, with some of the most awe inspiring churches that make a lot of bell-induced npise. Go on a Sunday to see the bull washers (Name for natives of the 'berg turn out in their masses.

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Food? Any extensions on Mcdonalds? Lots of elegant cafes full of goatloads of snooty waiters just dying to frown upon us student types. If you like cheese inside turkey, breadcrumbed and deep fried (reminiscent of Bernard M himself) then Austria will tickle your tastebuds. Vegetarians beware. But try the odd pastry/pre~zel things- cheese or chocolate highly recommended. Any time special to go? The Salzburg festival starts in the last week of July and goes on into August for all those classical music bods, with some theatre and opera thrown in for good measure. And f inally.. Salzburg has some beautiful mountains surrounding it, so if you get a chance take a tra in ride down to Ljubliana, the ride wi ll take your · breath away. Trains run from Vienna to Salzburg and t he trip through the valleys is equally amazing. How do I get there? Flights start at around £79 return from Gatwick with Airtours, and similar deals are also available with Going Places. There are quite a few hostels, but the Youth Hostel Nonntal is the closest to the city centre. Gemma Kingswell

rom t he instant the intoxicating whiff of hashish and tofu kebabs whipped its merry way around my nostrils, I sensed that Byron Bay was no ordinary place. Situated on the north coast of New South Wales, Australia, Byron is a Mecca for disillusioned office workers, middle-aged hippies and rosy-cheeked young gap-yearers alike. Nowhere else will you see such a plethora of New Age paraphernalia, as well as every variety of bong you can imagine. I had spent May of 2001 travelling down from Cairns as part of my year out. But this was my first taste of an Australia that wasn't the ubiquitous " Kangaroo-tinted with a soupcon of "Neighbours barbie - G'day" crap that is sold to impressionable travellers as the "Australian Dream" . No, this was grade-A loopiness. This was how I imagined Haight-Ashbury had been back in '69. Except it was winter; tie-die doesn't look so good in the rain. And your spliff develops a severe case of brewer's aroop. . Old men lingered on street corners handing out flowers to fresh young things and told them they were beautiful. Perverts ihey may have been. But it was all so lurverly. I found myself wandering around with a permanent inane grin stapled to my fea-

tures. I gravitated towards every flower-bearing philosopher I could find. Sample conversation: "Dylan got it right, y'know? When he said 'the answer is blowin' in the wind', it really was y'know? Really. Truly." Other delights included "Billy Connolly is the second coming". I could just about deal with that. But then: "I am God. I am you. We are all nature - trees, grass, rivers. Let's

Posters, scarily, advertise "mixed age group love sessions" go worship back at my place. I have weed". I escaped. He was old. He was barechested. He had daisies in his hair. lt was all very disturbing. Byron Bay also provided abundantly for those among the human race who are hellbent on self-discovery. Pre-natal yoga? You got it. Aura cleansing? Faster than you could say: "Just give it a spritz of Mr. Muscle and it'll come up beautiful", Byron's own yodas will have you karmically squeaky clean, make no mistake.

No McDonalds here. Oh no. Byron prides itself on not pandering to the homogenised take-out generation. ·If it's lentils you want, however, yummy. Keep you regular, you know. When I tired of crystals, wind chimes and Native American panpipes, I slipped down to the beach and watched the surfers. The cries of "There's an awesome rip coming your way, duuuuuude" clashed somewhat with the yoga group chanting in the sunset, but it all added to the ambience. Byron is a little too comfortable with its sexuality. A giant phallus-shaped rock stands outside the local cinema. Posters advertise, scarily, "mixed-age group love sessions". With its aura of unrestrained hedonism, people were "bonding" like enlightened rabbits all .over t he place. Free love is alive and very, very well in Byron. What would Harold say? I was only there for 3 days. Yet it was long enough for the incense to pervade my clothes, the weed to enter my cel ls and the lyrics to Joni Mitchell's 'Woodstock' to be forever embedded in my consciousness. I departed the hallowed shores lighter of step and heavier of wrist. Too many friendship bracelets - never good. And I left, quite spookily, with a sense of how the world would be if Austin Powers were God. Altogether now: "We are stardust..."

Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2001

www.concrete-online.co.uk

SPECULATION

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a in's ma 1a we ve man son

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Last November, The Sun ran a front-page story claiming Britain is run by a gay mafia . Since, Brian has won Big Brother, Em inem has sung with Elton John and George Clooney has grown a moustache. Ed Williamson takes a sideways glance at British culture one year on. ;

The result of a Gay Mafia? Michael Portillo's defeat (above left), Big Brother winner Brian (above centre), the Sun's headline from Nov 9 (above right)

hat with all the various distractions of international terrorism and the threat to civilised society as we know it, we could be forgiven for failing to notice other goingson in the world. But, as the world is finding out, it pays to be vigilant. With the help of various, ahem, official sources, I am about to divulge the greatest secret this country holds, the one thing they don't want you to know. That's right: while you have been side-tracked by the pictures from New York and Washington, I have been delving deep into Britain's underbelly, unearthing information that will make you question your very citizenship. For in the course of my research, I have discovered that the government holds no sway over this country. Neither Tony Blair nor even Alistair Campbell make the decisions. Great Britain is run not by elected members of parliament, but by the Gay Mafia. That is if you believe The

Sun. I know what you 're thinking. You've got a mental image of the members of Frankie Goes To Hollywood in pinstripe suits, hiding

machine guns in Gucci holdalls. The reality is far more sinister. Deep in the heart of Soho lies a building with interior decor that would put Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen to shame. Within is

Barbara Streisland and Kylie Minogue. At a giant table with Cosmo and Vogue fanned as a centrepiece, sit a body of men making decisions that affect our day-to-day Iives. These are the individuals who make the country tick. How many of you watched Big Brother over the summer? Well believe me, so did they. Notice how quickly Paul's departure was precipitated after he had a go at Josh about pretending to be gay? How many of you thought that Helen was a shoe-in for the £70,000 prize? Me too. A quick visit to Channel 4 from Gay Mafia consigliere Frankie 'San ' Francisco later, and the money went to Brian, a man gayer than a hoedown in a sweet shop. You reckon Slim Shady wanted to do that duet with Elton John? You obviously didn't notice the moustach1oed man in the gallery with a sn iper rifle trained on him . And how do you think Boy George managed to get a col umn in the Sunday Express? lt is tenu ous examples such as these that led

Portillo was not gay enough. If only he'd carried on with his university experiments and ridden into Westminister on a pink horse. In the course of my investigation I paid particular attention to the Conservative leadership election. Could Michael Portillo, a man with selfconfessed previous homosexual encounters to his name, possibly rise to become the leader of a right-wi ng political party? I watched t he television coverage in anticipation, waiting to see if the Gay Mafia could pull off their greatest coup so far. Imagine my surprise when the oily conquistador fell at the first hurdle. Was my research in vain? Had I been led up the garden path? My inside source in Soho, however, provided me with copies of the files, and it all fell into place: the member for Kensington and Chelsea was punished for not being gay enough. If only he'd carried on with his university experiments and ridden into Westminster on a pink horse, he 'd now be the leader of the opposition, and no doubt choosing new wallpaper for Downing Street in four years ' time. similar fate befell Michael Barrymore in the summer. Barrymore was everyone 's favourite light entertainer, after-d inner speaker and alcoholic. His coming out a few years earlier had done I ittle to effect his huge popularity and 1t seemed the man could do no wrong. But he'd made enemies. The Gay Mafia had taken a dim view of his years of " heterosexual" marriage, and had been gunning for him for some time . Earlier this year, Barrymore threw a party at his Essex mansion, attended , unbeknownst to him, by two of the Gay Mafia's caporegimes, namely Eddie 'Fingers' Malone and Johnny The Cottager. The evening was a roaring success, until

a partygoer staggered into the garden to find a body in the swimming pool, planted by the un invited guests. The police were called, and Barrymore was escorted to the station to answer some fairly stiff questions. The Gay Mafia had got their man. lt seems that t here is no aspect of our society that remains untouched by the,se gangsters. Its influence has even recently stretched overseas, with George Clooney forced at gunpoint to grow a moustache. But what can we do to stop them from spiralling out of control and taking over the world? Traditionally, the Mafia is family-based, with power being handed down from father to son and, well, you understand biology, don't you? The obvious answer would be to do nothing and simply wait for them all to fail to reproduce . This, however, may not be enough . The present Don, Frederico Mercuric, is known to allow the recruitment of members from outside the family, as long as they are able to answer a string of questions about musicals and colour schemes. Neither should we be fooled by the Mafia films that tell us that the gangsters always want to go straight. In theory, there is nothing we can do to stop this creat ion of the country's favourite tabloid. Having now completed my research , I can say in conclu sion that, as the old saying goes, if you can 't beat them, join them. So if you're reading this in the Hive over a cup of tea, go up to the bar and order a cappuccino. Find a member of the same sex, introduce yourself and look deep into their eyes. Gently lay a hand on their thigh and let the good times roll. In short, become a Sun-speak cliche . it's an offer you can 't refuse .

LOOK

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2001

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140 year old dolls drinking urine. Kinky dancing bra models. Knitted animals wearing better clothes than you. What is the world coming to? Astrid Goldsmith investigates the freaky new forms of fashion advertising, and finds out why the industry is getting desperate • • • ver wo nde red why the Child's Play films were such a big success? Or why Chucky, a frankly risible horror figure, was so goddamn scary? As soon as you take an item associated • • with childhood out of the arena of • the nursery, it becomes the most frightening object that any sick imagination cou ld dream up. Take a harmless stuffed toy, doll or clown, stick a knife in their hand and a manic , l'm-gonna-eat-you grin on their face and they instantly transform into ... well, Pennywise . I'm sure Freud would have a lot to say about that one. In light of this, it is interesting to see that a host of top brands have chosen this very method to market this season 's products: taking images traditionally linked with childhood and turning them into something a little more sinister. The most prominent example of this is the new range of Diesel magazine adverts - the Stay Young campaign. The Stay Young campaign features bleached out porcelain dolls, stiffly positioned, wearing Diesel clothing. The pictures, already a little disturbing, come with 'life-saving advice' on how to stay young: breathe less, don't have sex, drink urine , avoid sunlight and clone yourself. The 'models,' going against all preconceived notions of youth and beauty in fashion advertising, are all over 100 years old. " Eiiza Higgins," says one, "has survived 141 years using reincarnation." The doll , dressed in a striped polo neck and tight distressed jeans,

has somet hi ng resemb ling a cow's hoof fo r a hand. Anoth er fea tures a pretty boy doll, Cha rl es Thackeray, attached by the head to a computer, who was apparently born in 1899. "I had a heart attack years ago" he claims, "but then computers revived me . Now I can stay beautiful forever, as long as no one pulls the plug." Diese l are we ll know n for using tong ue-in-cheek shoc k tactics when it comes to advertising- a couple of years ago they invented Joanna, a fake rock'n'roll celebrity, to stage fights with her pretend boyfriend inside their London store , and covered it in their tabloid-style in-house catalogue. But Joanna was, at least, a real human model. The use of dolls ra ises a lot of uncomfortable issues in the fashion industry. Obviously, the slogans make a gentle mockery of the idiocy of certain models and fashion magazines- one doll's promotion of drinking urine is a blatant piss fake (excuse the atrocious pun) of health fanatic Vogue-

revived me. Now I can stay be autifu I forever, as long as no one pul ls the plug." ~~compu te rs

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2001

THE EQUATION: Big Bird Chic

+ YELLOW

FEATHERS

Fashion maths for the uninspired

Pictured: Diesel's Stay Young Campaign and Sony's Minidisc Walkman dolls

You're nobody if you don't have a contact number for Bert and Ernie this year

There is something more disturbing about dolls with outsized heads and trendy glasses enjoying tunes on their new minidisc ites: " I've been enjoying the fountain of youth for over a century. it's full of vitamins, I can make it myself, and there 's a never-ending supply. I may have bad breath , but I look fantastic. " But the real reason the Diesel dolls are causing such a stir in the industry is because they're a little too good at their job . Like shop mannequins, plastic dolls can be made to any required shape , especially when they're enhanced on computer. Th is season 's Diesel clothes look amazing, but mainly because they're not being displayed on flawed human beings. lt adds a certain edge to their campaign, something London department store Harvey Nichols is familiar with, after using a similar tactic last year. lt could be argued that Harvey Nichols set the trend for this kind of kooky, fresh advertising with their Harvey and Hibby adverts in 2000. Harvey and Hibby were two small , kn itted toy mice, dressed in miniature versions of the kind of top designer labels that Harvey Nichols stocks. " We were t ired and bored of convent ion al fashion advertising, where there was a skinny model in an obtuse pose," explains Richard Gray, Harvey Nichols' Press Officer. " Our cam paigns have a tradition of humour and wit, and we felt that stuffed animals would achieve that. We wanted something that would position us above and to one side of everyone else, which we are , so that was one of the aims of the cam paign , as well as to inform people of our brand." The campaign was a huge success, and garnered the coveted Advertising in the Industry award , as well as the silver medal in the 2000 European Advertising Awards. They certainly set a precedent, and others have followed in their steps: "We felt it was right for the time, and nobody else had done it, " says Gray. " Obviously, people have copied us since, hence we dropped it early." If there is something cute yet slightly worrying

about stuffed rodents wearing Dolce and Gabbana , there is something even more disturbing about dolls with outsized heads and trendy glasses enjoying tunes on the ir new minidisc walkman. Sony is the latest brand to use lifeless models to promote their product. There are only so many ways you can show somebody really, really getting into the music on their walkman, granted , and the dolls do accentuate the size of the min idisc (ie . it's tiny). However, using a plasti c object that cannot hear (or, in the case of Diesel , cannot actually move in the clothes) does seem a little desperate on the part of the advertisers. Similarly, when Triumph revealed the ir new cinema ad campaign for their Softwear range, it was met by sceptical reactions from women . The dancing, computer generated Lara Croft-type girl might have titillated male c1nema-goers, but the general feeling amongst bra buyers was that it would have been preferable to see Softwear bras on real women . The fact that advertisers have used a campaign that goes aga inst all pra ct ical sense in sell ing a product like a bra , suggests some serious changes in the fashion advertising industry. lt is becoming more and more difficult to break a new product into the over-saturated fash ion market, and advertising is being forced into new, more subtle, and increasingly off-beat forms of promotion . Large companies have started employing brand ambassadors - trendy, good looking young people , who are paid to wear certain labels, smoke certain cigarettes and drink certain brands in the right places. They sign confidentiality agreements and promote the brands at grass-root level. They could even be your friends . While this sounds a little extreme and Big Brother-esque, it indicates that perhaps the era of beam ing, overexcited ladies hold ing Persil whiter-than-whites is com ing to an end. Avoid advertisi ng, stay you ng.

BIG BIRD

veryone from Stella McCartney to Moschino paraded bumble bee yellow in their spring/summer 2002 shows. Whilst Alexander McQueen's collection proved ostrich feathers are the next big thing by showing ruffles and feathers flaring out of his dresses in Milan , Watanabe took it one step further by creating a dress designed to look like a bird. This is a look for anybody still mourning the death of Marc Bolan and his feather boas, and for those of you who feel the cold easily. The muse for these bright and feathered trends is obvious. At 8 '2 " Sesame Streets' own Big Bird is the perfect height to join the likes of Giselle on the runways of Paris, and his influence on the world of style and glamour is growing daily, with his clawed feet becoming the inspiration for the oh-so-fashionable cloven hoof Nike slipper-trainers. These are now a musthave item , especially in bright orange. Cultivate a nasal boy's voice and , most importantly, get hold of a limited edition Versace orange-plated beak. it's time to face facts: you're nobody if you don 't have a contact number for Bert and Ern ie this year. Laura Dickinson

FAUX-PAS: Cu llotes Dress

he hills are al ive with the sound of ... culottes. Yes, the cardinal sin of fash ion is back. But just when you thought it couldn 't get worse, it did. Yohji Yamamoto must have been inspired after watching the singing governess Maria make clothes for the von Trapp family out of curtains. So much so that he ripped the sheets off his own bed to create an extra long culottes number, resembling a large, deflated balloon for the spring/summer collections. The pale blue culottes start out just under the bust as a quasi tube top and then flare out attractively into the legs and down to the ankle, complete with pockets at the hips for added ... er... comfort. But add ing inches to your hips wasn't enough : a gold jacket, trainers, and yellow face paint finish the look, for that ultimate circus entertainer style. Not to say that Yamamoto's culottes getup wouldn't be perfect for this year 's Halloween , but after you've had your f ill of clowning around on the October 31 , burn the culottes sheet forever, and vow never to yodel aga in. Andie Francis

Wrong in so many ways Yamamoto must have been inspired by the singing governess making clothes from curtains

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COFFEE BREAK

www.concrete-on line.co.uk .

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• • •

You've been off gal livanting for the last few weeks and it's about time you got your comeuppance. Well guess what? You're going to pay for it this fortnight. The stars suggest that all those drunken antics will come back to haunt you. Yes, that includes the tequila, vomit and ugly lacrosse players. While being fully aware that your birthday is frighteningly close, I'm sorry to report that you may be feeling a little burnt out, and this is like ly to last unt il Jupiter enters your sign next Apri I. Still, no reason for you to shun the festivities . Go out by all means, just expect a surprise the day after you read this . You may find the partner of your dreams in the next couple of days, if you're a guy she's likely to be wearing pink . If you 're a girl he is commonly found in the bar dressed from head to toe in Ben Sherman .

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Celebrity Scorpio P Diddy

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•

Aries

You know all those jokes that you think are funny? Well, only a select few are laughing at them and they're only doing it ou t of politeness. You may think that you own the un iverse at the moment , but the Sun and Mercury suggest you get down from whichever pedastle you put yourself on and join us down here in the real world. Your behaviour exibits a tendancy towards fuckwittage. it's best to repent soon else your chart dictates that you' 11 suffer the consequences.

0 "0

'j Gemini

~~1 Taurus You bulls have been charging around like, well ... like bulls actually. However, your rampage will soon be cut short by a piece of rather bad news. Yes , that project you were working on is facing some quite serious difficulties . it's no good looking for your metaphorica l backup disc either, because that 's gone too. Venus is in the eighth quarter (yes, I know that makes no sense at all) and it's making it very difficult to keep track of your possessions, especially your mind. You are on your own.

CONCRETE:

You've got a lot to look forward to this month, you lucky people. You've got a randy planet governing your cha rt and it's not set to subside until later this year. So pop down to your local sex shop and stock up on goods, they' 11 prevent you from humping inani mate objects. The police don't look favourably on nymphomaniacs. Best to go and find yourself a partner so they too can benefit from your tal ents. And try to stay away from outdoor ca r-. na l exp loits. You' ll get co ld.

Sagittarius

Now I warned you did I not? About all that daytime TV? You may well be enjoying that softfocus legal drama but your chart is strongly suggesting that you get out more. Theres a new lover just waiting round the corner, if only you 'd get off your fat arse and do something about it. No good will come from the defeatest attitude you seem to have adopted . I'm not just speaking as your astrologer, but as your concerned friend , you understand . So get on with it!

~Cancer You really have to pull your socks up, you know. You have just two short weeks in which to capture your life partner, and when I say capture I mean it literally, drag them back to your cave. Ignore all t hat Jane Austen style courting malarkey you've been partaking in recently. If you don't then you'll regret it for the rest of your life . The area of your chart concerning jobs is looking a little unstable, don't be surprised if you lose your . job and are forced to live like a tramp. A smelly one .

Frog and Rabb it

Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2001

Capricorn

What with the eh i lly weather setting in and the influence of moody Venus on your chart you'll find yourself suddenly overcome with the need to go on holiday. Somewhere nice and sunny with straw donkeys. You'll be glad to hear that t he stars say it's okay to take a break, you do deserve it after all . Just try to avoid travelling on foot, bus or train . Alternative forms of transport dictate that you wi 11 meet a tall dark cliche-ridden stranger who cou Id lead you astray.

~ Aquarius

t:J

Why on earth would anybody want to frighter. you? Well, it is practically Halloween. You've been wandering around campus for the last few weeks with a petrified look on your face. I've seen you. With the powerfu l Jupiter coming in to your sign, you 're going to have to learn to stand up for yourself. Enrol in self-defence lessons or take a tip from me. Become a bitch. If anyone so much as glances in your direction give them a stare that would freeze fire . Works every time.

If I told you that Saturn and Jupiter collided in your chart this month would you be worried ? Well , you should be, this is an astronomical disaster, you'll feel like the wor ld has fallen out of your arse and it' ll take weeks for things to pick up again. it's awful wh en the stars do this. I know from experience. But at least you' 11 get your share of bad luck out of the way. Then you can try and pick up the la st few crumbs of your life, bit by bit , crumb by crumb. Oh and your luc ky colour is blue .

Virgo

Pisces

Remember on Wacaday when the loser got a huge hideous plaster with their name on it stuck across their chin? And no one, absolutely no one, told them they looked crap? Well, that's what your friends have been doing to you for the past few weeks behind your back. But guess what? it's finally payback time. Cheeky Uranus is going out with a big ugly stick this fortnight to haunt all those that doubted you . You should savour it while it lasts, you big minger.

All your friends seem to hate you at the moment, but if you keep telling yourself you 're nice then maybe, just maybe, you might actually become nice. What am I saying? I know it will happen soon, I'm the astrologer, I've been blessed with t he hallowed third eye. And my third eye is showing me some terrible misfortunes that will bestow themselves upon you this fortnight. Very nasty. Be kind to cats and help the homeless. it's the only way.

. . Leo

•

'~1' i \ .. ! \ .Libra .

Tl,Y

Don 't be afraid to become incredibly sad this fortnight and I don 't mean 'boo-hoo', I mean sad in the worst possible sense . Join the Steps fanclub , claim it was you who 'discovered' cora l lipstick and purchase a garment in a shade you know doesn 't suit you. While you might be forgiven for thinking that your sign is distinctly off the mark this fortnight , those bright twinkly things in the · sky (I like to call them stars) are ensuring that you'll become a trendsetter. Well , maybe in SYS anyway.

by Stephen Street

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for sale at roughly half the RRP. May not be official boxed copies. Email me with desired titles and I wi 11 see if it is available. d.gordon@uea.ac. uk

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LETTERS

Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31 , 2001

• 19

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR PO Box 4 10 · Norwich Fax 0 160 3 5068 22

House of i 11 repute In response to a letter written by Jenny Grant (Director of Residences and Services), I would like to give the students the chance to know the actual reason why there were 47 of us in Nelson Court Guest Suite . The truth is as simple as this, due to the university falling short of its target student attendance last year, this meant that the university lost out on just under £500,000 in government funds . So th is year in order to cover their backs, the university offered 3rd and 4th year students a room on campus , and qu1te right they accept, after all wouldn 't you! But when the un iversity reaches it targets like this year they had the students they wanted , plus the 3rd and 4th year students, wh ich therefore meant that there was a shortage of rooms . The source for these figures was and is a very important member of the university. So when Jenny Grant blames the A-levels results coming out late and the clearing system , she should really be lookIng at herself and her fellow directors within the un iversity, for the S1tuat1on, wh1ch has arisen . As for the situation of my fellow guest suite residents, and I quote ' bullying and intim idation faced by the accommodation staff', these reflects the amount of discomfort felt by the residents . After all this was our first two weeks at university

NR4 7TB Tel 01603 250558 E-ma il su .con crete@uea.ac .uk

and we were be1ng treated and spoken to l1ke we had JUSt started pnmary school. To th is day we still haven't had an official apologise, as you would expect from one of the country's top un iversities. One statement sums up how we all felt in the guest suite ' treat us l1ke adults and respect us for who we are , after all we are human beings, then and only then wil l we respect the accommodation staff, for who they are" . Kart Ryan (MGTl) on behalf off everyone in the guest suite

Drugged up Yawn. With the start of a maJOr world confl1gration is 1! really more 1mportant to warm up a story wh ich you previously covered, wh 1ch give more notoriety to UEA than it really deserves. UEA is as representative as any other University when it comes to drug taking. Concrete's obsessive coverage of this case , without ever attempting to talk to the c hap , sounds like lazy hacks warming up old news when there is so muc h else to report. To focus on th is case wh1c h has cost the taxpayer lots of money 1n special branch ra ids and labratory investigations, court costs and lawyers, police time, no doubt a considerable cost to bear with not much of a victim to show for.

The rehash of th is story lowers the reputation of UEA , more than the case itse lf ever could . I question the lack of original story writing, and won der why this decision to reprint th is story has been taken . When th1 s fellow student now has had his convi ction , who has a young family and wants to get over it as best possible , you have nothing better to do to make sure this story is kept alive , artificia lly. Why? If there has been any pressure put on Concrete's edi torial integnty from anybody, should we be told about it? Alternative ly, when will you let it rest , for UEA's sake? lngo Wagenknecht (SOC2)

Room for improvement Without wish1ng to turn Concrete into a tennis court for exchanging insults, I cannot let Jenny Grant's comment in regard to the accomodat1on issue lie so unsettlingly. lt surpnses me that she has decided to be so vocal now, as throughout the ordeal Ms Grant was as eerily qu1et as the grave. In a question and answer session , supposedly 1nformat1ve for the parties involved , the only information that she gave was

her name. And how grateful we are for that. I am sure that our situation d1d not seem as pressing to her, sitting comfortably in her warm semi -detached , but I feel that 1t is her story that is ' partial '. Was she absent the day that the Un iversity asked people w1th spare rooms to provide lodgings for students? Actually, the Nelson Court Guest Suite would seem to be the lesser of two evils in comparison . As for the ' bullying and intimidation faced by the accomodation office' , this is nothing more than a hopeless attempt at gu1lt. The ' refugees' of Nelson Court in fact feel Indebted to the staff of the accomadation office , who were pat1ent and did what was in their ability to do. Their abruptness toward any of us only reflected the frustration and inefficieny of the accomodat1on system . Ms Grant, with your skill to overpass the facts to your advantage , you would seem to have missed your true vocation of politician . Sophie Nelson (SOCl)

Corrections • Adam Gordon was not credited for the pictures on page 21 (Issue 12 9) covering the UEA v Nottingham match .

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Decriminalise cannabis? Last week David Blunkett announced a radical shake-up of drug laws including the reclassification of cannabis as a class C drug. BJunkett also paved the way for cannabis to be used for medicmal purposes, but stopped short of decriminalising the drug. However, should the government go one step further and legalise it? Concrete asked UEA students to find out... "I think it is a good move because it is a waste of police time arresting people on t he street for such a t ri via l thi ng as can nabis possession. They shou ld concentrate on hard drugs and more serious offences. lt is stil l an offence to deal, grow and use the drug and possession is just a less serious offence." Charlotte Mann EAS "I definitely think t he reclassification of cannabis is a good thing, but it shou Id be decriminalised not legalised. Ecstacy

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should definitely be reclassified as well. As long as ecstacy is in the ecstacy pi 11 I t hink it's a good thing." Jon Conradi SOC " People will still be wary of possessing cannabis as there is always the threat of being charged." Laura Rice ENV "The relaxation on cannabis possession is good for medical reasons as many MS sufferers use the drug to relieve pain." Elizabeth Wilson 810 " I'm a law student, and we've studied the consequences of taking drugs. Cannabis wasn't a big problem so I think it should be legalised . it's been proved that crack and hero1n are much worse than cannabis, and it's been proved that cannabis can have positive effects for people with AIDS or cancer. But, cannabis can be much worse if you 're eating space cakes - then it can have dangerous effects." Richard 8onfatto LLM

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Issue 130

WliTUAIIItlfUlJI

cannabiscigarettes

"I think that cannabis should be decriminalised but not legalised because if it was legalised companies would exploit it, and try to cash in on it. lt shouldn 't be a crim1nal offence to possess it or smoke it, and it would be good if we went the same way as Holland has. A relaxed approach to it would lower drugs crime, but a lot more research would have to be done into ecstacy before reclassifying that. " Ewan Stewart EAS

"From a biology point of view, cannabis is officially a class 8 drug. But the World Hea lt h Organisation did a research project about ciga rettes, alco hol and cannabis. The worst was alcohol, second place was cigarettes and can nabis third . Cannabis is only dangerous when mixed , so I think it has to be legalised ." Hadjebi Waza 810 "In relation to legal drugs such as alcohol and cigarettes, cannabis cannot be con sidered more dangerous. The effects are less potent than alcohol, and alcohol is worse in that it ca n cause aggressi on . And there are no long term risks t hat have been proved to be any worse than smoking. Legalisation could draw people away from drug culture and the danger of dealers, as distribution would have to be controlled." Kate Alexander EAS " I agree with reclassification, and I think it should decrimi nalised not legalised . I support it for medical use. Ecstacy should n't be rec lassif ied because it has long side-effects we aren't fully aware of. " James lng MGT " If cannabis was legalised it probably wouldn't be a danger but people would use it far too often . But there are far too many dangers surroundmg ecstacy so I think that should stay an 'A'. There's too much rubbish on the black market." Natalie Thomas SOC "Do not legalise it- it only leads to harder drugs. And I hope my mum reads this." Ed Cook HIS

Editor Adam Chapman Deputy Editor Will Halsey News Editor Katie Hind Features Editor Jo Locke Fashion Editor Astrid Goldsmith Assistant Fashion Kat Rea lff Sports Editors Mike Milner & Alex Thorpe Picture Editor Will Benthall Assistant Picture Editor Ed Webb- lngall Photographer Claire Burwel l Anna Plumeyer Tanya Burrage Illustrators Stephen Street Anna Savage Advertising Manager Elin Jones

Letters shou Id be addressed for the attent1on of the Edttor. Adam Chapman. Letters must tnclude contact detatls. but we wtll consider anonymous publtcatton. We reserve the right to ed1t for length and clanty as neccessary. Optntons expressed are not necessanly those of the Publtsher or Edttor. Use of the name The Event ts by arrangement wtth the copyright holders. Planet Zog Ltd. No part of this newspaper may be reproduced through any means without the express permtss1on of the Edttor. Pnnted by Eastern Counties Newspapers. Thanks to Un1on House Stewards and everyone at ECN Thorpe.

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WORK AROUND YOUR STUDIES •

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FOOD PICKERS & PACKERS REQUIRED

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TRANSPORT PROVIDED FROM NORWICH ALSO REQUIRED - CHEFS, KITCHEN ASSISTANTS, BAR STEWARDS, PLATE WAITERS, AND SILVER SERVICE STAFF FOR VACANCIES IN NORWICH. Basic food hygiene training can be provided free. Please call Leonard, lan or Louise for details.

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2001

OXFORD GIVE EAFOO FOR THOUGHT IN BUSA I

Draw indicates reguired tOP.·flight standard for battling blues JON CARTER

MEN's FooTBALL:

UEA 1-1 Oxford

UEA continued a spell of consistent football in midweek, with a solid draw against a talented Oxford team. An early spell of Oxford pressure saw a shot whistle over the UEA bar after only five minutes. UEA defended resolutely before Paul Jarrett released Mark Hickson down the left flank who delivered a good cross to James Brown. He forced the corner from whkh UEA were unlucky not tn go one up. Brown swung in the corner and Rich Crozier headed home, however it was disallowed for pushing.

Skewed UEA's first clear cut chance came on 15 minutes as a Terry Swann long ball forced a corner. After a game of 'head tennis' in the box, Nick Dyer's shot skewed wide from five yards with only the keeper to beat. At the other end, Will Alien produced a fine save to keep the scores level. While Jack Cullis was lucky that Swann was covering after giving away possession in the back four. Oxford continued to attack and a shot flew over the bar, while a ball across the UEA goalmouth unbelievably missed everyone and rolled out of danger. Dyer had another good chance close to half time, but the shot flew wide and Crozier should have given UEA the lead with five minutes to go as he went one-on-one only to hit his hot against the keeper. The second half saw a blocked shot by Jarrett, before Oxford began to dominate possession. One shot

grazed the far post while another flew over the bar. Dyer should have made it 1-0, but after chasing down well and dispossessing the defender, he couldn't find the net and sliced wide. Unfortunately, Oxford punished UEA's lack of finishing and took the lead on 60 minutes with a good low shot beating Will Alien on the left post. UEA's substitutes tried to ignite some passion into the team, although Alien was the hero again as he clawed a deflected shot round the post. Good team encouragement saw the equaliser come soon after. Good work by Jarrett after a corner saw a goalmouth scramble and Crozier was able to poke it into the net. Andy GaskeU kept things tight in midfield but yjas unable to inspire the team into another goal. Peter Skivington went close and Alien dived bravely at an attacker's feet to keep the scoreline at one apiece, but the game never looked like providing a winner and the teams left on equal terms at the end. • UEA advanced to the third round of the Norfolk Junior Cup with a 7-0 win over Watton Reserves. Hat-tricks from Crozier and Dyer, plus one from Brown saw UEA home.

RESULTS FOOTBALL Norfolk Junior Cup: UEA 7 (Croz1er 3, Dyer 3. Brown) , Watton Res D. Midlands Universities League: UEA 7. Le1cester I. BUSA Leacues: DMU (Beds) 2. Mens I 3; Mens 11 5, Leicester 11 1; Northampton 4, Mens Ill 0; Womens 0, Loughborough 1; Mens I 1, Oxford 1; Mens 11 2, Cambndge 11 1; DMU (Le1csl 0. Mens Ill 3. Racers & Norton Leacue, Division 1: UEA 1, St Andrews A 0. Division 2: Jarrolds 1, UEA Res 6. Division 3: UEA A 3. Earlham Bndges 4. HocKEY BUSA Leacues: Mens I 2, Le1cester 2; Mens 11 0, Mens Ill 0; Womens I 7, Nott Trent 1; Womens 11 5, Ox Brookes I ; DMU (Le1cs) 0, Mens I 9; Loughborough Ill 9, Mens 11 0; Mens Ill 0. Nottmgham Ill 5; Womens I 5. Staffs (Stoke) 1; Womens 11 19, DMU (Le1cs) D. Printwise Men's East League, Division 3NE: UEA 11 1, Lowestoft Railway 4. Division SNE: Watton 5, UEA Ill I. RUGBY BUSA Leagues: Mens I 44 , UCE B1rm1ngham 5; Mens 11 5, UCE B~rmmgham 11 19; Mens I 12, Derby 17. BADMINTON BUSA Leagues: Mens 6. Ox Brookes 2; Mens 3, Derby 5. SQUASH BUSA Leacues: Womens 0, Ox Brookes 5; Mens 5, Wolverhampton 0. lACROSSE BUSA Leacues: Oxford 15, UEA 0; UEA scr, B~rmingham w/o.

FIXTURES OCTOBER 31

An Oxford striker attempts to lob the onrushing Will Alien In the UEA gosl

UEA CONTINUE SUCCESS IN MIDlAND LEAGUE Leicester slaughtered bv. under-strength firsts UEA 7-1 Leicester

The hosts began brightly, causing problems on the flanks that Leicester, to their cost, never found an answer to.

Survived Leicester then survived a strong UEA penalty appeal for handball but soon rallied and shortly before halftime they halved the deficit courtesy of an unstoppable 25 yard strike. However, UEA came out for the second half in determined mood. Once Richard Crozier had buried a header from Mark Hickson 's hanging left wing cross five minutes after the restart. they never looked back. The fourth goal arrived shortly after, with James Brown scoring a replica header after another pinpoint cross from H.ick.son. After a brief, bad-tempered spell,

BUSA BUSA BUSA

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Mens I Mens 11 Mens I Mens 11 Mens Ill Womens Womens Womens

FOOTBALL v Aston v Earlham HOCKEY v Harleston 3 v Norwich City 2 v Norw1ch C1ty 5 I v Evergreen 11 v Norw1ch C1ty 2 lllv L"toft Railway

(h) MUL (h) R&N1 (a) (h) (a) (a) (h) (h)

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Local Local Local Local Local Local

NOVEMBER 4 AMERICAN FOOTBALL v Derby (h) BCAFL

UEA

NOVEMBER 7

An under strength UEA demolished a similarly weakened Leicester side at Colney on Saturday, making light of the atrocious weather and coasting to victory after a powerful second-half display.

The breakthrough came after 17 minutes, when skipper Paul Jarrett fired low inside the near post after a good move down the left wing. Four minutes later, Andy Gaskill rounded the keeper to score from a narrow angle and underline the home side's dominance.

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NOVEMBER 3

SAM INGLJS

MEN's FooTBALL:

• UEA Women made their home BUSA debut for 2001 with a tough tie against Loughborough. A battling performance from the home side meant that they were far from embarrassed, and limited the title favourites to only a 1~ victory.

FOOTBALL Mens I v Nottmgham Mens 11 v Loughb'gh 11 Womens I v Derby HOCKEY Mens 11 v Loughb'gh 11 Mens Ill v Nottmgham 11 Womens I v Worcester Womens 11 v Northampton FENCING v Warw1ck UEA GOLF v Loughb'gh UEA NETBALL UEA I v Coventry TABLE TENNIS Womens I v Warw1ck TENNIS Mens I v Derby Womens I v Nottmgham 11

and some token efforts from Leicester, the drubbing continued in fine style.

Sublime Stuart Jenkinson 's sublime turn and pass sent Gaskill away to score his second, and he was soon celebrating a well-taken hat-trick after a flamboyant run through the flagging visitors defence. It looked like a fitting end to the game, but UEA kept on the pressure and James Brown combined accuracy and power to beat the goalkeeper with a free-kick in the dying moments, making it a magnificent seven. Captain Paul Jarrett was very pleased with the quality of the display, commenting "That was an excellent performance, I'm delighted with the whole tean1, especially the freshers who did very well today."

Mens I Mens 11 Mens Ill Womens I Mens 11 Mens Ill Womens I Womens 11 Mens I Mens 11 Womens I Mens I Womens I Mens I Womens I Mens I UEA UEA UEA I UEA 11 Womens I Mens I Womens I Mens I

FOOTBALL v Worcester v DMU (LeiC) 11 v Le1cester IV v Derby HOCKEY v Nottingham Ill v Loughb"gh 11 v Warw1ck v Not! Trent 11 RUGBY v B1rm CFTC v Northampton Ill v DMU (Leics) BADMINTON v Derby v Nott Trent BASKETBAU v Derby v Warwick FENCING v Nottingham GOLF v Warw1ck lACROSSE v Northampton NETBALL v Northampton v LHU (Lincoln) SQUASH v Oxford TABLE TENNIS v Worcester v Loughb'gh TENNIS v Warw1ck v Loughb"gh 11

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NOVEMBER 10 FOOTBALL v Warw1ck

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NOVEMBER 11 UEA

AMERICAN FOOTBALL (a) BCAFL v Essex

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

Studs Up Delap of Honour

Studs Up would like to offer a sincere apology for comments regarding Southampton midfielder Rory Delap in the last issue. A comp laint was made via text message reading : "lay off delap or there's going to be trouble " In hindsight , it was wrong of us to insinuate that Delap isn 't worth £4m -we shou ld have come right out and said it. And while on the subject, are Southampton the best example of a Division One team playing in a Premiership stadium?

"You'll never beat the Kenton '' Fan's favourite Darren Kenton is the hard man on the pitch but the quiet man off it. An integral part of the Canaries' drive towards promotion , Mike Milner went to speak to him about the Canaries' season so far.... f there was only one good th1ng to come out of last season. 1t was the form of Darren Kenton. A senes of commanding displays demonstrated the worth of the Wandsworth-bern defender. show1ng both matunty and confidence beyond h1s years. Moreover, t11e form that he showed last season has continued mto th1s, althoug h play1ng 111 the unfam1l1ar pos1tlon of ngh t back, an d on ly JUSt back 1n t he startmg l1 ne-up after p1ckmg up a knock 111 the Wa lsal l game he was buoyant mood. "We have a pre tty good chance of promoti on t his seaso n. We have beaten the top teams that w1 ll be th ere or th ere abouts at the end of the season, l1ke Man C1 ty and Burn ley, so we wil l def1n 1te ly be 111 w1th a chance. Ou r away form has not been dramatical ly th at ba d, we have played well bu t have not got t he results. Games like M lll wall and Preston, where we co nceded e1ght goals, are JUSt an excepti on." Th e spec ul at ion surrou ndi ng N1gel Worth mgton d id not see m to wo rry Ken ton, " He w1 ll stay. We are s1tt1ng near the top of league and are a wel l run clu b. Shef fie ld Wednesday are struggl1ng f1nanc 1ally and even if Alex Ferguso n too k over as manage r he cou ldn 't save th em from rel egati on." And as Worth 1ngton suggested 111 th e West Brom press con ference, 1f t he club gave h1m a longer co nt ract we will stay. The club have met hiS demands and he has now signed on until 2005. Yet , as any Cana n es fan wil l tell yo u, last season turned out to be anot her one of str uggle and ba t tle. One more season of fears of relegation would not be wha t anyone wan ted . What has th1 s change in fortun es been attributed too? "M ainl y co nfi dence. We were ca ught 111 a rel ega t ion battle

I saw Akinbiyi score ... Following the success of last issue 's biscuit giveaway, you can again win some sweetmeats if you guess when our Ade will score his next Premiership goal. Every game he fails the prize increases by another packet, so when he does finally find the net, you cou ld have qu ite a mouthful .. . Ema il us at su.concrete@uea.ac.uk

Scott Dobie Appeal Last Thursday saw West Brom striker Scott Dobie suffer a horrific injury. Nine seconds into the second half against Wolves, stud s scraped h1 s most sensitive area . Four minutes later, he limped off the pitch with his hand down his shorts cradling his meat and two veg . Ou r thoughts are with his fam ily, especial ly hi s wife.

Quotes Of The Fortnight " Ryan Giggs is running long up the backside. " Ron Atkinson gets a little confused while commenting on Man Utd v Deportivo

" When Darren Huckerby was having a nightmare in t rain ing once, I showed my exasperation by d iving into a large puddle." Gordon Strachan proves why he's the man for th e job at Southampton . Or not. " I was in an Army and Navy store last week to buy something completely different and somehow ended up leaving with a gasmask. lt only cost £25 so I ' m not sure I would trust it anyway. " David James fears a chemical attack . Still, as long as they don't cross it .. .

Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2001

last year and we were gett 1ng draws when we should have won. Teams had come up here exceptmg an easy nde. Gary Holt has been a ve ry good s1g n1ng for us, he has been getting 1nto the m1df1eld battles. and th1s g1 ves the chance for Phd Mulryne to go forward more. Marc [L ibbra] will also prove to be a great s1gn1ng. He needs a run of games to get h1s f1tness sorted and then w1 ll prove h 1s worth. He IS a very good playe r. The loss of Andy Marsha ll has not been as great as people have feared. Anyway, Rob Green IS a top keeper, he IS as good as [Chns l K1rkland. and L1verpool pa1d nme mil liOn for h1m. No disrespect to An dy but he was not as good as Gree n at h1s age. On a perso nal note. I don' t m1 nd playing ri gh t-bac k or ce ntre-back; as long as a I do play."

''Even if Alex Ferguson took over as manager he couldn't save them [Sheff. Weds.] from relegation" Somet hing that could have affected Norwich's chances of promoti on th ough could have been t he Involvemen t of Ken ton be 1ng call ed up for th e Jama1ca squad 111 th e lead up to t he Worl d Cup. However, because of the 1r e\im1nat1on the idea has been pu t very muc h o n th e back burner "Me and Darel Russell have both thoug ht of the 1dea of an mternat lonal ca reer. We both be l1eve t hat 1t co ul d only hel p. playi ng t he l 1kes of Amer1ca and Mex1co and stronger oppositiO n ca n only be good fo r us." Wi t h t he way 1t IS go1ng, Kenton will be playing 111 the Prem1 ersh1 p sooner rath er than la ter. If he is to do 1t w1th Norw1 ch, th en perhaps thi s is th e seaso n wh en th ey finally ma nage to return to the top flight after a five-yea r abse nce.

CITY CHOKE AWAY AGAIN

Gary Neville's Soapbox

DAN HUTCHINGS

NORWICH CITY 'S away-from-home blues continued as they missed out on an opportunity to climb into the top two. Ci ty lost 3-2 at Crystal Palace on Sunday, s lipping further down the table a nd are now five points adrift from top spot.

My Favourite Match ... Kettering Town v Kingston ian , Wembley, 13/8/2000 A/ex Thorpe MTH2 "

R ather bizarrely for a fan of a struggli ng non -league side , choosing a favourite match is quite diff icult. In my 12 years watching Kettering Town the highs far outn umber the lows. Maybe any one of th e numerous giant-killings, or maybe the sole derby-day victory over Rushden. But really being in the last Wembley FA Trophy was more than special. A highlight in a dire season, the cup run led to a tie with Kingstonian under the twin towers described as the best Trophy final ever. Outnumbering the opposition fans 6 to 1 in a 21000 attendance, the sound of Kettering fa ns was deafening. Going behind to a 40th minute goal, Kettering fought back magnifi cently- equalisi ng through Co l in Vowden, and going ahead through a Craig Norman penalty wit h 25 minutes left. Had we not had a goal disal lowed for offs ide despite the ball going backwards, we 'd have been coast ing. But the no-goal changed the game and Kingstonian surged through to win 3-2. Superb none th e less. "

The Canaries were thwarted in their attempt to claim top spot in the Nationwide League for the first time this season , in front of another sell-out home crowd against Portsmouth . City were given the opportuni ty to go top, by Friday's fantastic win over West Bromwich Albion . Norwich started extremely we ll , and after 16 minutes they were two goals up. Excellent play

Static NATIONWIDE LEAGUE, DIVISION ONE p w D l GO PT 1 Wolves 2. C Palace 3 Covenlry 4 Burnley 5. CITY

30110 3 11 I 0111 15111

Do you have a favourite ma tch? EmaU 200 words to su.concrete@uea.ac.uk

Studs Up

comp1led by M1ke M1lner and Will Halsey

by Phil Mulryne and Paul McVeigh had already worried the West Brom defence and on 13 minutes, Baggies defender Darren Moore poorly cleared a Marc Libbra shot. The ball fell kindly for McVeigh , whose cross found the head of lwan Roberts, who was left one o n one with the West Brom keeper Russell Hoult. The We lsh international flicked his header goalwards, past the on rushing keeper.

15 14 15 15 15

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COMING UP... Gnmsby (a) 745 Wolves (h) 3 00 T1ckets £13 (£11 members) Brad lord (h) 3.00 TICkets £1 1 (£8 members) Stockport (a) 7 45

CLUB TOP SCORER lwan Roberts

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C1ty's second, three m1nutes later had a similar patte rn , as McVeigh again delivered a teasing cross, into no man 's land. The defence and goalkeeper were static. Mark Rivers had a free header at the far post , to give the former Crewe man his first goal for th e Ca na ries . West Brom rarely threatened Norwic h's de fenc e, their best opportunity, came in the second hall, when a Michael Appleton corn e r was played to Bagg1es captain Derek Mclnnes on the edge of th e area. His rocket shot

hit the bar, post and the head of Rivers , before landing on the right side of the goal line for the Canaries. Th e Norwich manager was obvious delightwith his ed team 's perforC1ty mance and the style in which th ey grounded out the win . Wo rth ingto n said , "For the first 25 minutes I think we were outstanding and scored two great goals. I think it was probably the best football we had played so far this season ." Again st Po rtsmouth, howeve r, City were left ruing their failure to take advantage of many first half opportuniti es. Yet again it was City winger Pau l McVeigh who was Norwich 's most threatening player. Indeed , it was th e Ulsterman's cross who set up Mark Rivers , on 21 minutes , for Norwich best chance of the game. However, on th is occa-

players celebrate another home v1ctory

sion , Friday's goal he ro blasted his volley over from six yards. From th en on Norwich rarely got a site on goal , as Portsmouth . came into the game a bit more. In fact , the south coast sid e could have stol en the game in the last ten minutes, when a lucky deflection fell nicely for Lee Bradbury. whose sh ot went high and wide . At Selhurst Park, City started well but cou ldn't dent Palace's defence until it was too late clawing back two goals through Libbra and Robe rts having gone 3-0 down.

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2001

UEA TENNIS SLIP UP IN HOME TIES JAMES LILLISTONE

NINETEEN GOA UEA GO TO TOWN ON DE MONTFORT Women highlight of BUSA OP.ening fortnigh!

UEA Men 0-6 Nott Trent UEA Men 2 -4 Staffs (Stoke) OX Brookes 2 -4 UEA Ladies

ROUNDUP

TENNIS:

ALEXTHORPE

Sports Editor

A DIFFICULT start to the season saw the UEA men's succumb to a rampant display by the hot favourites for the divisional title, Nottingham Trent.

THE STAR PERFORMANCE of the BUSA fixtures this fortnight had to be Women's Hockey 11, who stormed to a 19-Q victory over De Montfort Leicester. Emlly Peake got five goals, while Katie Stripe and Vicki Phillips both bagged hat-tricks.

Bob A insley showed his class by taking Trent's number one p layer to three sets, but erratic serving cost him the victory and he submitted 6-4 in the final set.

The crushing win followed another easy victory over Oxford Brookes, who succumbed 5-1 in week one with Stripe again on target.

Will Thompson made a battling comeback in the second set against the visitors' number two, but it was too little too late and, sweating profusely, he stumbled to a 6-4, 6-3 defeat. Despite hot form going into the match, James Lillistone and Matt Olczak were undone by the awesome consiste ncy of their opponents and both slumped to straight set defeats.

Slow Both doubles matches told a similar story Lillistone and Olczak's slow start to the match left them with too much to do and Thompson and Ainsley were undone by the power serving of the Notts Trent's number one pair. The second BUSA match against Staffordshire was a more

promising affair, with Max Hayton coming in at number four to overwhelm his opponent, and Olczak outlasting his similarly left handed counterpart.

Experienced For the second week running , Ainsley and Lillistone came up against vastly more experienced players in the number one and two singles and slumped to three-set and straight sets defeats respectively. Both doubles matches were again a case of what might have been. The ladies began their season by taking victory at Oxford Brookes, with Gail Williamson Jules Ti llet, and Sophie Nash claiming victory in the singles. Nash teamed up with Yvette Baker to bring home the number one pair doubles.

Women 's Hockey I are also still I 00% after two weeks, defeating Nottingham Trent and Staffordshire Stoke 7-1 and 5- l respectively. After the easy warmup in the opener, Staffs posed a tougher test, but a second half hat-trick from Emily Smith

UEA Hockey crushes a hapless DMU

was enough to see UEA home. Men's Hockey I are unbeaten since they won 9-0 at De Montfort Leicester after a 2-2 draw at home to Leicester. Olly Gall with four goals was the star of the show again t DMU in an overall trong team performance. The only aii -UEA tie ended in a 0-0 draw as Men's Hockey Ill played above themselves against an unsu peeling Men's Hockey D side. The men's 11 expectedly lost 9-0 at Loughborough Ill and played well above themselves to keep it to 2-0 at half time. Locally they are improving in their new league, with fresher Graham Medland scoring his first UEA goal in the 4-1 defeat against a well-rehear ed Lowestoft Railway side. UEA Netball I had a less happy time in their opening two games, losing 53-26 at Nottingham Trent and 55-11 at Cambridge, but it could

have been so much worth had it not been for goal defence Caroline Darling. Netball 11 have at least got one win under their belts after their opening day 45-19 victory over UCE Birmingham. Unfortunately, they lost the second game 46-9 at Nottingham Trent, with Caroline Sherwood the star of the how. UEA Lacrosse, having been blown away 15-0 at Oxford, had to scratch their game in week two after they couldn't find a qualified umpire in time. UEA Golf bounced back from their I \n-4\n{!efeat at Nottingham in style to beat Northampton 3\n-2\n at Bamham Broom GC. By winning 6-2 again t Oxford Brookes in week one, Men 's Badminton showed the loss of last year's firsts hasn't hit too hard, but it didn't stop them falling 5-3 at Derby the following Wednesday.

IN THE LAST issue of Concrete we carried a story on a possible five-aside competition at UEA. Unfortunately, we printed the wrong details for the league, and would like to take the opportunity to et the record straight. The league will run on Saturday afternoon for six-a-side teams, with the full organisation of the Football Supporters Society behind it. For further details or to get involved contact James Longhurst on j.longurst@uea.ac.uk, Mark Turner on m.tumer@uea.ac.uk, or phone 01603 45590 I, but not Robin Parsons as advertised in the last issue.

TABLE TENNIS SIDE CRASH TO OPENING WEEK DEFEAT

•

JON CARTER

OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK

UEA Table Tennis were convincingly beaten by an under strength Oxford side in their BUSA opener for 2001 . O nly arriving with three players, the visitors were too tough for the UEA, and the home sid e crashed to a 13-4 defeat.

• • • • • • •

Resistance Although UEA were able to put up resistance with good rallying technique, Oxford maintained a higher level of consistency and ran out the overall winners. Greg Smith lost his match 0-3, 1-3, 1-3 in a closer encounter than the score line suggests; the decep· tive serving Raymond Ng fell 0-3, 0-3, 1·3; while the final match was completed with Tom Spillone losing 0-3, 1-3, 0-3, despite many defiant attempts to return from way behind the table. Through the lack of opposition Oily Willems was by far the most successful of UEA's players - he did not play a game and was forced to watch the action from the sidelines. Hopefully, the next match will see more consistency from the team and a more favourable result.

UEA in action against Oxford

Concrete offers another book After last issue's competition to win Jeremy Guscott's autobiography, Concrete once again has a top hardback sportsbook to one lucky winner. This issue the prize on offer is the autobiography of British Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson, Seize The Day. Looking at all the issues that face diasbled athletes today, through to her public recognition after winning

four gold medals in the Sydney Paralympics, Seize The Day can be yours if you answer this simple question: • How many golds did Tanni win at the Sydney Paralympics? Just put you answer, your name and school in the competition box by November 10.

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PANTHERS LATE SURGE NOT ENOUGH TO AVOID DEFEAT Poor defence in second ~uarter costs UEA openingJ!Dy victorv MENS BASKETBALL:

UEA 63-72 Oxford 11

JANINE AZZAM

UEA PANTHERS fought hard in their first BUSA game of the year against Oxford 11, proving themselves a force to be reckoned with. But despite their efforts they slipped to a 72-63 defeat. The pressure was on from the tip-off as Vergees Alexander took the jump ball providing UEA with the first possession of the game. The first quarter was tight with both teams shooting well and defending with great skill. However, the UEA Panthers lost their touch, and their lead , when their defence started to crumble. Oxford took the opportunity to seize a 13-point lead by half time. UEA dominated in the third quarter destroying Oxford's every offensive effort. The last 10 minutes were crucial as

Oxford led 45·34. Despite excellent shots from John Koenig and exceptional rebounding from Oily Snell , Oxford's Duncan Butler-Wheelhouse was unstoppable. With two consecutive 3 point shots, the Oxford lead was extended to an unassailable 51-39.

Rebound UEA's man of the match was captain Lambros Stylianou , who lead the team with 13 points and 7 assists. Maceij Janowicz collected an equal amount of points and an excellent rebound record , while Alexander

also proved himself a key player with an incredible defensive record of 4 blocks and a number of steals. Coach Mark Westgate said , "I am pleased with the performance overall, considering it was our first game this season . "We lost the game in the second quarter due to poor defence. However, the third quarter was outstanding as we dominated entirely and cleared almost half the deficit from the second period . ''We failed to shut down their 3 point shooter in the fourth , who scored some excellent baskets to wrap up the game."

lADIES ANNIHilATE WARWICK LADIES BASKETBALL:

With a new team and a revived zest, the UEA Women 's Basketball Team thrashed Warwick University last Wednesday. With a final score of 50-25, the UEA Panthers stormed to the top of the league, writes Janine Azzam. The first quarter was entirely domin ated by UEA. With a strong zone defence that crushed a ll of Warwick 's attacks, and powerful offensive drives by Lesley Carter and Anelore Chauvin, UEA led 13-0 by the end of the I st quarter.

The Panthers demonstrate their skills

Concrete Prize Crossword #23

•

UEA 50-25 Warwick

After a complaint by the Warwi ck Captain insist in g that the BUSA League used men 's sized basketballs as opposed to UEA's women's sized balls, the game continued. BUSA regulators confirmed women's sized balls are imperative in official BUSA League games. The second period was tighter as Warwick broke the UEA winning streak and caught up to a 21-13 UEA lead. However, the Panthers fought hard and by the third period UEA had almost seized a double point lead, 33- 17. With 14 points each. Anelore Chauvin and Ariane Habel were the top scorers. Thei r height

and tremendous rebounds were a key factor that lead to the tea m's victory.

Quality Moreover, top quality ball hand ling by Kim Bar low also proved crucial; she later went on to shoot a clean swi sh three poin ter leaving Warwick in awe and defeat. Captain Michele Weber was delighted with the result, co mmenting after th e match: " I thought the girls played very well considering it was our fi st game of the season. We played tough, and in the end we destroyed Warwick : Excellent!''

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