Concrete issue 134 30 01 2002

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Issue 134 路Wednesday, January 30, 2002

UEA'S AWARD-WINNING INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

FREE

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KATIE HIND News Editor

TWO young males were mugged within just two days while walking through campus. On Tuesday, January 22, a second year student was held down at knifepoint as vicious thugs demanded he hand over his wallet and mobile phone. And just a day later another boy, who is not a student, was forced to hand over his phone too. The first incident, which involved an economics student happened as he walked along the path by DEV farm, towards Bluebell Road. The boy, who wishes to remain anonymous, was met by a pair of teenagers wearing hooded sweatshirts, who jumped out of some bushes and pushed him to the floor - before snatching his mobile phone and wallet, which contained just

拢4. "Two guys came out of the woods and as I walked past them one of them grabbed me by the neck, pushed my head forward and got me in the headlock. The other one pushed me to the floor face down while one of them went

through my pockets. "He found my mobile phone in my pocket and then they found my wallet in my bag and wanted to know the PIN number for my cash card . I refused to give it to them," he said. The student also revealed how he was threatened with a knife unless he gave them the correct number to access his account. "One of them said to the other to get the knife and he started slapping what felt like a knife against my leg. I gave them a fake number and the other one said he was going to the cash point to check if it was right and if it was wrong he said he would break my neck. "I wouldn't walk along there on my own at night again, I always walk that way and I ~ave never seen anyone there before," he said. Just 24 hours later, a pair of youths accosted a 14-year-old boy as he walked between Nelson Court and the Breakers end of The Street. They took his mobile phone. DC Maria James of Norfolk Police said that the robbers have not been caught and shE\ is not ruling out the possibility that the incidents are linked . "The circumstances are similar and we are investigating them, as well as collating other incidents that have happened on the campus recently. We are tryi~g to

nip it in the bud as soon as possible," said DC James. But University Security Co-ordinator, Ron Elliot, does not think students should be panicked by the muggings. "This type of incident is very rare, it is so long ago since we have had anything similar and there's no way of knowing if they are connected or if we are talking about the same individuals," said Mr Elliot. Union Welfare Officer, Polly Evans, warns students that they shou Id take the same precautions on campus as they do in other areas of the city. "We must all remember that campus differs from no other part of town and we must all adopt the same security measures. I would advise all students to take further caution following this event," said Polly. And she insists that steps should be taken to prevent any more incidents of this kind. "UEA has always been very proud of being a campus where all students could feel safe and anything that threatens this is serious. " Anyone with any information should contact DC James on 01603 768769.

Pages 2-3: an extended investigation into crime and security at UEA Page 9: Comment

SPORT- RALLY DRIVER COLIN McRAE INTERVIEWED ON PAGES 20-21

2NEWS

CONCRETE CONTENTS NEWS 1 2

Two UEA students mugged on campus in 24 hours.

• We meet the loca l youths who have taken to using campus as their hangout.

• Waveney residents start pet ition for and against CCTV. • Hys to close. • Fairness demanded at Union Council.

• Flasher attacks fi ve students. • Bikes sto len.

• Sabbs launch elect ion amidst apathy. BIO Student gets prank essay grade.

• Pay an d display in main car park. Exams to be moved du e to build ing work.

• Union defer resolution over King and Queen of U EA. • Internati onal fees to increase.

FEATURES Who holds the power in modern 10 FOCUS: Brit ain - the media or the politic ians?

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www. concrete -on I i ne. co. uk

TRAVEL: • 60 second city - Krakow. • The student I ife - Dutch style.

LOOK: • The beauty products to investigate this Spring.

COFFEE BREAK: Your horoscopes revealed plus Concrete's new cartoon, Eastern Youth .

LETIERS: • Letters to the editor.

• Concrete talks to Scotland's Col in Mc Rae about his hopes for this year's World Rally Championship.

• Studs Up: Concrete's sideways glance at the world of football reveals Juan Sebastian Veron's secret love life. ·· Norwich City struggle to stay with the leaders.

• UEA rugby star earns bursary with Norwich. • Basketball victory for ladies. Hopes are high for success for the Boat Club.

• Footballers go top of local league . • Your prize quick crossword.

JAN UARY 30, 2002

In an series of articles, we take a look at the security nightmare enveloping UEA students and talk to police liaison officer Matthew Ellis, about hiring a full-time police presence on campus. Katie Hind reports.

Flasher on the prowl as students get groped FIVE girls were left shaken after all being groped in the same evening. Last week a white male grabbed the students , on separate occas1ons, as they walked through campus. The f1rst VICt im, a f1rsl year EAS student, was JUSt outside her home 1n Wolfson Close at 4pm on Tuesday January 22. when the man struck. "I was lrymg to get 111 to my house when he came up beh1nd

me and grabbed me. Afterwards, he Jus I looked at me and sm1rked." sa1d the g1rl. who w1shed to remam anonymous. But she cla1ms the InCident has left her scared to walk alone around the Un1vers1ty. ''I am much more aware now, I don't even go out at n1ghl on my own anymore. I feel you should be safe on campus. 1t's a b1t sad now that I can't. .. Later that even1ng, the man, who was r1d1ng a b1ke. also approached one of the student's

fnends. The offender followed the stu dent along the path between the shops and Wo lfson Close and from the library to Norfolk Terrace. Pol1ce fear that the latest attacks have been earned out by the same man who has been w1l nessed expos1ng h1mself around campus s1nce November. The man, who IS thought to be about 18-years-old, has flashed to numerous women around the Chancel lor's Drive area of th e

U n 1vers1ty. U n1vers1ty L1a1son Off icer, PC Matthew Ell1s fears that there will be more VICtims 111 the future "The man IS gelt1ng more con f1dent now. so any more 1nC1dents should be reported stra1ghl away. We need to stop lh1s and try and make the campus a safe place aga1n. ·· The of fe nder ndes a green mounta1n b1ke. He also always wears a black woolly hat. dark JOgging bottoms w1lh stnpes and is about 5 feel e1ght tall.

Demands for 24 hour police TH E

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pol icem an for

UEA

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call ed out t o Un iversity staff to fu nd a full -time officer afte r an influx of van d al s arri ved on campus . Univers ity Liaison Off ice r, PC Matthew Ell is believes that by having a member of poli ci ng st aff designated to U EA would reduce t rouble in the area .

SPORT 20

WED~E SD AY,

UEA C RIME WAVE

LIFESTYLE: • How anc ient spritual practice Falun Gong in still considered a threat by th e Ch inese Government. • My First Time - The " Straight" Boy. • Your problems answered.

Concrete

Above: Graffiti outside Breakers 2 the day after local youths were spotted there.

CR IME SINCE SEPTEMB ER In October, University security guards approached Concrete, complaining of staff shortages. One porter claimed that JUSt one person was left to lock up the whole campus one evening due to a severe lack of staff . Later on t hat month, local polrce warned of two g1rls boasting of breaking into Univers1ty halls of residence. The pa1r were posmg as students and saying they had forgotten their keys in attempts to be let ·into campus accommodation . Once 1ns1de . the girls , who were believed to l1ve in Wymondham , helped them-

selves to money belonging to students. In November, Concrete reported how Waveney Terrace res1dents had hundreds of pounds worth of property stolen after engineer working in the building were found to be leavIng the1r bedroom doors unlocked. One student had £200 in cash taken and another had hrs stereo damaged. Security also revealed how a flasher was exposing himself to women on campus . He returned in 2002 - stnking again on the grass area near the main car park.

Sec urity staff are frequently be1ng called out dally to deal w1th the teenagers. who are believed to be respon sible for the graffiti at UEA . And only last week so me of the youths were caught damag1ng the motorb ikes stored on campus by th e biker in stru ctors wh o use the main ca r park to teac h learners at t he weekends. PC Ell is insists that there are enough people us1ng the Un 1vers1ly to warrant hav1ng a full -time polici ng post. " Th e Un1 vers1ty IS the same size as a large vi ll age and every one of those has a ded1 cated office r. A greater po t ice presence IS needed, but the mindset of the Un1 ve rs1 ty is that if there are

pol1ce presen t. there rs a problem . "Until we pnont1se, stu dents are a vulnerable target," sa1d PC El li S. And he IS fed up w1th th e teenagers wastmg both pol1ce and secur 1ty ti me. "These k1ds JUSt th1nk th ey are hav1ng a laugh. Th ey come here and wind the sec unty staff up and think it's funny. But th ey are wast1ng everyone's t1me. Tha t IS t1me when we could be ou t catchmg cnm1 nal s." Many un 1vers1t 1es across the co untry have the1r own police. Students at Southampton are amongst the safest , they have four off icers ded icated to t11 e1r Universit y. Card1ff also has a Community L1a1 son Off1cer. wh o is based in th e Students' Un1on. wh ile Durham has one policema n who 1s respon sible for tak1ng care of all four of the1r colleges. Currently, the Un1vers1ty IS on ly dedicated two hours of police t1me every fortnight when PC Ell 1s has office hou rs in the Dean of Students offi ce. The next surgery will be today (J anuary 30) between 2pm and 4pm. They wil l be held fortn1ghtly after that .

Bikes stolen T II RF.E crimina l'. w ho are hc licvcd to have \ Io lcn th ree bike s in two day~ arc cau~i n g ~ccuri r y IHt\ OC o n ca mpu'i . The boy s. who have been de ,cr ihctl as bein g 16 -ycar;-old. 'natc hed one o f the cyc le; o n Ja n uary 13 and the o ther two. w hic h arc said to he \\ Orlh (600 each . on Janua t') 15. The thrce ">mc arc a l'o respon , ihlc for ~ ma s hin g a ''in lo w at the Porter,· Lodge after ha"li ng ;ccuri -

' ' afT. One of the offender' ha' hccn dc sc rihcd as being of large bui ld. about live fe et cighl. with g inger hair and has been seen wearing a Tomlll) H iltigcr jumper. Another is of ' ma ll bui ld \1 ith 'hon hai r. ahout li1c feel six a nd wea r, a beige pu ller iac~el. The o ther member of lhc group is of medium huild and \\ear' a hlac~ hooded s\\eahhin . A ll three I)

ha1c been ' J10 l!cd around campus.

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2002

www.concrete-online.co.uk

NEWS

The local kids â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ g1v1ng campus security a big headache Local children drift on to campus for drinking, heckling and the social life THEY may only be children, but this group of teenagers are just one of a number of gangs who have been blamed for causing a fracas on campus. After being ejected from the local areas where they live by community wardens, these youths have been pushed onto the University as they have nowhere else to go. Council workers got so fed up of the no1sy youths causing trouble around the Northfields and Larkman estates, that they demanded they leave - or face police action. Now the school children, whose ages range from 14 to 16, spend night after night loitering outside the old Breakers fast-food restaurant, smoking, drinking and sending fear into most of those who walk past. There have also been reports of crimmal damage by the group. Kandy Crisp, 15, lives in West Earlham, not far from the run-down Larkman estate. She used to hang around near her home, but was told she IS no longer allowed to. For the past few months she has spent her evenings at UEA. And not even the cold w1nter weather w1ll keep her indoors. "We used to hang around West Earlham, but we got told we weren't allowed to stay there anymore, so we have been coming here for the last three or four months. We just come here to chill out, it's the most

sociable place to be, but the police and secunty still come and move us on," said Kandy, who attends Earlham High School, on Earlham Road. While Kandy only comes with her friends, some of her gr~up bring their bicycles and skateboards and scare those walking by. Others partake in anti-social behaviour. On the night that Concrete joined the teenagers, four of the exhibitionists revealed their backsides while their friends watched and laughed. They also started heckling a group of female students who were on the1r way to get some money from the cash machines on The Street. lt is this intimidation that characterises their behaviour on campus. Kandy's friend, Matty Mills, 16, who also attends Earlham School claims that he is not causing any trouble by being on the campus. He blames others for the fighting and crimes that occur in the evenings. "We JUSt come here and sit around and have a laugh. There is not normally any trouble or crime here, but sometimes other gangs come and start fights. We do drink sometimes if we can get any alcohol," said Matty, as he was perched on the picnic tables outside the old Breakers site. The group insist they only spend four hours at the University each mght, usually from 7pm until llpm. But for UEA security, these four hours are four hours too long.

Above: Youths from local estates who have taken to hanging outside the old Breakers 2 site (below left)

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2002

Students divided over Students call for fairness CCTV in Waveney I

Disagreements as students demand cameras LIZ HUTCHINSON Assistant News Editor

OUTRAGED students living in Waveney Terrace have compiled a petition appeal ing for CCTV camera s - after several break-i ns and increased vandal ism have made them feel vulnerable to further attacks of crime.

Over fifty residents have signed the petition, posted in the entrance ha l l to J, K and L blocks. SYS student Alex McFadyen started the petition after a series of windows were broken in his block. "I came home one night to find a group of youths trying to attack a fellow student. That prompted me to take action , that and the fact that people keep bei ng

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Above: The Wa veney petition

harassed and windows are being smashed." Alex also believes that the security cameras could be used not only to protect the students but also their property, after several break-ins in the halls. "There are security cameras around campus that guard the University computers but I'd like to guess that there are more corn•puters in Waveney than there are under the Library, but our computers and us are left unprotected. At least with camera footage, they wou ld \ have some evidence in order to find the culprits." However the petition, posted in the entrance to block L, has caused conflict among residents. Some students think the cameras would be an invasion on their privacy- and have even scribbled ' Say no to Big Brother' on it. Visiting American student J Duikote believes that security cameras should not be allowed in a private residence . " I think cameras would watching for the wrong things. I think more security presence would be better," said the SOC student. But Security coordinator

Ron Elliot believes that security cameras would be a costly solution and fears that the cameras would mfringe students' privacy. " You are restricted in terms of the use of cameras as far as resi dences are concerned. The cameras can't be in a position whereby they can even be suggested that they might look into the residences . "The only way Waveney could be properly covered by CCTV is to have a camera placed on each external access point to a block and that would be a very expensive operation because the average cost to install one is £4000." But Mr Elliot does not rule out the possibility of camera surveillance and is encouraging students with ideas to come forward . " There are proposals for additional cameras over the next five years to be installed and that would include some of the approaches to some of the resi dential blocks. If there are proposals from students, they need to be bought forward to be considered and we could then make an informed response to them," added Mr Elliot.

KATIE HIND News Editor

A GROUP of pol itical students are appealing for a democracy reform - insisting that the new Constitution is not fair. Toby Matthews, Catherine Manning, Pcte Collins and Alex Dawson will put a motion forward at the next Union Council meeting to reform the current rulings. They claim that the decision made last year to introduce clubs and society reps onto Union Council, which was previously known as Students' Forum, leaves students being represented unfairly. In the past, reps from schools have been elected. But under the new rules, the number of these students have been cut. This means some representatives represent 900. while Society reps are talking on behalf of as little as 30 students. Third year History student Toby Matthews wants everyone to have the same rights. . "We want to improve representation for ordinary students in our Union. Everyone should be equally represented. At the moment people have different levels of representation, depending on their school or how many clubs and societies they belong to." Ur.der the new Constirution, the

committee that deals with complaints has been aboli hed too. EAS student Catherine Manning is calling for other members to support the amendments, which are part of the motion called Restoration of Democracy. " We hope that our fellow c;ouncil representatives will support us. We have cross party support from the Liberal Democrats, Labour and Con ervative student partie as well as many independents," said the third year. "The student movement can only be revived if the people have faith in the democratic process. "By internalising democracy, blocking Union General Meetings and abolishing a fair complaints procedure, the Union is turning its back on democracy and making the Union a rubber-stamping body," added Toby. Other changes that the quartet are calling for include Union Council meetings being held fortnightly during term time. Any changes to this would be at the group's discretion. The body currently meets the minimum four times each semester. They are also hoping to restore the annual Union General Meeting, which was previously held in May each year. The motion, if passed by students at the next meeting on Tuesday February 5, would take effect from September this year. Anyone wanting to get involved in Union Council should see one of the Sabbs, upstairs in Union House.

City complex to shut down as modern nightspots take over EO PURKIS

THREE Tombland nightspots will close their doors next month after competition· from more modern venues has lead

to profits plummeting. Nightclub Hy's, restaurant Pizza One Pancakes Too and Boswells will be shut down on February 1·1, which will lead to staff being made redundant.

The move to sell comes at a time when competition in the region is high, with venues at Riverside and Tomblands challenging the profit margin of the Hy's complex. Owner of Hy 's, Hy Kurzner, believes that bigger companies can afford to give revellers the cheaper drinks that they want - but he can't. "People now are demanding lower prices and the lower the price goes the lower your margin goes, the bigger chains can handle it a lot better and a lot longer than the independents," said Mr Kurzner. But the businessman admitted that the decision is not an impulsive one. " People have always been asking the question why is the place for sale, but the place has been for sale for 25 years. If anybody had walked in two days after I'd bought it and offered me more than I paid for it I would have sold it then." Mr Kurzer was fonnerly a US war correspondent in Vietnam. He took over Boswells in October 1976, restoring the building afrer a fire rwo years later. In 1983, he opened Hy's, the first club in the region to feature a glass dance noor. and it underwent a refurbishment less than four years ago. His business, Kurzner Enterprises Ltd, had previously owned venues in London and ew York, but the Tombland complex had been the biggest venture lasting twenty-five years to date.

Riverside Entertainments Centre Manager, Duncan Emstrong, is not surprised that the nightspots have been forced to close down. "The diversity of what we have to offer and the fact everything is in a convenient single location attracts people as well as the fact it is new and exciting. "It is disappointing to see the establi hed landmarks of the Norwich nightscene closing, but the customers will benefit from the increase in competition and choice offered by the competition," said Mr Emstrong.

Above left to right: A/ex Dawson, Catherine Manning, Toby Matthews and Pete Col/ins

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www.concrete-on Ii ne. eo. uk

Sabbatical officers tell students: get out and vote But students would rather "stick head in the sand" MATTHEW MULLEN

WITH the annual elections for a new round of Union Officers due to take place next month, this year's sabbs fear that the turnout of voters will be low again . But in an attempt to combat this prob lem, th e decisior. has been taken to hold elections for the four sabbatical positions at the same time as the other seven part-time posts, on Thursday, February 14. Union Communications Offtcer, Emma Reynolds hopes that this will encourage more stu dents to make their \iotces heard by voting for their favourite candidate. "We tried to make elections more exciting this year by brtnging full-time and part-time posts together in one big event." With less than 1 ,454 students out of the population of 13,180 deciding to vote last year, Emma is cal l ing out for people to decide who will be representtng them next year - and to make use of both their current and future Union Officers . "People think we do this to put on our CVs but we don't. Our agenda is student opinion. Anyone can be a candidate in the

election , you don't have to come from a political background. "We're the only people who represent students on Untverstty If students want to meetings. empower themselves they have to come to us with their problems so that we can help them. We do our best, but we aren't psychic ," said Emma . But the feeltng amongst stu dents does not look positive for this year. Second year ENV stu-

dent, Chns McAIItster insists that voting for next year's sabbs is not important for him. "I'm not really interested. I'll probably vote if I'm on campus, but it's not top priority". And first year Mo Pamplin agrees. "I wouldn't bother rea lly, I'd rather just get on with my work. Given the chotce I'd rather stick my head in the sand and just get

on."

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2002

Bio student victim of marking trick KAT IE H IN D News Editor A STUDENT \\as left wotTied after her essay mark was tampered with while it sat in a pigeon hole. Third year BIO student. Bccca Edglcy. arrived to picf.. her work up only to find that she had been awarded just I O'K. After unsuccessfull) trying to find her ad visor. Becca met a fellow student in the Computer Centre whose marks had also been cxc'tptional ly low. Bu t when the Biological Science' student checked her grade with her lecturer. she discovered that her actua l mark wa~ 65'7c. Becca feared that her final degree grade would be >eriously elTcctcd hy the essay. "I wa; wotTicd a5 I thought I had failed the coursework component of the unit. my first thought was that

there would be a lot of pressure on my exam performance. "Someone thought it would be funny to write comments. but I had a distraught night. I wa> on the phone to my parents. It"s a bit sick really." said Becca. But within a week of the incident. BIO staff reformed the wa) that coursework i-, returned to ~tudent'>. Work is no longer left in pigeon hole> and is instead only given back when a campus card is produced. "B IO were really good and quick about it all. I was impressed. Within a week. the whole system was cha nged around." said Bccca. Dean of BIO. Dr David Wi ldon claims these two incidents arc the firs t he has ever heard of - and he hopes the} are isolated ones. "This has never happened before and we have been relllrn i ng cou rse" ork through pigeon holes for as long a' I can remember. My guess i' that this has been a onc-ofL"'

And he hopes that the new measures introduced in the department will prevent any more occurrences. .. , can "t sec this happening again now we have the new measure~ in

place ... said Dr Wildon.

Above: 810 student Becca Edgley

Waterfront rumours denied by Union A REPORT in a local paper questioning the future of The Waterfront suggesting that its council grant may be cut has been denied by Union management , writes He/en

Sharpe. T he rumour started after a meeting was held with Norwich

city council to discuss future f unding and no fina l decision was made. General Manager of the Union. Andy Putt. insists that all feedback from the council has been positive. however. "The city council assure me that they arc not deferring the ir decision and intend to give the Waterfront a

new lease. But we have a meeting with them this Friday and will have a better idea of the detail> then." He felt that some specu lation over the meeting was inevitable. but was encouraged by the council's positiYe reaction. "All indications from the council show that they want The Waterfront to have a new lease." he added.

NEWS

Concrete WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2002

Exams di~srupted by campus building works Students may have to take six hours of exams in a day REBECCA LAWRENCE

it is no longer possible to use the space in the arts building, previously used for exams, as it is too near the building activity, which would distract students. The University academic registrar has been in deep discussion with the Learning, Teaching and Quality Council about the lack of space. The options, which are still in debate, include changing the amount of hours a student can sit for an exam in a day from five to six, allowing students to sit consecutive exams, and lastly, permitting exams of different lengths to sit together.

EXAMS could prove to be more stressful than normal th is year as building works mean that there is less space available for them to take place. The amount of rooms has been drastica lly reduced due to the construction of the new med ical school, meaning the only available space to take exams is in the old sports complex, the Tyndall Centre.

The issue has been taken to Union Council, where the option deemed least desirable would be to allow students to sit consecutive exams. Union Academic officer James Harrison confirmed that there is a worrying shortage of space for examinations but insisted that the problems would be resolved. "There are more exams t his year, which has increased the problem of space. "lt is the first year all exams are to be held in the summer instead of in January, after the transitional time last year, when

some schools sti 11 held an assessment period after Christmas," said James. "Something has to be done as it is no longer possible to use the arts building owing to the noise of the building works. "We will try to find out the best solution. The University is doing everything it can to make the exam period go smoothly." However, he admitted the Union have yet to reach a conclusion. "lt is possible that we will find more space but I cannot say where as yet because it has not been agreed," he added.

Lecturers warn • against new essay serv1ces LIZ HUTCHINSON Assistant News Editor

slightly more for a Masters course or PHD.

UNIVERSITY teaching staff have spoken of the problems of detecting and dealing with student cheats - after the introduction of an internet service offering pre-written essays for academic degrees. The site, run by ex-University of Central England lecturer Elizabeth Hall, charges £40 an • hour to wrjte ~s~ •f,oc

It is even claimed that Ms Hall and her colleagues will write in mistakes if the student does not normally gain particularly high grades. ln a conversation with a Concrete reporter, founder Elizabeth Hall boasted that there are no means of detection for thi kind of plagarism. She sees herself as merely 'an ad visor'. "1 offer you complete confidentiality. You can oot in troobl~ if 11

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wrinen but additional help however is OK and you shouldn't get in trouble for that." However, lecturers at UEA have expressed dismay at the business and worry about the increasing impact the Internet in general is having on the problem of plagarism. "I think it is outrageous behaviour for somebody who used to be a university lecturer. "The University general policy is brought to the allention of our students, but it is increasingly difficult to deal with the interne

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David Bailey. Union Academic Officer James Harrison deplored the service and warned students of the consequences of plagiarism. "Students should be aware of the university's definition of plagiarism and they hould take the greatest care when compiling references," said James.

Pay and display planned to deter student drivers LIZ HUTCHINSON Assistant News Editor PARKING charges have been introduced on campus in an attempt to cut the huge amount of cars entering the University each day. Visitors to the campus will now be charged 50p for two hours between 8am and 5.30pm an d 50p in total at all other times. Patients visiting the health centre will not be required to pay but will be restricted to one hour with charges yet to be imposed on v1s1tors to the Sportspark, the Sainsbury's centre and the guest suite. University Transport Co-ordinator Dawn Dewar has defended the move - claiming that these charges will have no effect for staff and students who have already paid for the mandatory £30 permit. "Students without a parking permit will be treated as a visitor for charging purposes, but I doubt the implementation of these charges will have an impact on staff or students. Parents will be treated as visitors unless they are here on welfare grounds." As Concrete reported earlier this year, the sheer amount of traffic on

campus has forced the already stretched security services to neglect their duties in order to park cars. However, the lack of parking spaces on campus will prove to become more of a problem next term as the medical school is due to open in September. But Ms Dewar insists that discussions on how to tackle this problem are already under way. "There are plans for a consultation on sustainable travel plan which is going to council in March. Things are however yet to be finalised and we are hoping to gel feedback about our plans. If people have comments or think we have missed things- then they can contact us on e tates@uea.ac.uk." The long-term travel plan aims to reduce the non-essential u e of cars by promoting alternative methods of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport. Environmental officer Ali Paul welcomes the introduction of charges and hopes that profits made from the new initiative will improve cycle safety. " I would hope that any charges et would be used to improve facili ties for alternative forms of transport such as bicycle shelters and improved security," said Ali. "Cycling is a viable alternative mode of transport, it's cheap and easy."

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NEWS

www.concrete-onl ine.co .uk

Concrete

Beauty competition to reveal Mr and Mrs UEA Cheerleaders await Union decision over contest KATIE HIND News Editor STUDENTS will get the chance to vote on who they think should be crowned Ki ng and Queen of UEA - it Union officials give the competition the go-ahead.

people at the University are," sa1d the second year Film and American Studies student. But Union Communications Officer, Emma Reynolds, is unsure whether the competition

will go ahead as it may infringe rulings in the Union's Constitution . "We honestly haven't made a decis1on on it yet. Its go1ng to Monday's exec and the exec as a

whole can then decide how it stands up against the Constitution and if 1t does, whether we think it should go ahead or not." But at Monday's Executive

The Cheerleading and AfroCaribbean Societies are set to team up to presen t the eve nt, which will be part of the Valentine's disco on February

15. Six males and females will go on stage in the LCR on the night while the audience vote to decide who shou Id win the contest. President of the Cheerleaders, Alex Simmwise, believes the evening will be like an American Prom night - where students will dress formally. And she hopes that U EA students will like the event. "I think it will be successful, I think people would want to go and see who the most popular

Above: Members of the Cheeleading society

meeting, the matter was left unresolved and has been deferred to Management Committee. "The executive are elected by students to represent U EA students' opinion so hopefully the discussion and the decision will be as reflective of student opinion as possible," added Emma. However, she thinks it is great that clubs are beginning to join up to arrange events for students. "lt is a very positive initiative to see societies wanting to work together to produce an event but we will have to see how the executive vote on the nature of the event." There will be a stall in the Hive where anyone who wants to nominate a contestant can hand in their photo and details about them. St udents wi 11 then have to choose who they think should be short listed for the evening. The winning male and female will be treated to a photoshoot • with a professional photographic company. They wil l be given a complimentary booklet of pictures.

Fees to rise UNIVERSITY official s have announced plans to increase the fees that foreign students are to pay to study at UEA. A further 3.5% will be added to the prices that the i nternational students already pay in an attempt to attract higher calibre people. ll is hoped that if the cost is more, potential students will see UEA a being a better place to study despite the rise being above the level of inflation. UEA bosses have looked at how much it costs to do a degree at other universities such as Oxford. Bristol

and Exeter and the plan is to become more in line with them. But this is not the first time fees have been increased for international students. Last year saw the introduction of another inflationbusting 4.5% rise. Pro- Vice Chancellor, Moya Wilson, defended the move at the time, claimi ng that the increase allows the Univer ity to nave excess funds to support poorer student . "The fees have been increased because we want to have spare money to give to international students who are experiencing financial difficulties."

Boyzone star to DJ A former member of pop band Boyzone will be joining in wi th the Valentine's celebrations at UEA when he appears in the LCR next month. Shane Lynch, who was a fifth of the quintet that first entered the charts in the mid-90s, will be performing along with Phats and Small's Ben. Since parting from the others, Shane, 26, has gone on to become a racing car driver and a rapper. While with the chart-topping band, Shane released four top ten albums and more than fifteen hit singles. The pair will be appearing under the name of Redhill, whose first single, Drive, has just been released. They will entertain LCR-goers at the Valentine's party on Febcuary 15.

The former Boyzone star is not the only famous pop idol to grace the Uni vers ity th is term. Girl band Atomic Kitten are scheduled to visit the LCR next month. The Pet Shop Boys and Sophie Ellis-Bextor follow shortly after.

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Seminar numbers set to Increase UEA is to increa e their level of taff to student ratios by counting extra personneL A project was started to examine why the University is behind on these figures in comparison to other higher education in titut ions and it was discovered that some were including other areas of staff which UEA were not. Plans were announced at the University's External Affairs and Recruitment Committee to include research PHD students as staff. Union Communications Officer, Emma Reynolds, believe that if other universities are working in this way then there is no reason why UEA should not. "The figures on this arc probably misleading for all universities, not just UEA and we understand why UEA wants to maximise the figure in line with other universities according to which taff are being included in their ratios so that UEA is not under-rcpres(;llted in that area in comparison to others. "However, as I said to the members of the committee, it is important to remember what those ratios are meant to reflect and concentrate on the number of contact hours, rather than a position in a league table, especially when students are now paying for their education and so should expect to get value for their money," said Em ma.

Extra bus should ease congestion

USERS of the number 25 bus have been promised a better service from next month. First Buses M arketing Director, Mike Payne has revealed that there will be an extra vehicle put on the route to top long delays. From March 3, a total of nine buses wi ll ru n on the service, which operates between the Riverside and the New Norfolk and orwich Universi ty Hospital, via Unthank Road and the University. Students and local residents have been subjected to long waits for buses since the new hospital opened at the end of last year. But Mr Payne hopes the additional vehicle will put an end to this. "We are trying to combat the effects of traffic congestion in the Earlham Road area. Buses have got stuck in the traffic on the Earlham Road, which has left gaps in the service. "The traffic on Earlham Road has been worse than anyone had anticipated, so by putting an extra bus into the timetable, they will have much more time for the journey and the .serv,ice wjll Qe \l,n~f[ected by ttaffi eonditions," h6 said. ..

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2002

Opinion

One student, one vote

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The recent attacks have again called in to question the efficacy of university safety. lt's time they started to listen. By Adam Chapman.

t is old news that this newspaper is highly crit ical of security arrangements at UEA. However, it continues to be of serious concern . This year has seen numerous break-ins, muggings, racial attacks, arson and a flasher current ly groping female students. This news alone should make us all stop and consider whether the university is actually trying to combat the problem of student safety. If anything, the problem seems to be getting worse as the year progresses. This cannot continue. What makes the situation even more difficult is the increased presence of local youths on cam pus. U EA is not private property and, as any person with a firm grasp of democratic pri nci pl es will tell you, they have the right to go wherever they want. Th is is all right and good . What is not right and good, however, is vandal ism , graffiti and intimidation - all aspects of the relat ionship these children seem to have with our university. lt is not the university's fault , nor should it be, that bored children from local estates hang out on campus. They have a right to be there. They do not have a right, however, to intimidate students by the ir very presence. This is probably the worst aspect of the situation - students feel unsafe, regardless of whether or not anything comes of it. Add to th is the damage that has been caused to property (inc luding, perversely enough , a window in the security lodge of all places) and you have a situation already struggling to be controlled . lt is no surprise, therefore, that a petition has been set up at Waveney Terrace asking for CCTV in the residence. Waveney has seen its

fair share of crime this year and it would seem that its inhabitants have had enough. On the other side of the spectrum there are those who don't wish to be watched over by Big Brother. There are worthy points to be made on both sides. The use of CCTV would enable the university's already overstretched securi ty team to central ise the ir security allowing them to send out staff whenever a problem occurs. That, however, is making two very big assumptions. Firstly that there are enough security staff to monitor the CCTV. What is the point of actually having cameras aimed at wrongdoers if there isn't anyone to react? Secondly, if, indeed , it was implemented , the problem of identifying whether the loiterers are local troublemakers or merely students hanging around their residence could occur. One person looks pretty much like another on CCTV. What is certain - and we will continue to repeat this until we are blue in the face - is that a security presence on campus is practi cal ly non-existent. Even UEA's own security guards have attacked the university over what they see as an overworked, understaffed job . Security

We should not have to walk around ea mpus with the fear that we might be held at knifepoint or molested .

guards are expected to act as glorified traffic wardens for the travesty that is the U EA car park for a large amount of the time , leaving residences- and students - largely unprotected . hat the University's Police Liaison Officer has recommended that a full -time police officer be employed on campus is welcome news , and quite refreshing too, in comparison to the university's response to the situation . At present PC Matthew El lis comes on to campus for one two hour session every fortnight. As last weeks events show, this is not enough to deter serious crime from taking place . I 'm sure the victims of the attacks and the groping would all throw their support behind the idea of having a full -t1me police presence on campus. Bringing someone experienced on to the pay-roll, someone who cou Id come up with safety initiatives based on his or her experience would be an ideal start if we are to assume that U EA is intent on taking student safety seriously. A trained response, as wel l as an increased level of security, would not only make sure that local children did not harass or damage but would also give students the peace of mind they so rightly deserve. We pay to be here and our money should be used to assure us at least a moderate degree of safety. What we should not have to do is walk around campus with the fear that we might be held at knifepoi nt or molested by a pervert intent on flashing everything he has to all and sundry. The situation has been ignored for far too long and it is up to the people who run th is university to finally take the initiative before someth ing cons iderably more serious happens.

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

You can hear t he sound of vague indifference reverberat ing around th e concrete confines of UEA. The Union executive election s are back for anot her year and perhaps this year things will be different. Turnout last year was up by 25% with a total of 1,454 unspoiled votes cast, up from 1162 the year before, a massive 11% of t he st udent populat ion. With over 13,000 st udents at UEA, including undergrad uates and postgraduates this is ha rdly a resound ing mandate fo r t hose elected . The causes of thi s are ha rd to pin down as th e low turn-out is genera lly reflecti ve of a nati ona l trend t owa rds apathy. The problem with the Union election is t he lack of ava ilable coverage and the fact t hat it inevitab ly t urns into a contest of who has the most mates. Students who do not visit t he Hive will no doubt miss the li ve hustings " debate" which normally gives the candidates, however successful ly, the chance to answe r questions on their manifestos. The elect ion is large ly limited , t herefore , to Uni on House. The Un ion should take act ion to bring the ca ndidates out to t he wider campus community. Only then can those elected truly be sa id to be representative of the student voice .

Pay and dismay The decision to introduce pay and display mach ines in to the University car park shou ld be treated with caution. Any plans wh ich could result in students paying more shou ld be exam ined in depth. The idea t hat university bosses are introducing the system because of environmental conce rn s would be adm irab le. However, due to vast overcrowding in the main car park and limited spaces elsewhere on campus it would seem that they are either rais ing cash for a grand extension of parking services or are trying to limit th e num ber of drivers by pricing t hem out of the market.

Ugly? Ugly people of the wor ld un ite! There is a grand plan afoot to keep you in you r place. We call on everyone with any interest in human dign ity to vote for your plainest , spottiest friend as new King or Queen of UEA. That' ll show them .

FOCUS

www.concrete-onl i ne.co.uk

Concrete

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WED NESDAY , JAN UAR Y

30, 2002

•

• As Tony Blair's latest mission abroad hits the front pages, the Oxford Union hosts a debate next week asking whether pol iticia ns or the media hold the power in modern Britain. Will Halsey asked the experts

etting politici ans off th eir soundbites is hard ," says Elinor Goodman, Pol itical Correspondent for Channel 4 News. "I suppose TV has contributed to th is prob lem: we 're always chasing short, lucid clips and politicians are giving us what we want. " The idea of the media getting what it wants is not a new one; on the contrary, it is commonplace in modern poli t ics. And perh aps that is t he reason why the debate as to whether politicians or the media hold more sway in Britai n has been raised. On the face of it, it simply shouldn't be an issue: the politicians make the decisions, the media reports them . Right? " The peop le who control the purse strings are the people ·who have the power, an d the people who control the purse strings around here are the Government," confirms Matt Wells , Media Correspondent with The Guardian. "On those crude criteria, it is very difficult to argue that the media have more power than the government. "But if you asked whether the media wields pol it ica l influence, then absolutely: this government in particular is, more than any, completely obsessed with what the media says." Th is is something C4 veteran Goodman concurs with - but doesn't necessarily accept responsibi lity

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evidence suggests that people aren't apathetic, what they don't li ke is politicians"

uch med ia obsessions have served to ra ise and ri le the Brit ish publ ic, with examples such as the petrol crisis highlight ing the power a media-backed public can have in Britain. But iro nica lly, the present Government's med ia-savvy approach has led to the most spectacular apathy when it comes to the ins and outs of politics. Certainly Guardi an JOurnalist Wel ls sees t he present administration fa ili ng in its job thanks to consta nt ly poring nervously over the right-wing press. " In the fi rst term of this government , there has been an incredible pol icy inertia," he complains. " Th1 s Labour government was placed in power with a record majority with a clear mandate from the electorate to pursue a set of radical left-of-centre polic ies. " Yet so frigh tened has this administration been of the reaction such an agenda might have in th e press that there has been absolutely no radicalism from th is government whatsoever. " Th ey are afra id of [Rupe rtl Murdoch , but also afraid of [Lord] Rothermere and what the Daily

UEA Pal itics Professor, Dr John Street, explains how the press are less powerful than they appear

Experienced people and more recent entrants to advertising and PR, broadcast media, design, news journalism and publishing, new media and postgraduate courses, will be available to chat informa lly to students about their wo rk and caree rs. 1

Mail says. This has led to a complete and utter inertia." Such criticism is arguably valid , but quite why Labour are so agitated by the ro le of the press is less easy to fathom. There is no doubt the med ia does hold some power over pub lic opinion, but all studies point to the press having little influence when it comes to the ballot box . UEA politics professor Dr John Street points to studies that emphasise the lack of powe r the med ia in Brita in possesses: " Almost all the research subsequently actually suggests the media 's in f luence is greatly exaggerated." Matt Wells agrees: "The tab loid press do not have influence over their readers . There has been some research t hat most readers of The Sun during the Thatcher years actually voted Labour. People don't have a huge idea about their paper's political sen sibi lities." However, t hat is not to say the media might as well pack up and go home. " Newspapers have very little infl uence over how their readers vote, but they have a great deal of influence over readers ' perceptions," explains Wells. Not only this, but the media may well have significant influence in persuading people to go out and vote, if not which candidate to choose. And with political interest apparently so low, this may t urn out to be a crucial role. Howeve r, Dr Street questions such apa thy. " Recent evidence suggests that people aren 't apa thetic, what they don't like is politicians," he suggests. Indeed , the media's role in recent elections has been nu llified by the spin docto ring and huge majority Labour boast , as well as the disarray with in the Conservative Party. Long election campaigns didn 't help, and the media visibly struggled to hold in terest. Channel 4 anchor and journalist Jon Snow offers no apologies, though. "The problem is trying to stoke viewer and voter enthusiasm during elections," he explains. " If it becomes boring, Channel 4 will hnd something else to fill the bulletins . We 're not in the business of making elections interesting- that's the politicians' job." . A job it would appear the politicians are not doing very effectively - instead pandering more and

What the papers say: does the

·Thursday 14 February 1200-1530 in the LCR

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for. " Politicians are as much to blame as the media," she claims. "Aiistair Campbe ll, and Peter Ma ndelson before him, real ised in ways their predecessors had never grasped that the press needed exclusives and the television needed pictures and soundbites which distilled t heir message into 20 seconds suitable for 1.50 minute packages." But while the media and polit ic ians are certainly conspiring to present the news in the most bitesize and user-friendly format as possib le, it is difficult to move away from the idea that the media's role in Britain has changed in a wider sense over the previous decade. The outpouring ~~ Rec e n t of large ly media-driven public grief at the death of Princess Di ana is one such example of t he press and television taking an event and un iting in blanket coverage; Septem ber 11 also saw te levision schedu les cleared across the terrestrial channels, wh ile the entire Bri t ish press to a large part could have been produced by one tea m of journalists. As Goodman says: "The med ia has never bee n more competitive, yet, never, I suspect, has it hunted so much as a pack."

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he power of mass media recently has been claimed in terms of the outcome of elections. People point to t he fac t that, up unti I 1997 , most newspapers support ed part ies other than the Labour Party, and then 1n 199 7 the Sun switches sides and Labour w1n s. In 2001 , 64% of al l newspaper rea ders were read ing pro-Labour papers and again L.;bour w1n s. lt looks li ke newspapers are influenci ng the vote. and of course there is the Su n head line 'i t was th e Su n wot won it' in 1997. But almos t al l the subsequent research actually suggests the med1a's influence is greatly exaggerated: papers fol low their readers to some extent ,

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and owners want to be on the right side come the day after the election. There are clearly other cases, though , where were it not for the media 's re lentless pursuit of Mandelson, Aitken , Hami lton etc, it is possible they would have stayed in office. In those cases , the individual politicians were beaten by the media. But Ham ilton took money, Aitkiri lied , Mandelson also appeared not to tell the truth. They weren't innocents persecuted by the media. In an ideal wor ld, the media is a useful democrat ic mechanism . We depend on our media to tell us about the world , and for political information. lt is importan t , and I thin k there are rea l con cerns if the media 'dumb down' the news, if less

Concrete WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2002

FOCUS

www.concrete-online.co.uk

What the experts say... ulf elections become boring, Channel 4 will find someth ing else to report. We're not trying make elections interesting- that's the politicians' job."

Jon Snow, Channel 4 News 11

Aiistair Campbell realised that the television needed pictures and sourrdbites which distilled the ir message into 20 seconds suitable for 1.50 packages."

Elinor Good man, Channel 4 News As each year passes, the public's bullshit threshold decreases: people accept less of the windy rhetoric and look instead for an attractive individual." ll

John Sargeant, llV news more to the media's needs. Jackie Ash ley of the New Statesman bemoans the way in which parties set election agendas solely to hit headlines. "Parties would ca ll morning press conferences, realise newsdesks weren't interested in what they'd concentrated on, and call a rebuttal conference." f the recent general election suffered a low turnout due to Labour's vast majority, though, the future referendum on the euro is unlikely to experience such difficulties, with it destined to be a close battle all the way. And the media may find a very significant role to play, according to Wells. "The press will play a very important part, " he suggests. " Not as important as people going on holiday and using the euro, but the press will be important. I don't know if it will swing it either way but we'll see." However, despite British public opinion never rising above 19% against the single currency, and despite a still-dominant right-wing press that is

adamant about keeping the pound, the press may not have such a significant role to play. History is not on the media's side. Anthony King, Professor of Government at Essex University, explains: "At the beginning of 1975, six months before the referendum on Britain's continued membership of Europe, opinion polls showed a large majority in favour of bringing Britain out. Only six months later, an even larger majority voted to stay in." The media d1dn't bring about such a-shift, the Government did: an intensive six-month campaign created the result the Government wanted. lt is something t hat should gi ve Blair confidence, but then again, the media is a very different beast now to what it was 25 years ago. Ultimately, it may come down to who looks better on TV, as John Sargeant, ITV's Political Correspondent, warns: "As each year passes, the public's bullshit threshold decreases: people accept less of the windy rhetoric that politicians used to spout and look instead for an attractive individual."

media influence how we vote? news is available. If people see less and less politics on television, that's bad, it encourages less active citizenship. Recent evidence suggests that people aren't apathetic, but they don't like politicians. People are still political, still interested, but the form of politics with which they are confronted do not attract them. Also, a lot of news reporting tends to imply that politicians are only in it for the votes, wh ich then influences voters. But in Britain, studies suggest that the media encourages political interest. The media can try to make politicians more attractive, but the only people that cap improve things by changi ng the British constitution introducing proportional representation , for example - are the politicians. Ana with huge majorities, they may not feel so inclined. The media can try and change things, but front-page stories about proportional representation don't sell papers, while pictures路 of Jordan do."

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, JANlJARY 30, 2002

Following last year's su icide attacks and the current situation ?t Camp X-ray, human rights abuses are still at the forefront of the public consciousness. One year ago, five people burnt themselves to death in Tiananmen Square during the Chinese New Yea r celebrations. Chinese authorities clai med that they were practitioners of Fal un Gong. Adam Chapman asks j ust what the spiritua l practice enta ils and why Ch ina still considers it a "serious threat" .

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2002

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·Friend dilemma " I'm a second year student, and recently I've felt attracted to my best friend, and I want to talk to her about it. However, I 'm worried about how she'll react, as I don't want to lose her friendship. I'm really confused as I've been going out with my boyfriend for a year and I thought I loved him." Rachel (EAS 2)

Rachel should think about her feelings towards her best friend more carefully before talking to her, as this might mean she loses both her best friend and her boyfriend. Toni (SYS1)

I th ink it's important for Rachel to be veiy sure of how she feels before she talks to her best friend. She needs to figure out whether she is just confused, especially as she has a boyfriend. Perhaps it would be best for Rachel to drop subtle hints to her best friend to find out how she feels, before talking to her. Jen (EAS1) Get pissed, go pull her Rachel, you only live once. Then if your best friend doesn't feel the same you can blame it on the alcohol the next day. Oily (SYSl) People often go through stages in their lives when they are attracted to the same sex, so it is a relatively normal feeling. Rachel should see if these feelings pass before talking to her best friend. If they don't, she should talk to the lesbian and gay society or talk to Nightline. Helen (MTH 1)

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I don't think Rachel should do anything. Talking to her best friend wou ld just complicate the issue. If she does want to talk to some one, she should talk to a professional, who will help her sort out her feelings. Mark (SOC2) Rachel should speak to her boyfriend, as she should be honest about how she feels. Her feelings suggest their relationship isn't working anyway. Claude (SYS2)

rs Wang Lixuan and her seven month year old son were arrested by Chinese authorities on October 22, 2000. Two weeks later they were both dead. Medical examiners found that Mrs Wang's neck had been broken and her skull crushed. Her son's head was battered, his ankles bruised and his nose bloody. lt was determined that he had been shackled and hung upside down. Ms Li Xiuqin was illegally sent to Wanj ia labour camp on December 26, 2000 along with fifteen other women. Along with her fellow prisoners she was tortured to death and died on June 20 the following year. All these women had at least one thing in common. They were all practitioners of Falun Gong, described by its followers as an advanced system of selfrefinement of mind, body and spirit. President Jiang Zemin officially banned its practice on July 22, 2001 after more than a hundred arrests of so-called

key members of Falun Gong in the middle of the night two days earlier. The New York Times reported at the time that "the authorities have detained tens of thousands of people and are spewing a deafening barrage of anti-Falun Gong publicity each day." So what is Falun Gong? An anti-Communist movement? A moneymaking cult determined to undermine the very foundations of Chinese society? Nothing quite so monumental. lt is instead described as a "cultivation practice based on the three principles of Zen, Shan and Ran (truthfulness, compassion and forbearance). lt is said to hal'e no religious or political agenda, never collects money from people and is based on individual choice. First introduced by Master Li Hongzhi in 1992, Falun Gong has since then spread to over 40 countries with more than 100 million practitioners. lt is it's very success and staggering number of followers that has meant that the number of ~eople practising Falun Gong exceeds the entire membership of the Chinese Communist Party. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is regarded as a threat to the omnipotent totalitarian regime.

Would Rachel ever think about a threesome with anyone? She needs to get her feelings sorted. At least then she could judge whether or not she'd be willing to try with girls and from there she could decided what to do. If she wou ld be willing to try that, I guess she'd be willing to try with her best friend. If this is the case, she should definitely speak to her boyfriend. Jon (SYS 1)

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authorities have stated that when a Falun Gong practitioner is beaten to death, it is counted as a suicide. The bodies are not to be identified and are to be directly cremated."

If she is attracted to other people then there is probably something missing in her relationsh ip with her boyfriend so she should address that before worrying about her feelings for other people. She needs to sort out that relationship first as there is definitely something wrong. Whether she tel]s her best friend or not depends on the type of friendship they have. Eve (8101)

-. A declaration by Amnesty International states that "These Falun Gong deaths in custody are an appalling illustration of the authorities' callous disregard for the lives of people detained solely for their peaceful activities.. . The International community cannot watch silently while these gross human rights violations are taking place. lt must condemn these abuses and put pressure on China to stop them." Following the announcement last July that Beijing will host the 2008 Olympics, Beijing has tried to put a spin on the international face of their human rights abuses. Only last month Jiang Zemin spoke positively about people "with different religious beliefs" who were all said to be working hard for China. He was, however, extending an olive branch to the 10 million Catholics and Protestants in China. No mention was made of Falun Gong practitioners. year ago, five people doused themselves in petrol during the Year of the Snake celebrations in Tiananmen Square. The Chinese authorities claimed that they were Falun Gong supporters. Wh ile the movement denied any involvement in the selfimmolation, the incident has overshadowed its leader's claims that'Falun Gong is inherently peaceful with no interest in suicide. lt was believed that some followers of the practice had misread Li Hongzhi's New Year message that the "forbearance" taught by Buddha "does not mean tolerating evil beings". He said the "law" he propounded did not justify "ignoring terrible crimes". If the evil went too far, "then various measures at different levels can be used to stop it and eradicate it". Amidst . confusion as to whether supporters were being incited to violence, Erping Zhang, its spokesman, was moved to state that Mr Li meant it was time to "bring the trutb to light" about China's human rights abuses. They claim that the incident was

instead another example to "whip up more hatred towards Falun Gong. That aside, there has been vocal international support for Falun Gong followers, support that has even more resonance since September 11. Regardless of whether or not some supporters have taken extreme action in light of their persecution, Western support, albeit sparsely publicised, is vehement in its criticism of Chinese atrocities. 17 UK MPs have led a motion calling "on China to end this indefensible persecution of its own citizens." Wh ile there is inevitably propaganda on both sides, the persecution of Falun Gong supporters rema ins one of the most disturbing examples of China's continuing disregard for the individual choice of its citizens. As of last year, figures produce by human rights agencies showed that 257 known practitioners had been tortured· or beaten to death. Over 1,000 had been abused in mental homes and given mind-altering drugs. Over 10,000 had been arrested and transported in to labour camps. 50,000 have beeh unlawfully detained and over 500 people have been sentenced for up to 18 years. These statistics alone are a travesty, especially in the maudlin face of media and political soundbites claiming that the world had changed for ever after last September. The world would seem to be largely the same as before. People are still dying for their beliefs. and we in the West are still largely uneducated or apathetic towards it. When Ll Xiuqin died at Wanjia labour camp her body was immediately cremated without notifying the fam ily. The prison guards said at the time: "The authorities have stated that when a Falun Gong practitioner is beaten to death, it is counted as a suicide. The bodies are not to be identified and are to be directly cremated." Li Xiuqin's death is remarkable in just how unremarkable it seems when put in context. However, that doesn't make it any the less horrific.

Top left: Falun Gong founder, Lf Hongzhi. Above: Peaceful protestors demonstrating against the oppression of Falun Gong practitioners. Below, far left: Zhao Xin, a lecturer at Beijfng University of Industry and Commerr:e, arrested on June 19, 2000 for doing Fafun Dafa exercises i n a park.

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Compiled by Rebecca Lawrence

The "straight" boy was in the upper Sixth all grown up and almost well dressed and my experience with boys was somewhat limited to say the least. But he was a new boy in the lower sixth, one of those quiet ones you never see in classrooms, but they're always in the common room reading some offbeat book about philosophy or something. Me and my best friend of the time admired him from afar with his tight, slightly faded jeans (before they were fashionable) and blonde tousled hair. I knew he raced motorbikes at weekends and listened to sixties folk music, so while he was off racing around in his tight, leather all in one I spent my spare time watching motorcross on Eurosport and listening to my mums old Carole King COs. The time came, I bit the bullet, walked into the common room in my velvet jacket and open neck shirt and mumbled something about how much I loved motorbikes, just loud enough to catch his attention and it wasn't long before he was eating out of my slightly clammy hands and was coming over to mine to you know "chill out and listen to records ... " . The scene was set, my mum was out for the evening and I had discarded my bedbase, so my mattress was on the floor, the lights were low and there was a bowl of Bombay mix casually set out by my bed. After his mum had dropped him off and Joni Mitchell was playing softly in the background, the conversation, rather oddly, turned to "first t imes" and "sel\ual liaisons" and I discovered that Mister 'I'm even tanned in December' wasn't as experienced as I first fantasised about. So I had my not so wicked way with him, claiming it would be "good life experience" and "that everyone in the sixties did that kind of thing", and was able Edward (SOC2) to tick that one off my list, 'straight boys'.

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As the international intake settle into life in Norwich , so to are UEA's exports experiencing life abroad. And it can't come much better t han Holland's relaxed lifestyle. Cat Lumb invites you to Leiden .

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What Eastern European ex-communist state is that in then? The country commonly known as Poland. lt is an architectural gem; the c ity of Copernicus, Conrad, Wadj, Polanski and the Pope. it's incredibly cheap and can rival Prague for its outstanding beauty. lt is not yet overrun with tourists and is compact, with lots of day-trips to keep you occupied. Sounds impressive, is it really that good? Well, if you stay within the city walls it is. The old town lies within the pear-shaped area once ringed with medieval walls. Life revolves around the main Market Square or Rynek. lt is a glory of t he Renaissance. Three buildings _ dominate; the "Sukiennice" - the Cloth Hall, the Clock Tower, and the Church of St. Mary's, although the latter was has been under scaffolding for numerous years, mainly because it is under renovation and they keep running out of money. A corporate company has enjoyed fine sponsorship opportunities mind. The twin towers of the church give its signature image. lt is all Eco-friendly; the whole of the old town is pedestrianised. The Wawel Castle sits on top of a hill overlooking the city and the Polish regard it as their beacon of independence. The Nazi's (the cheek of the fascists) used it as their base during the war, and Krakow is probably the only place they did not destroy.

Ah yes, the Nazi's, there is a rather significant monument nearby isn't there .... The last thing it should ever be called is a 'monument'. lt is 20 miles south of the city and nothing has come to symbolise the holocaust more. If you are still short of clues, it's Auschwitz. There is nothing really that you can say that hasn't already been said. lt is worth visiting but be prepared to lose control of your emotions. Um, lighten the mood if you will and take me on a cultural after-

Concrete WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2002

noon ... Its home of the National Museum, but part of it is closed until 2002. There are many small museums dotted around the old town and the first floor of the "Sukiennice" houses a fine collection of 19th-century paintings. Most notable artist, dramatist, poet, painter, stained-glass designer, and Poland's most famous art-nouveau exponent, Stanislaw Wyspianski is buried in the city and his work features prominently. You can also take a ride on the Wisla River, which flows though the city. lt gives stunning views of the castle. And if you have a day to spare, you can always go to the huge salt-mine, a short bus journey away. lt has statues of the Pope and numerous pictures of The Last Supper et al. They also have some amazing concerts down there as well. What is it about the Pope and this place? Well, the university, which is as old as Oxford, is where he studied, and he resided here for many years. If you think David Beckham is flavour of the month in England, its nothing to what the Pope John Paul gets in Poland. Any other tips and how do I get there ... Well there is more vodka available (and it's stronger) than you could possibly dream of. There are a few stories floating around that during Gorbachev's reign of the USSR, they used to eat dried boot-polish on toast. If you want to get there, you don't need a visa and you go there on your interrail pass. lt is a sleeper journey away from Budapest or Berlin . If you want to fly, it costs £218 with LOT, the Polish airline, from Gatwick. Mike Milner

Welcome to Leiden Leiden is only arou!ld 20 minutes from Amsterdam but it is better known for its University than the weed, sex and generally carefree attitude that makes Holland's cap ital such a popular destination. If you know where to look, though, there is plenty of all three. lt is, after a 11, full of students. As one Leiden resident says: "Leiden rema ins a small city, and the large student population thus represents a much.more visible proportion than in any other city - especially Amsterdam. " In Amsterdam the large cosmopolitan atmosphere smothers any special student identity, in Leiden they maintain a much more visible student culture." Music Being a British stlrdent in Leiden is brilliant for the music scene. One particular music venue - well known in Leiden - is the LVC. lt's about the same size as the LCR, but it hosts bands like Travis, Stereophonics, and Matchbox 20 all for approximately £7.50. There are also various festivals, part-funded by the government and aimed at students, so tickets are cheap and transport to and from the festivals is organised. Transport Students mostly avoid public transport, instead using the infamous Dutch "fiets" (bikes), especially as Holland's driving age restriction is 18. Outside Leiden station there is a 50 metre sea of bikes all resting on each other. Every few months a notice goes up warning of a clearing by police; also, cana ls ar~ dredged monthly to unblock them due to the number of bikes which have been thrown in after numerous drunken brawls.

Coffee Shops Of course you can sit around and have a nice cup of coffee in Holland's coffee shops, but if you go into the back bar you can experience a different side of Dutch culture. Even better, you are more likely to be sitting amongst groups of "experienced" Dutch students just out of a lecture than a load of English yobs. Most people think of Amsterdam as the place to go for marijuana, and coffee shops like "Coffee and Dreams" have a much more relaxed atmosphere. Some even boast a lawn where one can sit in the summer months whilst enjoying a herbal treat. Entertainment Being a student town most of the clubs take student ID but seeing as the legal drinking age is 16 there isn't too much problem getting in. The same applies to the numerous pubs, all of which have special feature nights. The most popular of these is ladies night on Tuesdays when all women and the occasional transvestite get drinks at half price. Alcohol and cigarettes are also considerably cheaper in Holland, with a pack of cigarettes at £2.50 and a pint setting you back around £1.20. The cinemas all show the same movies as you ' ll find in Britain with the occasional atrocious Dutch attempt at a film - but are considerably more expen sive than British cinemas at about £5.00 a showing. On the plus side, though, you do get to take alcohol into the theatre! Shopping The shops in Leiden aren't well known because most people tend to go to nearby Den Haag for shops like Top Shop and Gap, but it is perfect for nick-nack shops full of cheap and funky clothes. With many winding

side streets and market stalls you can quite happily spend a day browsing. Culture Stereotypically, there is a windmill in the centre of town, which you can climb up, look at the lovely view of the surrounding car park and then climb back down again, with the explanation of its purpose helpfully being in Dutch. There is also one very nifty museum in Leiden's suburbs called Natural is which is a hands on, funky museum with different exhibitions of nature, geography and the human body every few months. Always good if you want to dC> something to impress your parents, but again, everything's in Dutch. '

Above: the bikes of Leiden Below: the canal

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2002

Sick of spending January looking like a banshee with a particularly bad hangover? Well, fear not, for here is a guide to the best possible products designed to have you looking good in Spring. By Faye Patis. w1ll glue together the cells the w1nter w1nds are tryIng to pull apart. If you haven't got the money try Synerg1e Fresh Quenchmg Mo1stunser wh1ch. for £4.99, w1ll g1ve your skm the sustenance 1! needs. Lancome can prov1de the l1ps w1th loveliness 1f you JUS! use the1r tube of Venef1! Levres SPF8 for £10 or for JUSt £2.50 use the models' favounte (and your wallet's). Carmex.

BODY

FACE

The best place to start the transformation 1s from w1lh1n. If you want to look as good as Carol Vorderman (!) then the place to start 1s w1th a detox plan and !h1s needn't be complex. For £14.25 you con rev1tal1se yourself w1th a detox m a box from Boots. Th1s conta1ns a detox dnnk and v1lam1n tablet w1th 1nstruct1ons to dr1nk a minimum of three pmts of water a day, to eat natural produce and to avo1d da1ry, red meat, Cadbury's, McDonalds, coffee, tea and the del1ghts of the Un1on Bar and 1ts fag mach1ne for the five day durat1on. Body Cond1!1oner, Body Freshener, Body Wash and Body Brush are mcluded and 1f you can st1ck 1!, a detox could bnng you closer to a happ1er place. If th1s 1s all a b1! 1ntense for you then JUS! try to mcrease your water mtake and cut down on the pots of tea and cups of coffee. Every t1me you dnnk any caffe1nated dnnks you are down1ng a d1uret1c, wh1ch equates to los1ng about four glasses of water from your system. For a more 1n depth gu1de see 1ssue 133 of Concrete.

Want your face to glow too? Use an exfollant such as the Body Shop Honey & Oat 3-ln-1 Scrub Mask, which is des1gned for lh1s sens1t1ve area. Don't use body exfol1ant unless you want your face to look l1ke the red crate rs that are All Stewart's nose. Don't neglect your l1ps e1ther. There 1s noth1ng worse than a crusty kiss. De-flake your pout w1th The Body Shop Upscuff (£4.25) and the only crumbs on your l1ps will be from biSCUitS. If your mummy and daddy have g1ven you extra penn1es th1s month then you could treat yourself to the more lav1sh product; DKNY Energ1s1ng Body Scrub (£19) and/or Clanns Gentle Exfol1atmg Ref1ner also (£19) for the face. The results may be no better but the bottles w1ll look great on that dresser, whether it be 1n an accommodation p1t or palace.

Those th1ngs on the end of our arms are frequently neglected. I wouldn't advise a sp ree on hand creams so a cheap way of 1mprov1ng your d1g1ts would be to 1nvest £3.69 on Neutrogena's Norweg1an Formula Hand Cream. Apparently 1! keeps workmg even after you've washed your hands.

MOISTURE

HAIR

As 'T' follows 'S' so must Tender follow Scrub, and 11 IS w1th tt:e mo1stunser that the words 'spoilt' and 'cho1ce' come 1n to mmd. You could opt for a gen eral run of the m1ll N1vea wh1ch, goodness knows, does the JOb at the best of t1mes, but luxury could serve you better 1n countenng that w1nter chapping. But lets not go crazy here, the £200 for La Pra1ne Sk1n Cav1ar Lure Body Creme can surely not be JUS!ifled to ourselves or our bank manager. So try Sooth1ng Sorbet Hydrat1ng Body Gel by Both Bloomers at £14 and, for best results. do 1! W1lh1n three m1nutes of gett1ng out of the shower, seal1ng 1n the mo1sture as qu1ckly as poss1ble. For the face, 1f you've got 11, splash out £27 on Cl1n1que Weather Everything Environmental cream wh1ch

Before we decorate thiS newfound sk1n let us not forget those wmter-tormented tresses. Fnzz 1s commonplace after the battle between heat appliances and the winter chill has taken place. Combat the problem w1th a shampoo and cond1!1oner that will clean and cond1!1on Without stnpp1ng your ha1r. Try L'Oreal Professional Sene Expert V1tammo Color Shampoo, £5.50 and Color Creme Cond1!1oner. £6.95, and once a week try an 1ntens1ve treatment such as Tig1 Oatmeal & Honey Emergency Repa1r Treatment at £9.95. But you won't w1n the battle 1f you stop there. After-wash core 1s the key to lustrous locks. Use KMS Relax1ng Balm, wh1ch at £4.35 will make ha1r more manageable and, before styl1ng. apply John Fneda Fmz Ease Ha1r Serum

FEET Turn your attent1on next to the outer layer of your person. Your sk1n. Best foot forward, so let's start w1th those tough plates of meat, the feet. There 1s a foot scrub on the market for each toe, but 1! you want your money to go as far as 1! can, try Outer Body Experience Body Polisher by Charles Worth1ngton. At £3.99 th1s will make your toes tw1nkle and the rest of your body shme as 1t exfoliates all over 1n one fell swoop.

HANDS

(£5.95). it's been a cons1stent best seller in the UK and US s1nce 1ts launch 10 years ago. Never dry JUSt-washed ha1r 1mmed1ately; wa1t until 11 IS 80% dry and then blast, but not before a spntz of VS Sassoon Heat Styl1ng Spray, £9 wh1ch will ensure all your prep work will not go to waste 1n the f1nng l1ne of your ha1r dryer.

MAKE UP The cake IS now ready to be 1ced and what better way than with the colou rful make-up that takes centre stage th1s season. A rainbow tub of colour has spilt onto the faces of the Catwalk Queens and we shou ld mop a b1 ! up too. Ruby & M1ll1e have a fantastic range of face glosses, nail colours and eye powders to splash on at around a tenner, wh1ch really can't be beaten. But 1f you're warned about the clash of colour aga1nst pole wh1te sk1n, why not Indulge 1n some sumptuous fake tan? The cheap but oh-so cheerful optiOn IS No. 7's Instant-Tan Sk1n Tint Gel w1th Pearl for £7.10 but for a sensa t1onal sh1mmer you could fork out £25 and try Body Pot1on from Mag1c by Perspectives which IS great for dull legs . Just remember to exfoliate f1rst as b lotchy orange legs are not terrib ly attractive. Whether you're lookmg to steal or splurge th1s semester, your b1d to look fabulous after the Winter war on your ha1r and sk1n can be successful. Try these products and the crusty cate rpillar you have become could bloom 1n to the beauty that 1s the butterfly.

The products featured on th is page are ava ilable at all good high street stores.

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COFFEE BREAK

4,\Aquarius You lucky, lucky Aquarians. Not only is 1! your birth month (presents and money hurrah), but it is also coming up to Valentine 's Day. Your romantic nature means that you've probably been planning somethmg specia l for your loved one since th is time last year, and boy will it be appreciated! Whether you've splashed out on a weekend in Paris or are bankrupt ing yo urself by filling your be loved 's room with roses, although the gesture is not the most ori ginal, it will result in a night of the kind of sickeningly loving sex you thnve on. If you're sing le , never fear. A little bird (or star constellation) tells me that you have your eye on someone rather special. Well, I'm pleased to inform you that all they need is a gentle prod in th e right direction and they will fall straight into your arms. Try copious amounts of vodka .

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Celebrity Aquarius Robbie Williams February 13

Cancer

My, my, you crabs have been rather determined of late. Your disastrous sexual dalliance of the past few months has left you bitter and out for revenge. But are you handling it th e right way? Of course you are. You are right and they are wrong. Mars cras hes into yo ur love zone this fortnight, bringing with it the welcome opportunity to wreak havoc on th ose who have messed you around. Oh, and wash that shirt -you're not Mon ica Lewin sky

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Leo

You've been running around like a bluearsed fly for the last co uple of we eks, and while it's good that you're so generous towards your loved ones, you I ion s are used to being the kings of the jungle. And even kings can get a little knackered from time to time, it comes with the territory. So stop for a sec and take stock of your life, read a book or visit the cinema. You'll find that you'll be able to deal with things much better.

Virgo

You've been ambitious of late , but you're going to have to give it that extra bit of welly, if you want th ings to fall into place. Mercury rules your sign, and this week's full moon didn't do you any favours either. I'm afraid it's uphill for a litt le while yet. However, if you make sure you avoid red meat, nightclubs, coffee and sex then yo ur luck might just cha nge . I can't make promises , but I'd have you know that I' m never wrong.

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Pisces

Are you Sitting down, Pi sceans7 Then I'll beg1n. Yo u are selfish, patron1s1ng, va1n and deeply disliked by JUSt about everyone you call a frien d. Did that hurt? Good. You need a damn good kick up the arse to get you back on track. Deep down you're a loya I, caring person, but th1s fortnight you've become so engrossed in a certain something that you ' re in danger of losing your friend s. The stars suggest a good look at yourself so wise up.

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Th ere's a tricky little alliance between Mars and Jupiter coming up thi s fortnight, so be extra ca refu l when han dling potential allies. There are a mil li on and one cha nces for you to meet Mr or Mrs R1ght in the coming weeks. Unfortunate ly I predict you will be struck down by a vio lent case of genital warts that will cease to subside until at lea st Feb 2003 . In th e meantime rel y on symptomatic treatment, e.g. topical creams .

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Aries

The entrance of Jup1ter into your chart brings sudden realisations th1s fortnight. Whether it's money, work, friendship or love, you' ll finally realise that the on ly person who's going to get you out of this mess is you. Unfortunate ly. thi s may mean the end of some fair-weather friendships that have been troubling you recently, but in the end if they don't stick with you through the bad times as we l l as the good t he n they're not worth your valuable t1me.

c.£~ Scorpio That's 1!. You had your chance. How can I put it any clearer? Th e ship has sai led, th e moment has passed. You may have just missed out on the most fantastic partnership in your enti re life. it 's a shame but in ten years you might ju st forgive yourse lf. Th e full moon will force you to cons id er you r actions over th e past few weeks, so punish yourself if necessary. I suggest a good flogging is in order. it's fun in a feshist kind of way.

WEDNESDAY, JAN UARY

30, 2002

"61 Taurus

,.Gemini

The new year fitness bug has well and truly gripped you, hasn't it? Whilst tightening those abs IS never a bad thing, make sure you don't overdo it. Of course, you stubborn Taureans won't act on anything I tell you, so try listening to yo ur friends' opinions. Noone wants to be with someone whose idea of fun IS drinking mineral water and gett1ng up at 6am for an early mornIng SWim . Drink beer, eat chocolate and sleep in. The stars command it.

Your parents. Remember them7 Th ey' re the people who brought you into the world, have supported you for the past twen ty-od d yea rs and send you clean pants through the post when you can't be bothered to do yo ur laundry. And yet all you do is moan about them. You may have problems of your own. but your pa ren ts are people too and need your support. You need to ring them this week and have a chat. You'll be surpnsed how much you get out of 1!.

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Sagittarius

This fortnight you may find yourse lf as Ki ng what it's all about. Well, allow me to lay it down for yo u in simp le astrologica l terms. You're over halfway towards the comp letion of a ce rta1 n job or unhappy fellowship. Saturn tel ls you to keep up the good work. Mars assures me you're doing fin e. And Mercu ry wants you to just stop whinging about the who le affair and get the hell on with it. So fol low Mercury. Just do it.

Capricorn

Thi s fortnight you are going to w1n the lottery. Yes, th at's right, every sing le Capr1corn in th e coun try is going to take a share in a huge cash pot prize . So what are you waiting for? Get out th ere and buy your tickets. About a million lin es each should do th e tri ck. Th en it would be polite to offer a small percentage of your winnings to your humble astrologer who made it all poss ible . I can send you to hell, you know. Heaven frowns upon gambl ing.

LETTERS

Concrete WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2002

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

United Slate of America In response to an article in the last issue of Concrete, entitled "United they Stand?: How has New York reacted to September 11th? Will Halsey found a country trying to convince the world 1t 1s st1ll InVInCible." First of all, the United States cons1sts of much more than New York. lt is impossible for Mr Halsey to accurately register the pulse of a nation from a qu1ck jaunt to one c1ty, important as it may be. This is the least malevolent of Mr. Halsey's mistakes. Secondly, has America ever felt truly "invincible"? lt depends what Mr Halsey means. If he means 'absolutely and immutably immune to outside attack', this is blatantly untrue. Pearl Harbor had demonstrated our constant vulnerability, and our enormous defense budget attests to our relative insecurity. We build a huge defense not because we think we are 1mmune to attack, but because we anticipate it. Now, most Americans do believe that they are "mvincible" m the sense that they are the strongest military power in the world. However, this is undeniably true. Senously, our defense systems are unspeakably cutting edge. The latest technology IS ours, in abundance. When you highlight the unfortunate events committed in the name of America, consider what they could have done and thank them for their relative restraint and decency. So, Mr. Halsey has managed to equivocate the word "invincible" in order to smuggle in negat1ve connotations. Surely no one would deny that Americans are 'invinCible', 1n the sense that they are the strongest military power m the world. Does it follow that they also feel 1nv1nc1ble 1n the unassailable and immune sense? Wrong. lllog1cal. This IS a very sloppy con clusion; one to be expected in juvenile writing and f1t for propaganda if little else. " .. .rather than cementing America's place as the world 's strongest, 9111 has highlighted a fallibility none thought possible. " This sounds impressive, but is really hollow and 1gnorant. No rat1onal person would interpret the tragic events of 9/11 as a demonstration of America's strength. Rather, it was one of America's darkest hours. However, the consequent events have demon-

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strated and will continue to demonstrate America 's strength . The outpouring of patriotiC support, the hero1cs of firefighters, pol1ce off1cers, and even politicians, as well as the rebound of capitalism and the extension of the long arm of American military JUstice will all serve to demonstrate America's place as the world's strongest country. Also, Mr. Halsey feels that "everyone in America wants a piece of the action when it comes to September 11th" based on the "messages from schools, colleges, and organ1zat1ons across Amenca offenng support to the people of New York ... " A piece of what action? This 1s the kind of ignorant cynic1sm that I've found rampant on this continent. Take a second to analyze 1t. Do schools, colleges, and 'organizations' stand to profit in any way from these messages of support? No! They were heartfelt, courteous, and genuine . Believe it or not, Americans can divert their attention from money once in a while. Yes, some have tried to make money off the event. This is a bitter irony of capitalism, resented by the vast majority of Americans. However, for a while after 9/11, a huge percentage of bus1nesses actually donated a portion of all prof1ts to funds benefiting those victimized by the tragedy. Mr. Halsey has managed to take this small and universally detestable instance of insensitive cap1tal1sm out of context, for the furthering of his anti-American article. He has truly demonstrated his mastery of fallacies of equivocation, as well as removing events from their contexts. Splendid. Concrete must be very proud. What has America done lately? They saved Europe from the Nazis, rebuilt the continent from the ashes, peacefully defeated Sov1et Communism (the most murderous governmental system in history), enforced international law in the expulsion of Iraq from Kuwait, as well as assisted 1n the expulsion of Argent ina from the Falkland Islands. furthermore, the best univers1t1es in the world are in Amenca, as well as the best cmema and television. The innovative core of biotechnology, 1nformat1on technology, and military technology are all found 3 ,000 miles to the west of here. Bas1cally, the cynicism of those espousing anti-American ideologies is now not only rooted 1n gross ignorance, 1t 1s also deplorably inappropriate and distasteful. Even with its many faults, America is still the primary protectorate of Western Civilization, and all the v1rtues for which it stands. Democracy, tempered cap1tal1sm, tnal by jury, pro-

America saved Europe from the Nazis, rebuilt the continent from the ashes, peacefully defeated Soviet Communism and enforced international law in the expulsion of Iraq from Kuwait."

tection of private property, and freedom of religion, speech, and press. No, it is not perfect. But neither are you, so chill out with these holier-than-thou mternat1onal compa risons that neglect the truth of the matter. Tomas Bogardus (8102)

CONCRETE Issue 134

NUS affiliation

Editor Adam Chapman

The proposal to disaffiliate from the NUS by two of our sabbatical officers illustrates what happens when you elect students to an execut1ve who have l1ttle idea about the nature of un10n activity, and who act 1n an irresponsible and whimsical way. Emma Reynolds and James Harrison are blatantly contravening their own declaration that one purpose of the Un1on of UEA students is to be represented at a national level (See 'Your Union ' web page on the UEA Intranet). Furthermore, Miss Reynolds recognised that this idea came about after a bad day at work - hardly what we'd call a sound bas1s for such a decision that would leave U EA students out in the cold . Our Communications Officer's statement that 'if we are to leave NUS, it can't be a financial decision, it has to be for representation reasons' is one that we are still puzzl1ng over now. Why would we leave an organisation, whose main purpose is to voice stu dents' views, for 'representation' reasons? If we disaffiliated we would have no representation at all. Needless to say, although an interesting news story, th1s motion would never get passed, it would fall at the first hurdle of an executive meeting. This is thanks to the sensible, rational members of the executive such as Jon Cox and Mart1n Elllott who realised how ridiculous and damaging such a move would be. The most Important po1nt that has ansen IS just how outraged students are at this proposal , and how desperate they are to remam w1thin a national, centralised union so that our v1ews can still be heard . The UEA Labour Society

The Event Editor Markland Stark1e Deputy Editor Will Halsey News Editor Katie Hind Assistant News Editor Liz Hutchinson Fashion Editor Kat Realff Sports Editors Mike Mllner Alex Thorpe Picture Editor Ed Webb-lngall Illustrator Astrid Goldsmith Cartoon Eastern Youth Advertising Manager Elin Jones

ConCiere is publ1shed bv UUEAS Concr~te Societv ©200 I Concrt•te. ISSN 1351-2773 Letters slloulcl I.Je addressed for the attentro11 01 tile Ecl1tor. Aclam Cllapman. Letters must include contacl detifrls. but we will cons1cler anonvmous pubiiCatiOfl. We reservt' the ngllt to edrt for len);th ar~,i clafltv ds necct'Ssary.

Corrections • Last issue we ran a 60 Second C1ty on Prague but omitted to credit Cari -M1chael Carey as the author of the art1ce. • In the article entitled "A Fresh Start" on pages 1213 in Issue 133 we adv1sed you to avoid gram foods yet treat them with care at the same time. Instead you should avoid fatty foods and cont1nue to treat grain foods with care. We apologise for any confu SIOn this may have caused.

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2002

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••• Arguably one of Britain 's most talented rally drivers, Colin McRae blew the opportunity to become world champion by throwing his Ford Focus around at 200mph and crashing out. But last year's disappointment has only hardened his ambition to be crowned world champion once aga in. Mike Milner took the back seat

arning in excess of three million po unds a year, being a world class sportsman and still being able to wa lk down your local high street without being recognized is something the majority of people would glad ly swap their normal lives for. Even when you lend you r name to one of the most popular computer games things don't rea ll y change. Being Co l in McRae, one feels, must be quite easy. But, of course, it 's not. Driving ca rs at 120mph through mountai n forests and every other terrain imaginable makes rallying , without (]uestion , one of the most difficult motor sports going. Add to th at the expectancy of the reported two-and -a-half million people that went into the Welsh countryside to watch the RAC Rally of Great Britain last November, and you have - so the organisers claim Britain 's biggest sporting event. This might be something to do with the fact that , for the majority at least, it is free, as most of the time you ca n only see the blizzard of slush and mud that usually accompanies the race . For McRae , last year ended in disappointment. After going into the RAC Rally, traditionally the last rally of the year, top of the leaderboard, he crashed out after the second stage, leaving Richard Burn s to the world crown and denying McRae the opportunity to rec laim the championship he last wo n 111 1995. "it's hard, to come so close after trying for so long since 1995 was a bitter disappointment; not j ust for me, bu t the whole team as we ll. But we've JUSt got to pick ourselves up and start again t his yea r." Critics suggest perhaps that his failure to win the title was more to do with a tendency to make catastrophic mistakes. Without doubt he is the fastest driver on the circuit, uncompromising in his

quest for victory, with a turn of speed t hat most say is just reckless. He, in many peoples ' eyes, must curb his insatiable need for speed if he is to repeat his triumph of 1995. The traditional start of the World Ral ly cale ndar is the Monte Carlo Rally, which took place last weekend, a ra lly that McRae typically hates. Instead, he enjoyed an unusua l ly good Monte, albeit without challenging for the lead in largely dry conditions that did his Ford no favours (" it's easier than usual with so little snow, but it's still very difficult.") For the third year running he ran into trouble on the rally 's most famous stage, the Col de Turin1 , losing all chance of third place when he sustained an 1gnit1on fault on Saturday night, and ended up fourth. However, the race was overshadowed by the decision to allow Fran ce 's new star, Sebastien Loeb , the vi ctory, subject to appeal. But then Subaru - for whom rival Tommy Makinen wa s making hi s debut - queried Citroen's decis1on to change Loeb's tyres at the final service point on Saturday night. Much larger ca r components are routinely replaced at se rv1 ce points but, when just 10 min utes are allocated, tyre changing is outlawed on cost grounds. Punishment is at the rally stewards' discretion, and they penal ised the JUnior world rally champ ion by two minutes, dropping him to second place , 90 seconds behind Makinen. Makinen claimed he had slowed down and that he did not push himself, believing that he had the victory wrapped up. lt has become a farce, with McRae commenti ng: " lt was a typical organisers'/stewards' mess. In a situation like that, where the re is a genuine mistake but clearly no sporting advantage to what happened, 1t's s1lly to penalise him time . lt shou ld be a straightforwa rd fine. " Loeb has since lost his appeal.

"I'd love the championship to have an eve nt like the old Safari wh ere nobody has any pace notes and it comes down to pure survival rath er than who has the most speed."

Making a splash: McRae determined not to be defeated by the elements

His frustration was eviden t to see, not helped by the decision to cance l the second stage because of the ever increasi ng populari ty of the sport and the dangers of trying to contro l t he crowd. FIA boss Max Mosley has said rallies will be cance lled if it goes on. McRae was said to be cntical of spectato rs, but he did not show it. "A lot is being done on the safety front," he explains. "The issue has been ki cked up a gear after what happened last weekend and it's something that should never be stopped working on . "it's ve ry difficult to control an event which takes place over 350-400 kilometres of road and it's a huge task to make it secure for everyone, inclu ding the spectators. " The inc1dent with Carlos [at the RAC Rally] proves that. But I know that safety is something the FIA and individual rally organisers are working very seriously on." But you have to admire them? "Oh aye, you have to admire them , it's usually minus three and the most disgusting weather." The Introduction of new events to the series, involving Germany staging a round of the World Championship for the first time next year, ca n only help to improve security. "I support the new events, providing they are organised we ll . But that tends to always be the case because they are so well scrutinised. "There are some very strict guide lines which they must adhere to. They start from sc ratch, which I th in k is a better situation than the older rall1es try ing to alter things in order to fit in." While McRae admits that safety concerns mean modern rallies "have to be quite sanitised", he enjoys an event like the Safari in Kenya, the longest World Champior.ship event which is notori ously gruelling and an ultimate test of endurance. "On the Safari, the speeds are so fas t that it can be dangerous. I'd love the championship to have an event like the old Safari where nobody has any pace notes and it comes down to pure survival rather than who has the most speed." But for McRae there is noth1ng like the British Rally. "You're on terrain that you have been brought up on and feel comfortable with. So you get a wee bit of extra confidence. Plus the buzz you get from the home support gives you that extra couple of per ce nt. " I am not trying to k1d you, McRae actually

Into Focus: McRae at Monte Carlo

believes he can hear the crowd cheering above the noise of his Focus, skim ming across forest tracks at over 120mph making a noise like a particularly angry swa rm of wasps. "Almost, yo u can hear them, honestly. There's one part of t he forest in Wales, it's like a natural bowl, and when we drove into it last time, it was gettin g dark. And as you came over the hill you could see fireworks being set off. The who le p lace was lit up and you could see this huge crowd all jumping up and down and cheering. And we could hea r them - I 'm certain of it. " Whether you believe he can hear them in his upto-his-elbows fire-resistant protective clothing and with his features concealed behind a vast hel met, I doubt it. One thing for certain is that it has become far more competitive. " Rallying's much more competitive than it was. Ten years ago there were maybe two drivers and two manufacturers who could win the title . Now 1t's five drivers, four manufacturers, al l co uld w1n it. So there was a time when you could fin1sh second, th1rd , second, fourth and win the championship be ca use the go-ahead reckless guys were winning one event then crash1ng out the next. Now you have to win events to win the title. " There are times when you have to push yourself over the limit to win 1t, that sa1d , you've got to find the balance. If you're too methodical , too fearful , you ' re not going to win. But the clever thing is to make the calculation correctly about where and when to go over the top. You've got to know when to push it and when to come back." t was h1s father, Jimmy, who got McRae 111volved. As a boy he stood out there watching his dad hurtle by - and got very cold. " Actually, that's why I took up racmg myself, I wanted to get in a car. lt was by far the warmest place to be in a rally. " And the re I was t hinking it was a driving gene that sent him behind a wheel. After all 1t is not just him that Jimmy McRae schooled: h1s brother Alister is also an i nternational driver. " I suppose it is genes, though my other brother, he never wanted to be a rally dnver, I remember he turned up once at dad's ga rage to have a go, drove the car a m1le up the road , came back and said: 'Thank you very much, that's not for me.' Now he

Home sweet home: McRae attacks the Welsh countryside

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runs a restaurant business in Lanark." Not surprisingly the McRae family dynasty of rallying has become more famous off the road than on it, particularly through a certain Ford Focus advert. "The only time I got noticed a lot was after that advert came out. People were coming up to me in the street and at first I'd think, 'aye, aye, rally fans'. But they'd always give it: 'Aren't you the fella off that advert?"' With a new television deal that has seen the switch of rallying from a relatively minor slot on Sunday Grandstand to the more illustrious stage of prime time Channel Four, it will hopefully bring it to a new audience ... not least to McRae's mates. "Friends of mine, they're always asking me, when are you going to be on telly?" he says. "And I say, I think you can get it on Eurosport, but I've no idea when. So they say, 'How come you don't know when you're going to be on?' Some of my friends probably don't even believe I am a rally driver." Very occasionally, too, out on the roads round his home, other drivers will clock him as they pull up alongside at traffic lights.

~~That's

the great thing about driving for Ford. You have to be seen in one of their cars, but the Ford family also includes Jaguar, Aston Martin and Range Rover. The guys I feel sorry for are with Subaru." "They'll rev up the engine, you know, challenging me. And though you have to be very careful not to get done for speeding, now and again you have to have a little play with them. That's the great thing about driving for Ford. You have to be seen in one of their cars, but the Ford family also includes Jaguar, Aston Martin and Range Rover. The guys I feel sorry for are the drivers with Subaru ." I ask whether.this is not just another opportunity to have a dig at Richard Burns, who, in the rallying circles, he is often seen arguing with. He refuses -

just - to be drawn into criticising him . "it's certainly going to be very difficult for Richard. "For the competition there have been lots of changes before this year with lots of new cars and new tyres to get used to, but Richard has a whole new culture to deal with. We've made improvements to the Focus in several areas, but because it is an evolution of the 2001 version. "We have the solid base of last year's Focus, which won three rallies, to build on rather than the

unpredictable nature of a totally new car." He would refuse to say any more but revealed one little secret- about what he would be up to if he wasn't rallying. "My Dad had a plumbing business. So you are talking to a qualified heating engineer. People often ask me if I can justify the amount I earn, and I say I get paid that much because someone thinks it is worth their while to pay me that much, and if I they didn't they'd soon stop." What won't stop is McRae's determination to get back on top of the world . And as he goes into this weekend's Rally of Sweden, famed for its snow, forests and -2o•c temperatures, this unassuming chap from Lanark looks destined to finally end his seven-year drought and win another world title. But whatever happens, Colin McRae has come a long way down the road. "Fifteen years ago I had my arm down a blocked drain outside my local pub, up to the elbow in shit. Back then, I can assure you, I didn't think one day I'd be in the top 40 highest-earning sportsmen in Europe."

SCORECAR·o RESULTS fOOTBALL Norfolk Junior Cup, semi-final draw: Holt Umted v UEA, Swaffham Town Reserves v Thorpe Rovers. Rogers & Norton Business Houses League, Division 1: Sp1xworth 0 , UEA 4: UEA 9, Easton 3. Division 1 Table p W D L F A Pts UEA 11 10 0 1 48 10 30 Earl ham 11 10 0 I 51 16 30 Easton 15 8 2 5 30 28 26 Saxon Eng10eer10g 13 8 I 4 43 25 25 Drayton 12 5 I 6 34 37 16 Splxworth 12 3 2 7 25 39 11 Wensum Albion 11 3 2 6 17 44 11 Taverham 12 23 2 3 7 35 11 St Andrews A 15 I I 13 16 52 4 Rangers Withdrew • records expunged Division 3: UEA A 2, Little Melton 8. HOCKEY Martin and Aocock Norfolk Women's League, Premier Division: UEA I 10 North Walsham 0 Division 3: UEA 11 North Walsham 11 I Divsion N3: UEA Ill 5 Pelicans Ill 0 Printwize East Men's Hockey Leacue Division 3NE: UEA 8

Lowestoft Town 2, Norwich Union 11 2 Harlestone Magpies Ill 3 , Bury St. Edmunds 11 3 Oereham 11 0, Pelicans 11 3 NOrwich City 11 0, Lowrstoft Railway v UEA 1/, Halt Harlequms v Halt Harlequins If abandoned Division 6NE: Broadland Ill 0 Norw1ch C1ty V 2, Norw1ch Union IV 0 Harlestone Magp1es VI 0, UEA Ill I Watton I, Bury St. Edmunds IV v Norfolk Nomads abandoned

Mens I Womens I

JANUARY 30 Men~ I

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

fOOTBALL v Nott1ngham v Loughborough Ill v Coventry HOCKEY v Loughborough 11 v Noltlngham v Worcester v Northampton 11 RUGBY v Staffs (Stafford) v Staffs (Stafford) 11 v Le1cester

••

(h) (h) (h)

BUSA BUSA BUSA

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

BUSA BUSA BUSA BUSA

(h) (a) (h)

BUSA BUSA BUSA

(h) (a)

BUSA BUSA

v Loughborough NETaAU. v Coventry TABLE TENNIS v Cambridge v Warw1ck TENNIS

(a)

BUSA

(a)

BUSA

(a) (h)

BUSA BUSA

v~ Oerby

(h) (a)

GolF UEA UEAI

FIXTURES

BASKETBAU v Anglia Polytechmc v Northampton

Mens I Womens I

v Nottingham

BUSA BUSA

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

Mens I Mens 11

fOOTBALL v Worcester v DMU (Leicester) 11 v Loughborough IV v LHU (Lincoln) HOCKEY v B1m10gham CFTCS v Nottingham Ill

v Loughborough 11 v Warw1ck v Notts Trent 11 RUGBY v LHU (Lincoln) v Northampton BADMINTON v Notts Trent 8ASKETBAU v Loughborough 11

(a) (a) (a)

BUSA BUSA BUSA

(h) (a)

BUSA BUSA

(h)

BUSA

(h)

BUSA

(h)

BUSA

(a)

BUSA

(h) (a)

BUSA BUSA

(h) (a)

BUSA BUSA

(a) (a)

BUSA BUSA

GOLF

FEBRUARY 6 Mens I Mens 11 Mens Ill Womens I

UEA I UEA 11

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

BUSA BUSA BUSA BUSA

Mens I Womens I

(a) (a)

BUSA BUSA

Mens I Womens I

v Warw1ck lACROSSE v Oxford Brookes NETBALL v Northampton v Loughborough 11 SQuASH v Cambridge v Nottingham TABLE TENNIS v Cambridge v Loughborough

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SPORT

Concrete WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2002

Ell is-Bextor: City fan

Cup hopes dashed by Zola's touch of magic

----- --r. Rumours are abound that almost-

Canaries fall to fourth 4-0 defeat in style

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

Studs Up chart-topping pop star Sopl1je Ellis-Bextor is a closet Norwich City fan, having attended "at least one game" at Carrow Rd. However. whether her debut solo single, Take Me Home, was referring to City's abysmal away form, or if recent number two Murder on the Dancefloor was inspired by lwan Roberts in Time, is yet to be established. But a confirmed fact is that her favo urite item of underwear is her Norwich City kn ickers. First Delia, now this ... How will the city cope?

'-----:o----....1

Juan sweet love ...

www.concrete-onl i ne.co. uk

Manchester United may be rueing the ir decis1on to reject a quick £10m profit on Argentinean midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron despite him committing himself to the Premiership Champions. But did they realise quite what they were buying when they paid Lazio £28m? Juan is revealed - on the website http://2sexyfootbal lers. tripod .corn - as a man that "before knowing his fiancee, showed the women as trophies." He also "collected the panties of women he seduced" as well as admitting he lost his virginity "when he was 15 with a prostitute, like everyone." it gets better: "He guarantees that if he wants, he can always have sex, even then night before a match . And he does it often."

ALEX THORPE Sport Ed it or The FA Cup has quite a lot to answer for. Not only is it partly the cause of City's one month gap between Saturday home games, but it has also directly caused Robert Green to be dropped for the fi rst time thi s season . The 22-year-old goa lkeeper, who looked so assured between the posts for most of the seaso n , was made the sc apegoat as Norw ich were humil iated at Stamford Bridge - Pau l Cric ht on taking his place for th e game against Millwall. Having played so impressively in the first game against Che lsea at Carrow Road, the Cananes fancied the1r chances for the replay and the prize of a home tie aga1nst West Ham. Unfortunately for C1ty,

Gianfranco Zola had other ideas. The Italian wizard 1nsp1red his team to take Norw1ch apart from t he front, and scored a wonder goal as part of his match-winn1ng performance. From the outset Chelsea looked to attack C1ty, and when the deadlock was broken in the 11th minute it wasn't a surprise. Mano Stan1c got on the end of a Graeme Le Saux corner, and his weak header crept in as the pressunng Frank Lampard distracted Green. Ci t y did a good JOb of keeping possession for the rest of the first half, and at the break Chelsea still hadn't added to their total. it only took ten min utes of the second half for the home side to double their lead, though, Lampard stabbing home after Green had spilled a Stan1c shot. Norwich started to take risks with hal f an hour to go, and with the irrepressible Zola getting more and more space Chelsea

began to dominate every aspect of the game. Another Le Saux corner was the seed for Zola's goal. Swung 1n low and to the near post, the Italian Jumped and deftly clipped home a back heeled vo lley to make it 3-0. With two minutes to spare C1ty we re cons1gned to a 4-0 de feat for the fourth t1me this season as Mikael Forsell shot through Green for a wel l-deserved goal of h1s own. With Green the VICtim, Millwall visited Carrow Road for a televised Sunday game. An open first with both s1des creating chances was marred by the erroneous sending off of City midfielder Dare I Russell. In a seemingly normal m1d field tuss le, Lions midf ielder Marc Bircham wheeled away holding his face. Referee Andy Hall had no hesitat ion in sen di ng Russe ll off, c1ting an elbow as his reason. Norwich have appealed against

Quotes Of The Fortnight "I'm a little bit perverse." David Pleat offering Radio 5 Live listeners an explanation for his man-of-the-match while commentating on Portsmouth v Wolves. Not a comment on those curb crawling allegations, then. Oh well.

Marching orders: Dare/ Russe/1 is unfairly sent off against Mi//wa/1

the deCISIOn and should have a good chance of overturning it. A man down, manager Nigel Worth1ngton ordered all of his men behind the ball and City closed the game down. Alex Notman, in for the injured lwan Roberts, Chris Llewellyn and Darren Kenton all had good chances early on in the second half, but Millwall had more possession and the game petered out into a 0-0 draw - only Norwich's third of the season.

CANARIES RouNDUP

"This shit will splas.h us al l." Barcelona coach Charly Rexach bemoans a club scandal.

NATIONWIDE LEAGUE, DIVI SION ONE

p 29 4. West Brom 30 28 5. Burnley 6. C. Palace 30 30 7 . CITY 8. B~rm'ham 30 9. Coventry 29

1. Man C1ty

" I'm a vegetarian." Watford manager G1anluca Vialli explains why he handed the meat pie missile a fan had thrown at him to his ass1stant Ray Wilkins.

Gary Neville's Soapbox

18 15 15 16 15 13 13

4 6 6

2 5 8 5

l GO PT 58 9 11 51 7 10 51 12 13 50 10 3 50 9 10 47 ll 5 44 7 30

COMI NG UP...

03/02 Sheff Uld (h) 2.15 Dl Tickets £8.50 (members £7) 10/02 West Bra m (a) 2 15 D 1 CLUB TOP SCORERS lwan Roberts Dav1d N 1elsen

My Favourite Match ... ' ' An unusual contrast between the Or Marten's Premier League and the Premiership - yet this game took place last year as a testimonial for the retiring Salisbury manager and was a classic for the lowly likes of a Salisbury City supporter l1ke me. The difference could not have been greater - and although West Ham didn't field the likes of Di Canio, such ex-Arsenal greats as Nigel 'Nutty' Winterburn and Kaba Diawara proved too great for Sal isbury. Unbelievably, Barry Sales gave 'The Whites' the lead from the spot, although a Diawara hat-tnck in the·second half, silenced the cheering crowds (att. 557) of the Raymond McEnh ill stadium. A naturally biased account says that Diawara handled twice before scoring his goals and the penalty that he netted wouldn't have been given by Paul Durkin, but the score of this momentous clash remained 3-1 to the Hammers. Such players haven't graced the turf of the stadium since, and unfortunately the experience obviously affected the Salisbury players as they remain rooted to the bottom of the League and have done for the past year." Do you you have a favourite match? Email 200 words to su.concrete@uea.ac.uk

Studs Up 1s compiled by Mtke Mliner and Will Halsey

Revenge is sweet for UEA NEIL FERRIS

Salisbury City 1 West Ham Utd 3

Jon Carter

UEA's ten -pin bowling squad built on their second place in the BUSA National Championships by taking the BUSA Champions' Trios at th e home of National Cha mpions Portsmout h . Disappointed at finishing so far behind the South coast university on pin-fall the week before, UEA were eager to get revenge on their arch-nvals, and what could be sweeter than beating them on their home turf? With no hand1cap sect10n, the f1rst two rounds of three games apiece would determine which four teams would go through to the final stage, where a final three games would determine the overall plac1ngs.

Both UEA squads started • some truly outstanding bowling. UEA B meanwhile were concenbrightly. For the A squad, Karl t rating on landing that coveted Ryan and Gareth Salaam both last qual1fy1ng place. A 498 placed 200+ games, Ryan hitting series from Neil Ferns, together a 233 on the way to a 588 series . with Mark Philpott's 457 series Meanwhile for the B Squad, Enc kept them in contention, but Sills' 199 on the way to a 526 some 1mpress1ve scores from senes kept the second team nght London A saw them progress into in contention after the first the last round along with UEA A round. and Portsmouth's C and D After one round, Portsmouth squads. had two of the1r squads up front Qualifying 1n first place, UEA A with three games to go until the set about building on their lOO cut off po1nt, and while UEA A po1nt cush 10n after the f1rst were safe 1n th1rd place w1th a phase, with some truly awegood cush1on over those behind lnspmng bowling. A competition the competition for the last qualh1gh 265 from Balaam and a 170 lfymg place though was close. from Ryan helped the team add UEA 'B' JUSt holding on by three to their lead over their nearest pins from London A. r1vals Portsmouth C, with another In the second round, Salaam 30 p1ns. stepped up a gear, with a 258 North's best game of the day game on the way to h1s best on 203 and a 234 from Salaam senes of 652. A 197 from Dave cemented UEA's pos1t10n, leav1ng North allowed UEA A to book the squad to cruise over the line their place 1n the last round w1th

in the last game, North hitting a 202 for his best senes of the day on 545. UEA's final handicap. pin-fall of 5746 was more than enough for victory. The hosts' Internal battle eventually cost them, Portsmouth's squads f1ght1 ng each other to a close fin1sh. Portsmouth C eventually getting ahead of Portsmouth D in th1rd with final handicapped pin-falls of 5631 and 5621 respectively. London A came 1n fourth on 5467. Hav1ng wrapped up the team result, ind1v1dual awards also went to UEA bowlers. Balaam took home highest scratch game for his 265 , and highest average at 209, while Ryan won h1gh handicap game and senes. All eyes now turn to the Leeds Singles in February, where UEA hope to reta1n their title from last season.

www.concrete-online.co.uk

Concrete WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2002

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rim's

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ALEX THORPE Sport Editor

A UEA student has won Norwich Rugby Club's first ever bursary to carry on playing while still studying for his degree. Richard Pilgrim, a first year in MGT, joined Norwich in September when he started at UEA, and immediately began challenging long-standing flyhalf Will Prewer for the number 10 shirt. The bursary is supported by Lifestyle Financial Services and is part of the Norwich club's School of Excellence programme, which helps fund transport, equipment and fees . The club are considering other students for bursaries and are keen to support local players who want to attend UEA instead of moving away. Richard represented Nottinghamshire and the Midlands before his move to Norwich, who play in London & South East League Division One. "Having two top class flyhalves is great news for the club and Richard now has the finan· cial security to help him in his game and in his studies," said Norwich director of rugby James Sine/air.

Richard Pilgrim (left) with Jason Howard (centre) of Lifestyle Financial Services and UEA coach Peter Walsh

SPORT

Pa nthers' League V.ictory The UEA Panthers Ladies Basketball team greeted the New Year with an extraordinary win against Great Yarmoth team Koijoi last Sunday, writes Janine Azzam. The victory comes at a good time, ahead of Monday's rematch in the League Cup semi-final. The first few minutes were crucial as the Panthers struggled to keep up · with Koijoi 's momentum , but 18 points in four minutes gave UEA an 11 point lead. Captain Anelore Chauvin led with 6 baskets and a strong defensive presence . Entering the second quarter leading 23-10, UEA continued to excel with brilliant ball control by Ane Sesme, and a luscious 3· pointer by Gemma Dorritt. But Koijoi ceased to be discouraged continuing to challenge UEA's capabil ities underneath the basket. Although Koijoi played a quick and strategically dangerous game, UEA took the match 6944. Lagging a little in the BUSA League, the ladies are currently at the top of their local League Cup groupings. If they wish to hold the ir position and enter the Cup Final , they must show confidence and strength while holding their nerve in the semi· final. "I'm sure we can do it," said captain Anelore Chauvin . "We just need to hold a tight defence."

Boat club's high hopes for season PAUL BRADLEY

Developing from a small club which is usually considered the underdog, to a large club with ambitions to defend their BUSA title and compete internationally is by no means a simple matter, but don't tell · UEA boat club that. This year the rowers are pushing the limits of what a small university can achieve and are ready to challenge the top university teams in the country. Already this year they have been having great results, with many more on the horizon. The men's team won their section at The Cambridge invitational and at the same event the women's eight won

SPORT

BRIEF AMERICAN fOOTBALL UEA Pirates' BCAFL Week Nine match at Surrey fell foul to a waterlogged pitch. lt will now be replayed in Week 12, the week after the Pirates entertain Hertfordshire 1n a cruc1al playoff dec1ding encounter. Should the UEA win both matches, they would attain back-to-back playoff seasons for the first time in their history and aim to qualify for the college bowl for the first t1me since 1991.

their race over a difficult 3km course. The men's first novice four have finished in the top three in all their 1 races this season and currently lie third in the overall standings in the University Premier LeagJe. That this comes from a club with limited resources reflects just ho'[ much they have achieved this season at such an early stage. "We have 2 coaches to coach all 40 rowers at all levels, and at times this year it has been difficult. But with the more experienced rowers such as Andy Vinsen and Ben Whattam taking control of the novice squads we are expecting big things this year," confides club pres· ident Ibi Gowan. However everything has a limit. At the Sportsmart this semester the boat cl ub had to discourage new members as the enrolment has

reached its optimum. The university, though, have not let this go unnoticed and have joined the enthusiastic approach of the boat club by giving it some extra funds. "The Sportspark has exceeded its expectations in its first year and have been able to give us some money as one of the university's focus sports," captain Sam Evans explains. " However, the funds will only be focused on the top rowers, and they will then be expected to go on to produce some big results. From what I have seen so far from both the men's and women's crews I am confident they can fulfil all their potential." An invitation to race in Paris in April will be the club's first ever international event it so looks like UEABC may be the team to beat this year.

KARATE

WOMENS HOCKEY

Ahead of next month's BUSA championships in Edinburgh, where the club will be sending 10 competitors, 35 new members obtained the 8th Kyu grading. With regional comp(!tl· tions approaching, most notably the Colchester Open, the club is hopeful of continued local success, and an Increase on the number of medals won at last years event. Nationally, the club hope to dominate the 74th Kyu category, in both Kumite (fighting) and Kata (forms) and re-establish the club back onto the university scene after two years absence.

The Ladies have enjoyed continued local success of late with all three sides registering comprehensive victories. The 1sts won 10-1 against North Walsham in the Norfolk Prem Div. The scor· ers were Gemma Nicholls (3), Kate N1chols (2), Sarah Peck {2), Emma Lee (2) and Nicky Dell. The ladies 2nds won 2-1, against North Walsham 2's with Beth Moon and Vicki Ph1lips sconng and the ladies 3rd's beat Pelicans 3 5-0 .The scorers were Sarah Holmes (4) and Leah Collett. Ahead of the cru· cial BUSA match versus Wares, the lad1es are in fme form .

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' Blues go top after 12-goal thri ller F OOTBALL:

ALEX THORPE Sports Editor

UEA FC went to t he top of the Rogers and Norton League for the first time this season with an emphatic win over earlier leaders Easton . lt is a testament to the ski 11 of t he U EA ground st aff that t he game got on at all, following two whole days of to rrential game.

UEA's Rogers League team stormed back to the top in torrential rain

The weather did cause a last minute pitch inspection but, after the referee tested the pitch by bouncing a ba ll, the game was called on. W1th the playing surface heavy at best, and rain falling for the whole first half, the play was never going to be pretty. This was compou nded whe n Easton took an early lead. Th ere were only 11 seconds on th e clock when t he visit ors took the lead, capitalising on a mix up between goalkeeper Marc us Pl atriades and left back John Fish. Th e visit ors seemed happy to defend, but were al most ca ught out ten mi nutes later wh en James Walke r went down under a challenge in th e box. His weak ly hit penalty was saved, and Easton held on to the ir lead . This lasted only for a further 16 min utes before U EA forced the ir way in t o the game - Wal ke r mak ing amends by heading home a Fish corn er.

UEA 9-3 Easton

In the 38th minute, just as the rain eased off, the floodgates opened and U EA scored four times in seven minutes to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. Wa lker bund led in a second before Trevor Smith hit one from the edge of the box withi n a minute, before Nick Dyer cla imed two of his own in the last three minutes of the half . UEA's fourth goal was controversial, Dyer passing to Layton Hill in an offside posit ion but run ning onto his own ball before his strike partner could take possession . Wh ile Easton stood still, Dyer rounded the 'keeper to score. Dyer's second and UEA's fifth was an exquisite lob from aJ:) acute angle to round off the half and kill off the visitor's ambitions fo r an upset. The second half was a much more laid-back affair, with the UEA in control and Easton play-

ing for pride . Dyer completed his hat trick on 63 minutes, latching onto a Hill through ba ll and slotting past a helpless 'keeper. The rain had made the p1tch sodden, and th e ball was holding up regularly. As a result , Easton fai led to clear the1r lines and Dyer stabbed home from six yards to make it 7- 1. East on scored twice 1n quick succession to tighten up the goal difference, and they showed up a couple of frailties in the UEA defence that need looking at before th e top-of-the-table c lash with Earlham . Jon Fish completed a good all rourd game with two goals in the last minute- one a penalty, one from open play - and seal UEA's second nine-goal haul of the season. The win puts UEA 1n command of the league and puts them in a good position for secunng a place in the Anglian Combination .

Got a sports story? Contact us at su.concrete@uea.ac.uk

ACROSS 1 3 9 10 11 12 14 17 19 22 23 24 25

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DOWN 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 13 15 16 18 20 21

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r---------------------------, There 's a £10 voucher from campus bookshop Waterstones up for grabs for complet ion of the crossword. Simply fill in your name, contact -number or email address be low and pop it with the com pleted grid in the Concrete office upstairs in Union House by February 8. Name .. ...... ......... .............. .... ... ...... .. . . School ............ ..... .. .... .... ............ .. .... . 1

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Winner #26: lnge Luyten (LAW)