Concrete issue 136 27 02 2002

Issue 136 ·Wednesday, February 27, 2002

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UEA'S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

No room· for third years UEA STUDENTS currently studying abroad are outraged that they will not be allocated a room on campus for their return- due to the opening of the new Medical school and increased admissions in other departments. Accommodation will be stretched to breaking point next year and due to the University wanting honour their pledge to house all first years, returning students will not get the chance to live on campus, writes Liz Hutchinson . Returning LLT student Michelle Clarke, who is studying near Bordeaux, is angry that the situation has come to this. "After campaigning last year and discussing this subject thoroughly within what was then known as Students Forum, I am appalled that the situation has not improved one tiny bit. "I am not pointing the blame at the staff in the Accommodation Office because, quite frankly, I think they are as much in the dark as we are," said Michelle. And she thinks that it will be hard to find a house from where she is curren tl y studying. "Why are returning year abroad students expected to son their living accommodation out from hundreds of miles away, a quite impossible task." And Michelle and other students in her po ition are angry that international students should be given a room · even thought they are in Norwich to find a house. " International students have exactly the same opportunities to meet new people and are physically able to organise off campus housing, as first year home students. " Us year abroad students are returning to our most important year, and should not be distracted from their academic work by the added stress of searching for accommodation when we return in September," added Michelle. But Director of Accommodation services Jenny Grant claimed that returning students have never been guaranteed accommodation when they return to UEA. "S tudents who study abroad do so in the

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Faculty mourn death of Professor lan Langford REBECCA LAWRENCE Chief News Reporter

A UEA lecturer has been found dead at his home in Norwich. The news of the tragic death of lan Langford of ENV, has shocked staff and students at the University who remember him as a friendly colleague. A post mortem has revealed that he died of natural causes. He was found half-naked in his home in Marlborough Road, Norwich on Tuesday, February 12 - but the death is not being treated as suspicious. Norfolk Police spokeswoman Nina Terry said there will not be an inquest and the police have finished with the case. "There will not be an inquest into his death . The blood found in the house is believed to have resulted from a fall. From a police perspective, the case is now finished with ." But a spokesperson for the Norw1ch Police Coroner Office said the case was initially treated as suspicious . " it is now confirmed that lan Langford died from natural courses. it is not possible to divulge the nature of the disease as th is is confidential medical information. But 1! is true that Langford was a heavy drinker. .. Staff at the One Stop Shop co nve-

nience shop near where the lecturer lived said he was a polite regular customer, although his behav1our had deteriorated in recent weeks. "He would usually come in on a daily basis and buy a big bottle of vodka," said a worker. But on the Sunday before his death, staff at the convenience store were shocked when Or Langford visited the store, dressed in just a jumper and a pair of trainers, leading to him being questioned by police . UEA's Or Jan Langford , 40, worked for the University's Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment {CSERGE) but was most recently made a senior researcher in environmental risk . He specialised in statistical methods applied to environmental issues and alongside Professor Harvey Goldstein {of the Institute of Education in London) was developing analytical tools for spatial analysis. Or Langford, who catne to UEA in 1993, achieved a first-class degree in Environmental Science, followed by a PhD in childhood leukaemia and infection . He was also a chartered statistician and became a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Soc1ety. Professor Kerry Turner, Director of CSERGE released a statement, paying tribute to his hard work. "We are all very shocked by this appalling news. Jan was without a doubt one of Europe's Jead1ng experts on envi-

ronmental risk , specialising in the links between human health and environmental risk ." " He will be greatly missed at UEA both as a brilliant academic and as a friendly and approachable colleague.

He was one of the most brilliant colleagues I have ever had, both as an individual researcher and a team player. Our thoughts are very much w1th his family," added Professor Turner, who spoke at Langford's funeral.

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Above: Deceased ENV professor, lan Langford.

THE EVENT: ANDREW WK, SHANE LYNCH AND SIMON SCHAMA

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2NEWS

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Concrete W EDN ESDAY , FEB RUARY 27 , 2002

CONCRETE New Sabbs selected CONTENTS

Next years Union officers elected despite poor turnout

NEWS 1

UEA Professor found dead. • Th ird years left without accommodation .

• Union sabbatical election results. • Bad vote count.

• We cast the cri tica l eye over the lastest works by Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion .

• New act sets out to prevent dodgy landlords. • University applications on the rise.

• Students rally in London against debt. Detox su ccess .

• Breakers plans revealed. Warning against campus conman .

TINA HAGGAR

UEA STUDENTS can look forward to a fresh set of faces next year after last week's Union elections revealed the new officers. Th is year studen ts were given the chance to vo te for the full exec utive, including bo th the full t ime Sabb ati c a l Offi cersAcademi c, Communi c ati o n s , We lfare a nd Fi na nce and the part time officers, o n the same day (Thursday February, 14) . T he Fina nce position w as tilled by Miche ll e Pratt. who despite clo se compet ition wo n by 65 vo tes, whil e Ehi Idahosa fou g ht off th ree competi to rs w ith a total of 618 vo te s to win the Welfare post. Ned

• Waterfront contract renewed . • UEA stude nts back euro bid. • Police claim UEA crime is down.

FEATURES 10

FOCUS: Following the murder of a local Big Issue seller, Concrete takes to the streets to exam ine homelessness in Norwich .

won

the

• The fag hag speci al. What is t he psychology behind women who surround th emselves with gay men ? Plus my f irst t ime and the problem.

INSIGHT:

• We set out on the Inca trail in Peru and take a look at. Copenhagen .

• An investigation into how foot and mouth has left t he Norfol k countryside.

LOOK: • The Testino exhibit ion comes under fire as we ask wh ether fash ion can rea lly be art. Plus Faux-Pas and The Celebrity.

COFFEE BREAK: Your fortnight's horo-

LETTERS:

scopes revea led .

• Letters to the editor.

Above left: Michelle PraH; Above right: Ned G/asier

ing at. like the ano nymo us marking system ." The newly elected part time office rs, who take up their posts at Easter, are Ro xanne Matthews for Enviro nment , Raymo nd Ng fo r Stud ent s, Nina Intern ationa l Ammundsen for Liberati ons, Becky Bcwick fo r Publi city, Ann a Muir fo r Societies and Mark Jo ll y fo r Sports . But despite the most pro-acti ve campaig ns ever thi s year. the t~1rn o ut of voters was 13% lower than last year.

Candidate disappointed after counting mix-up REBBECCA LAWRENCE Chief News Reporter

LIFESTYLE:

TRAVEL:

Glas ier

Communicatio ns post, clearly winning with 23 8 vo tes more than his nearest competito r, he was pleased wit h his campaig n and it s o utcome . 'Tm very ha ppy w ith the results. I th ink I ran a lo ng . good and c lean campaign where I was ami cab le with the oppositio n and wo rked hard fo r my post ." said the fin al year SOC student. When he takes over the pos itio n, he is looking forwa rd to making the o ld Breakers s ite a success . " I want to get more peop le invo lved and allow students to partic ipate in dec isio ns that reall y matter." he added. Alex Dawson. who was the onl y candidate fo r Academic Officer is a lso positive abo ut the res ults and the year ahead . ''I'm very happy wi th my person al result and I fee l there's a good executive. it 's quite a mixed bunch." ' " But there are lo ts of things in the pos itio n that I need to continue look-

A FIRST year who stood in the Union elections is angry after a counting mix-up left him in second place. Dipe sh Palan a w as to ld he had won the posi tion as Intern atio nal Offi cer on the d ay o f the e lec tions , but s uspi c iou s Raymond Ng , who came second , dema nded a reco unt. Wh en th e ba ll o t boxes were checked , it was revealed that 18 vo tes had been given to Dipesh by mi stake and Ray mond was declared the wi nner. Law student Dipesh is li vid that he was not to ld about the second count - and if he d id he wo uld no t have let it go ahead. " I had not heard th e req uest for a reco unt until it had taken place . The fact th at it was carried o ut in such secrecy angers me. Had I know n abo ut it, I wo uld have po inted o ut that thi s wo uld effecti vely be illega l und er th e constitutito n." said Dipesh.

And now the c urrent Uni o n Counci l member, who notc hed up over 300 votes, fee ls di sill usioned by the way the system has failed . " The votes I received do make all the hard work wo rthwhile and I wo uld li ke to thank those individual s. I do n' t think the Unio n can get away with this incompetence withou t bein g held accountable." "The runnin g of electi ons sho uld be given to students to bring in g reater accountabi lity and fa irness. I have received a lot of suppo rt fro m students who want to see some serio us changes made .'' added D ipesh. First yea r M ath s stude nt , Ray mo nd c la im s he only de manded that the votes were checked because they were on ly counted o nce. ·' Wh en I rea lised the result s weren't counted tw ice. I knew a recount wo uld be appro priate.'' he said . Un ion Finance officer. Jo n Cox ins ists the e lection was carried o ut. " I don ' t think the election has bee n undermined by the reco unt. Obvio usly, it is a g reat shame that such a mistake was made . Ho wever, I think we have learnt fro m it." And he be lieves that the new

• Holt United defeat UEA footballers . • UEA reserves gai n last gasp win. • Blues knocked out in BUSA.

• Studs Up: Concrete takes a side-ways glance at happenings in t he worl d of footbal l. Pirates playoff hopes bani shed by Surrey. • Sailors succeed at BUSA.

Above: Raymond Ng

count is correct. " The De puty Returning Offi cer has made sure the votes have been counted extra-carefull y a number of time s. Perhaps in the fut ure it should be exec utive o ffi cers who count the votes , as if they make a m istake at least they can be he ld account ab le by student counc il. un like pa id employees ," added Jon .

• Ulti mate frisbee are victori ous. • Ladies Hockey beat Dereham 11. Preston demol ished by City.

• Karate competitors hit Edinbu rgh BUSAs. • Your quick prize crossword.

MEMBERS of the UEA drama society are putting the fin ishing touches to their biggest show of the year. Those in volved with The Little Sho p of H o rro rs, whi c h wi ll be perform ed in the LC R next week, ho pe th at the show will attrac t a full hou se . An ex tra nig ht w ill be

added if there is eno ug h de mand . But so far the productio n has had its fa ir share of bad luck w ith two o f the cast members be ing admitted to hospital - o ne w ith appendi c it is and the other w ith a spra ined thumb. But produce r Li zzie Green hopes the show wi ll be alright on the nig ht. " We 've wo rked reall y hard o n th is production since the beg inning o f the year and we have tried to invo lve as many peopl e as possible . " We' ve had a lot of support from

The G arden Science Trust was set up in Fe bruary 2000 and is based at the DEV fann at UEA . It works in co-operation with other o rganisatio ns to deliver an understanding of sc ience to adults w ith learning difficu lties. Ex Development Studies student an d Project Coordin ator Dav id Lefever is asking UEA stude nts to help o ut. Volunteers are needed to wo rk from e ither 10.30am to 12 .00pm o r 12. 00pm to 2.30pm. during which they wi ll provide one to one suppo rt to the adults. For further info rmation ca ll David o n 0 I553 672640 or email him at d l__gst @lineo ne .net.

Housing continued from front page

Play for success LIZ HUTCHINSON Assista nt News Editor

Student Volunteer Appeal A TRUST set up by an ex UEA student to help people with learning difficulties through garden science is appealing for volunteers.

SPORT

Just 1231 students voted - under a tenth of the Uni versi ty's popul ation, compared to last year's fi gure of 1454. " Voting was not as high as we had expected . It is the role of next years exec uti ve to plan o n how to increase the turnout next year but we will be reco mme nding to them th at they have more peop le staffing the ballot boxes so that we can get more people throu gh faster so that people aren ' t put off by the queue.'' said Emma Rey no lds.

so many peopl e including Dustbin who are providin g the costumes so I ho pe Litt le Shop w ill be a success." said the second year A RT student. Confirmed nig hts for the play arc March 4 and 5, but there maybe an extra ni ght o n the March, 6. T icket s are pri ced £3 .50 for stude nts and £6 fo r adults . Tickets are avail able to purchase in the Hive and the Drama Studio. For more info rmati o n co ntact the Drama Soc in Unio n House .

know ledge that they are no t g iven pri ority fo r UEA Res idences o n the ir relllm . Thi s poli cy. wh ich has been in ex istence fo r several years ." And Jenny insisted that the dire situatio n is under review and hi nted at the possibility of new res idences. "The University is in the process o f assessing the requirements fo r new UEA Residences and continue to revi ew, on an annual basis, the pri ority give n to all catego ri es of students that are g uaranteed accommodati o n." Welfare offi cer Polly Evans is un happy about the situation but in sists that there is no other o ptio n. ··once these guarantees are made the Uni vers ity are obliged to meet them. the Unio n took the view th at in these c ircumstan ces the best support we could give to students was to let them know as quickl y as possible the true sit uat ion." '

NEWS 3

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2 7 , 2002

Critics upset poetry in Motion Poet Laureate receives mixed reviews over latest Royal poems KATIE HIND Deputy Editor

HE may only get paid £5000 a year for the privilege of putting the nation's dramas into words - but Andrew Motion's position as Poet laureate is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious positions in the literary world. But last week his latest works, celebrat ing the Jubilee we re leaked - leaving cri t ics across the country queui ng up to scrutin ise his wr it ing.

Concrete asked two poetry experts and two Creative Wnti ng students what they t hin k of UEA's very own An drew Mot1on's work.

John Sutherland, professor of English lt would be nice to recast Andrew Mot ion (who 1s, in my view, a major talent) as an anti-lau reate . To have hi m, that IS, do what Byron did agai nst t he laureate of 1820 , Robert Southey. Southey wrote a paea n of pra ise for the dead George I ll , A Vision of Judgement. Byron retorted with a sat1re, The Vision of Judgment, with t he immorta l li nes: " lt seemed t he mockery of hel l to fold!The rottenness of eighty years in gold ." Readi ng Mot ion 's poem on Margaret (especially that seditious monosyll able, t he " lot") one feels a Byronic antilaureate struggling to get out. Let Bad Andrew, Dark Mot 1on , out, say I. The poem on the jubilee ("it seemed the mockery of hell to fo ld/ t he mediocrity of f ifty years in gol d") is very awkward . There is a willed thinness of style. Many pu lled punc hes. Let's face it. Much more fu n to be the Byron de nos JOurs than the Southey.

Motion's latest poetry Extract from Hymn for the Golden Jubilee In every town And every city, village, single home That knows the Crown Let time stand still. No, no, instead let time Repeat, return To celebrate This fifty years of steadiness through change And so create The story we consider rich and strange Yet intimate, To start with, See a daughter's weight of private grief Combine with history And see Heathrow's grainy black and wh1te enshrine New faith, new dignity... The Younger Sister The luxuries, of course , and privilege The money, houses, holidays, the lot: All these were real, and all these drove a wedge

Between your life and ours. And yet the thought Of how no privilege on earth can keep A life from suffering in love and loss This means we turn to you and see how deep The current runs between yourself and us. And now death spells it out again, and more, As it becomes your final human act: A daughter gone before her mother goes; A younger sister heading on before; A woman in possession of the fact That love and duty speak two languages. Extract from All of Us Who would ever think a field full of folk meant wet eyes and lips smattered among rose-hips, and bright shining faces bobbing in silver grasses? No, our sense of folk comes in stadium-hulks, with steamrollering chants of implacable want. But it's all the same.

Above: Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion

Tom Payne, assistant literary editor, Daily Telegraph I'm sorry for Andrew Motion that an extract of his Jub1lee poem was leaked , but it makes me look forward to 1t 1n context: already there are nses and falls that com mend 1t for Andrew Gant's mus1c, and I ant1c1pate qu1te a crescendo. Th at said , it's hard to 1magine a choir singing such a conversational poem. The poet's th1nkmg aloud with his "No, no, instead .. . " like he's a mov1e d1rector. The sonnet's a graceful form w1th which to b1d Princess Margaret farewel l; and t he sim plici ty of its message is just what you need at such moments. it's lovely, too, to be reminded of why we think of her as the normal royal - t he one we th1nk we can best understand . Again , though, 11 feels improvised. Th at can be a good t hing, bu t here it leads to an image pile-up . I ended up wondermg, Where's thIS current go1 ng? And where do these languages come from? The "languages" could have been a conceit for a wh ole sonnet - one image cou ld be enough - and I find rhyming t hat word with "goes" a bit forced.

Luke Wright, poet with Aisle16 Poetry, like most art forms, prod uces di ffere nt reacti ons from different people, JUSt because one person l1ke a poem doesn 't mean that an other wil l. There can be no doubting that Andrew Mot1on 1s a co mpetent wordsm1th , and 1ndeed many find him to be a fine poet. However, I have always fo und h1 s work convoluted w1th un necessary metaphors and far too likely fall VICt im of 1ts own cleverness. Whi lst thI S tends to be less of a problem with the poetry he produces under h1s off ic1al role as poet laureate, these poems seem to be lackmg in an emotiOnal depth In 'The Younger S1ster,' Mot1on's most recent work, about t he death of Pnncess Margaret, he seems unable to engage w1th the situatiOn and convey his thoughts on 1!. Not that we can hold that agamst a man who d1dn't know the Pnncess. but 1f fJ1s JOb 1s to capture nat1onal mood the n 1t seems he 1s unable to do so as successfully as a tabloid feature m1ght. I don't bel1eve that th1s 1s the li mitation of h1s art form nd the way 1t IS rece1ved m modern soc1ety, but mstead Mot10n's 1rabll1ty to create the tone conveyed by the average person m short, h1s poetry, to me and many ot her of mme and my parent's generat1ori, symbolises the stuffy, archa1c 1rnage of the monarchy he represents.

A GROUP of Creative Writing students have labelled Professor Andrew Motion an imperialist after a poem written by some undergraduate students ridiculing his work was leaked to the national press. The rhyme, which should be sang in the tune of Kylie Minogue's number one hit, The Locomotion makes fun of the Poet Laureate 's clothing tastes and labels him 'big-headed'. When informed of the song, Professor Mot10n defended the nature of h1s JOb- and he accused the students of not knowing the mean1ngs of their lyncs. "As to the students and the1r d1tty. you might l1ke to know that the bulk of my work as Laureate involves educational matters of one k1nd or another. I spend two or three days every week travelling the country try1ng to persuade schools to g1ve more time to poetry in the curnculum. "If these colleagues think th1s IS 'imperialIsm', they're not us1ng the same diCtionary as me," said Professor Motion.

The Andrewmotion by Ross Sutherland Everybody's tak ing a brand new stance now (come on baby do the andrewmotion) Everybody's wearing those corduroy pants now (come on baby do the andrewmot1on) With a full clip of ego-tn ppmg JUXtaposition He's the lyrical sold ier of imperialism So come on come on Do t he andrewmotion with me You 've got to swmg those h1 ps now...

Motion's response: The comments on my two recent poems 1n the press last week were overwhelm1ngly posi t1ve, which of course delighted me. One or two unfa vourabl e remarks are only to be expected: they come w1th the JOb. D1d you ever hear of a poem that everybody liked?

Ed it 0 r

Full time, Norwich

Applications are invited for the position of Editor, Concrete, for the period September 2002 to June 2003. The position is open only to current students at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, and may be taken as a year- out during a degree (intercalation) or directly after graduation. The successfu l appl icant need not have previously been involved in the production of Concrete, but must be able to demonstrate the following skills: • Excellent grammar and editing skills • Team leadership qualities • Administrative flair • Fam iliarity with OuarkXpress and Adobe Photoshop • Knowledge of print production techniques Closing date for applications : Monday, April 15, 2002

Advertising Manager

Part time

Applications are invited for the pos1tion of Adve rtising Manager, Concrete, for the period September 2002 to June 2003. Th e position is open to any student study1 ng at UEA dunng 2002/3 , and mvolves se ll ing the adverts th at finance Concrete to local and na tional customers, developmg new rclallonshi ps and nurtu nng exJStlllg clients 10 a professiona l manner. The successful appli ca nt wi ll have sa les experience and a friendl y te lephone and personal manner Closmg date: April 22, 2002

Distribution Manager

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App licatiOns are invited for th e position of Dis trib ution Manager, Concrete, for the period September 2003 to June 2003. The position is open to any student studying at UEA during 2002/3, and Involves ovcrseemg the effect 1ve distr ibution of Concrete to 3,000 study bedrooms and over 50 ca mpus p1ck-up pomts. Ap pl icants must be aged 21 years or over and should be in possession of a fu ll UK driving licence on tJking up the post. Clos1ng date April L2, :2002

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NEWS

Rent win? FIRST year SOC student Bryony Pithers is in the running to have her rent paid for a year. She is one of 20 llna li;,ts in a compet ition. run b) Virgin M obil e. to win a house. rent-free for a year with three hou scmat cs . \l'l'ires Ale.\ Woodll ·o rd. Bryony was shocked when she founu out she had been short li sted and claims she was not even se ri ous when she filled out the form. '· J saw the ll yc r;, in the library. and j ust wrote it for a laugh. I cou ld n't hcliew it when I got a ca ll saying I was one of the llnali;,ts. I'd complctd y forgollcn that I had even entered ... The competition will give I 0 of the finali st;, th e depo;,it for their chosen hou se and the oth er I 0 wil l get their ren t paiu for a year. But in order for Bryony to win she need s votes from as many students as poss ible from UEi\ and other uni versities. To vote fo r Brynoy. log on to www. virgin.com/thebigredhouse.

Eat green ENVIRONMENTAL students will soon be able to support good causes by eating and drinking Fairtrade Products. The Union already sells a selection of Fairtrade product>. but they arc planni ng to add more to their range - in cluding a number of organic choco late bar;,, three types of tea and Fairtradc coffee . SEED . the Societ y for Everythin g on the Envi ronmen t and Development. will also be pu tt ing on a Fairtradc fortnight between March~ and 17. For more information or to get involved in Fai nradc fortnight. email the president of SEED at l.l"airhur;, t @' uca.ac .uk or loo k at their website on www.go.to/seeduca.

PhD student charity boost A UEA STUDENT has been made a trustee of a new charity - and hopes that his involvement will help make a real difference to the education of children living in Tanzania. Euan i)avid;,on. from th~ scimo l of DEY. is n011 a tru;,tee of Tt\NZED. which sends IO!untaJ') tt:achcrs to Tan;ania to work in pri -

mary schoob. The lir\1 ) ca1 PhD stude nt heard ahout the charit} whilst teaching math~ in T~uvania three year~ ago. lie was as~cd to join the team after producing a report for the charity. "I researched ahout 15 sc hool;, in T•uuania m er two months and ''rote a set or· rccommcndatinns." ""d Euan. lie is loo~ing forward to teaming h1s 11 or~ for the charity with his PhD in understanding and unprm111g 4ualit) of . . chooli ng m Tarllanian

primar~

school .....

" In Tan1.ania. only half of all 'Lul/anian children go to primar} . . chool. \\ 1th ju . . t 6rt- going •Jnto -..ccondan school. "I' m cscitcd to ha1 c the chance to uo PhD research and !in~ it to someth in g prauical." he aducd. For more information ahout the charit). contact Luan at c.da1 idson0 uca.ac.u~ or 1is it the 11·chsite at 1111 II.T/\1\JZl:D.org.

www. concrete-on Ii ne.co .uk

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2002

Students to get fairer deal under new housing act Union supports modern motion to stop rip-off landlords KATIE HIND News Editor

A 8 ILL to be put before Parliament could protect students from living in overpriced and dangerous properties. A Brighton MP put the motion forward last year in an attempt to ensure th at landlords treat their tenants properly. Home owne rs would be forced to make sure th ei r accomodation is fit for people to rent safely and also make sure that issues such as the return of damage deposits are reso lved properly and qu ickly. Currently, the Union Advi ce Centre staff have many cases of landlords ow ing st udents money on their books - but if the bill was put through , an independent group would assess properties so students would not be out of pocket. Union Welfare Officer, Po ll y Evan s, ha s backed the move and hopes that if the bill is passed, students will have better rights . "Over 300,000 students live in

rented accomodat1on, many in damp, dirty and downright un sa fe properties, along with huge num bers of people from other vulnerable sections of our population ," said Polly. And she is de li ghted that MPs have finally taken steps to make sure that standards for students are in creased. " That the gove rnement has taken a stand to tighten mimi mum standards for th e homes of these people is a brilliant step. "The hope is that under such legislation fair land lords who provide safe we ll managed property to the HMO sector ca n flourish without competition from those trying to cut corners and maximise profi t at the cost of residents ' safety." But despite housing standards in Norwich being among the best in the country for University st udents, Polly still hopes that legalities of co ntracts can be i mproved for those studying at UEA. " As as a rule the sta ndard of rented property is very high in Norwich. But we do cont1nue to see depos it disputes. Some of the proposa ls of the Bill regard ing management of tenan cies cou ld

have a big impact for st udents in Norwich ," added Polly. And re ce ntl y, Ken t Management Owner Sieve Wickham has changed his company 's policies so they are more student fr iendly. In the past, they did not have forma l inventori es when students moved into the properties. "We have started to check people into houses so there is no d ispute when th ey move out, it just simplifies everything," said Mr Wickham. And Kent Managem ent have also cha nged their rules to give studen ts a chance to ensure they get their damage deposit back at the end of their tenancy. "Ou r tenant s have a pri or inspection six weeks before th ey move out so they have an idea of what needs to be done so they have an opti on to sort it out." And despite hav ing a bad reputati on in the past, Kent Management are now more professional in letting houses to UEA students. " We have tried to reduce problems . lt has always been a myth that letting agents ca use problems, but it ca n be the landlords too," added Mr Wickham.

Above: New act opens door to better student housing rights

Figures show UEA is more popular than ever ALEX WIDDERN

FIGURES released in a national newspaper have revealed that UEA boasted the second biggest increase in student applications of all English universities over the last year. The Times published the numbers, whtch show that the top positions are fi lied by the Scott1sh universtties, Pa1sley and Dundee, who had tncreases of 30.3% and 25.0% respectively. The top English institution w;" SurrC). whose ~pplications 11ent up h) ~2.~'/r. CEA came 6th out nl all British unin:r...,itil!-.. hut ~o,ccnnd in Lnglaru.l \\ ith application number' ri-..int! h) IH.6'h. The ligurcs abo sho11 that appli cation

number...

for

the

newer

Lnglish uni,crsiliCs. main!) former pol) technics arc falling to ~ point that some univcrsitic;, such as Luton 1113} h~1c to close um1nthc1r und~r gradu:ltl! courses.

Hcau of Mar~cl Information for the Uni\crsil). Mark Barlow. believes there arc a number or rea-

son;, re;,ponsible for the popularity or UEi\. "There has been an increase in open da) sand UEA;, friend!) environment arc certainly 1110 or the mnin rca..,ons. "Due to tuition J'ccs student;, arc ma~ing sure that the) l'isit prnspcctive uni1·crsities and UEA including th~ Sports Par~ and 1orw ich were a nice place to he. There are also a number or· particularly popu lar and re mm ncd courses such as Creative Writing. Biolog) and Ecology that ha\C year;, abroad in Austra li a." said Mr Barlow. But the main C\planati on for the incre~hc j.,_ due to the Lni\'cr..,il) \ prestigious nC\1 Jcpartmcnt - which npcn' 111 September. "The ne" m~uical >chool wou ld he another reason for the growing number of student applications. (icncrall}. an O\Crall increase in np~n tla} s and I he good \\Or~ or the aJmissH>ns staff have had a pos iti ve effect." added \lr llarlo11. l' n ion Academic Officer Jamcs llani;,on is also plca;,cd that L tA is attracting more students - hut at the same time he uncrcd concern. " I 'd he \\Orried if the Uni1crsil) continued to raise the intake or stuuents 11 ithout prm iuing more teaching facilities." said Jamcs. hint ing at th e alreaU) critical situation

Jail for racist A NORWICH man was sentenced to four months in jail for shouting racist abuse at a Jewish family who were attending a UEA summer festival last August. Gary Emery. 35. of Pippin Green. Norwich. blamed alcohol and di,ori entati on on hi s racist actions towards a group of Jc11 s who 11 ere enjo) ing a holiday in Norwich. \\Tile\' llril/ Juste /Jikl'ee. EmeT') made com ment s about the Pale stini an grou ps. Hamas and Jihad. and threatened the group with a ~nife. Two of the victims. Samson and Abraham Gluck tried to calm down the offendanl until the knife taken a"a). He was pro;,ccutcd for agg.raYatcd threatening hcha\ iour. The Glucks 11erc praised h) Nom ich Cro11 n Court Judge Paul Dm1 nes !'or their "great patience and 1ery good sense" in dealing \1 ith the incident. auuing that jail was the only wa) for Emery a> thi' was not his llrsl dnmken offence. i\nurew Olivcr. defending. sa id that Emery was ashamed b) his "hi;arrc" hcha1 iour that night.

Retraction over teaching :-.pace. I h: a l"o rccogni ... cd Ll!:,\'~ g.ro\\ing effort tn impr<)\ c ir... image and to allracl more slutknts. In th~ future. Ul:t\ application numbers arc el'en more likely to

expand. ~Om loob ;,et to he another hum per ) car as there "i 11 be more place' on the popular science course' that otTer a year in Australia. There arc a!"' plans for ne11 pharmacy and speech therapy courses.

The au\crt featured in issue IJ5 entitled ··Ha\c you had an ama;ing ;,e\ual experience that ) ou·d like to share·> .. claimed that Wil ilam llall has becB commissioned h) Granada/1\nglian 11 to ma~c a doculncntar). In fact. William llall 1s merely a competition entrant and i' not anlliatcd with the aforementioned organisation in an) capacit).

------------------------- ~ - 路 --

Concrete

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY

NEWS

27, 2002

March against debt Students go to London to protest against mounting costs ALEX WOODWARD NEARLY seventy UEA students marched their way through London last week in an attempt to get politicians to scrap tuition fees. The rally is t he second the Union have supported academic year - t he last being in Cambridge November.

that this one last

But last Wednesday (February, 20), the students walked from the Univers1ty of London's Un1on, past the Houses of Parliament

and on to Trafalgar Square, where a number of speeches were made. EAS student Han nah White enJoyed the rally. "I really enjoyed the day, there was a great atmosphere I JUSt hope that it has an impact on the government, I know of several people who should be at University but are put off by the huge debt and the thought of livIng on the breadline for three years. The problem isn't simp ly fees but the that grants are no longer g1ven to support less well off students." Union Communications

Officer, Emma Reynolds believes the day was a success for UEA students. " We were rea lly pleased wit h the rally. We took more than many student unions wh1ch is highly respectable cons1denng our distance from London . " A student march may not force a decision from the government but what everyone must realise 1s that what it does do is keep the 1ssue centra I 1n the public eye . lt makes fut ure stu dents aware of the problems and past students and parents aware of the unfairness of the current system," said Emma.

Detox success TWO UEA ~tudents filled the LCR with more than 400 people last Tuesday with a new club night. Beki Winter and Dan Karlsson teamed up with the Union to create the event, which was named ' D:tox路 , ll'rites Etflmrd Wehh-fnga/1.

LLT studen t Dan came up with the idea for the gig - and approached Beki, who thought of the name . "It's my kind of mu ic so I wanted to get involved." said Beki . who is also a fourt h-year LLT 'ltudent. The night featured funk , break-beat, hip-hop and Drum and Bas~ mu.,ic . as well as the live band Deftex who were pcrfonning on the fifth date of their UK tour. The line up also included two exUEA students - DJs Hood and Easily Dunn - and local DJ. XL who was perfanning live for the first time . As well as the live music. VJ (Video Jockey) company 2 Bit TV put on a visual show comprised of huge Screens and video projections - adding a new dimen ion to the LCR. Union En tertainments Manager, Nick Rayns. who dealt with the finan cial side of the event was pleased with the gig. "I backed it from the stan and that the takings were very encouraging for a firs t event. The bar takings that reached

拢1800". The students are planning their next night already, which i'> hoped to be on Apri l 30. They arc trying to get drum and bass and hip-hop collaboration group. 'The Heavies路 who pcrfom1ed at orfolk's Deadbeat weekender this year. to take part.

BAlES CALL NOVV FOR AJR HER DETAILS

NEWS

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2002

Work set to begin on Breakers site Bar extensions finally receive approval after st udents wait three years for new drinking venue STU DENTS will soon be able to relax in style after plans for the old Breakers 2 site were finally approved.

Si tu ated next t o the Pub, the outlet has stood empty for over two years, due to financial disputes between UEA and the Un10n, writes Liz Hutchinson. But plans for the fo rm erfast food site are final ly underway in a development w1l l 1nclude more toilets, pool tables and seating areas. Un1on Communication offi cer Emma Reynolds insisted that students can look forward to nice surround 1ngs. "The design needs to be fresh but neutral to prov1de a comfortable drinking env ironment for all the di fferent customers. In what was the Breakers area there will be moveable seating so that it ca n be arranged 1n different ways for parties, everyday use or televi Sion use for big sports matches.·· Emma claims that work wi ll beg1n on the Breakers s1te before the end of term-which means that those graduating this year will not get the chance to use the new faci l1ty. "Bu il ding work wil l start soon w1th the new to1lets being built and the Breakers area be ing gut-

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led , by the end of the summer term. After graduation, we can rip out the pub interior and start work on that. "There is a lot of off-si te work involved with designing the interior and then bringing 1! in and installing it and this will be the final stage wh1ch IS anticipated to take 40 days in the case of Breakers and 30 days for the pub. This will take place over the holidays."

Emma expressed delight that work is finally underway but 1nsisted that the project will be worth the wait. "Breakers has had a very troubled history but this will hopefully be the end to all that. We want 1t done as much as you do and th1s year's exec are very happy to be ab le to be involved in the final chapte r of what has been three long years of perseverance w1th the proJect," added Emma.

TRUST ALLSTAR AXIS LUXURY 6 SEATERS AIRPORTS

_ _ __ __ [ __ ___ _

I ---Breakers: A brief history

• April 1999: Concrete conduct a survey in whic h 74% of the stude nts gave the thumbs down to the fast food joint. • September 2000: At the beginning of academic semester 2000, Breakers 2 finally closed it's doors after years of ridicule. • November 2000: Speculation about what the outlet could be transformed into kept the gossip mongers going for a good few months. Rumours about its possible use included a hair and beauty salon, a vegg ie resta urant or a fish and chips shop

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May 2001: In May, it was reported by Concrete that the re development would not be completed until Summer 2002 at its earliest, due to financial wrangling between t he union and the university November 2001: We report that the redevelopment of the site is underway, but plans are very much in the early stages with leases to apply for and other red tape imposed by the university to get through. February 2002: Finally, it seems that plan s have been approved for the site and work is expected to begin soon ....

Students warned about campus conman LIZ HUTCHINSON Assistant News Editor

SECURITY chiefs have warned staff and students of a con man at large on campus. The man , \dlO is belie' ed to be in hi ~ mid teens, ha s been approachin g people in the main car park , asking for money cl aim ing th at he has not got enough ca'h to get home. He abo asks fo r the victim >· addresses and promises to return I he mone) to them. Securit) stall were llrst alerted 10 lhe prob lem when lhe) s;m lhc ho) approach a lone woman in the car

park. I lead of 'ccuri ty Ron El li ot and his stn iT decided to keep a lookout for si mil ar incidents. "The way in whi ch the lady was approached was a bit 'uspicious. He claimed to have lost hi s money he needed for the train to get home. "Th is incidcnl ""' spoued by securi ly staiT. who dec id ed 10 investi gate it further. There was another incident when the sa me boy approached another youn g lady and money changed hands. Wh at \Cemcd to he an innocent approach was to the boy a sustainable way of gelling money." sa id Mr Ellioll. He decided to alert members of the Uni\ crsity to the problem, to p1T\ent further hara>Sment li'-c lhis. "We se nt an emai l about this

•

01603

744444 local Friendly Service Above: The main car park where the conman operates.

juvenile conman and received responses from four people. includ ing two males. " 11 emerged lhal lh ese approac hes go back to November bu l the) ha\C nol always occurred on Campus and include areas such as Bluebell Road . So far there ha\ e been fourreported incidenl; 1wo on campu s and two off cam pu s But sllldenl' have not yet been ofllcially infom1cd of the si tuation despite the circ ulation of the email 10 UEA staff. "I sen t out an cmai l 10 all li sts so someone within the Swdent Un ion must have received il.'. added Mr Ellioll angrily. But Union \\dfarc ortlccr Poll) E\·ans claimed that the Union were un awa re of th e incidenb. '' I had ntH eve n hea rd of thi s man. The email from Ron has failed lo reach anyone in the Excc." And the University Security Coordinator said that the po lice arc on 1hc look out and begs anyone approached by the man to go straight to the Porter,· Lodge . "I would l ike to stress the importance that we have a l iar who has fou nd means of conning. If anybody is approached by the indi vidual either on or off ca mpus, let sec urity know. Police are aware of the si tu ation." Th e desc ription give n is of a young boy in his early teen s- about 15- who always wears a white baseball cap. He has also been seen wearing a blue sports sweatshirt with two white stripes running down the sleeves.

CONCRETE

for sale

is of next term we are introducing a paid classifieds section. Whether you are looking for a date for Saturday night. a house to rent or the latest sound system. Concrete is here to help you. For details contact the editor at SU • concre te@uea • ac • uk •

Terms and conditions apply

NEWS

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Concret e WED NESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2002

•

n1on venue surv1ves The Waterfront will not close after new funding deal is reached REBECCA LAWRE NCE Chief News Reporter

THE WATERFRONT has been saved from closure - amidst recent rum ours that the alternative club would be losing its licence_ A new lease has been granted for five years with an option to extend it for a further two years. In a meeting held on February 1, with the Director of Culture and Communicatio ns and t he Director of Estates of Norwich City Council, the Union were informed of the decisions of the City Council Cabinet. The Union are to receive a grant of £12,000 for the year starting Apri l 2002, and £8,000 for the next year. The Union will invest £40 ,000 into the venue, which will mean an increase in th e depreciation costs of £8,000 per yea r. The Union Communications Officer c laims that work on the building could not be completed until the new licence was granted. " There was no poi nt in developing the Waterfront unti l we

knew we had sec ured the lease. Now it is possible for plans to be made for that. We should be able to continue with the Waterfront, even after the grant has f inished," she sa id . The rent of the Waterfront has inc reased to £45,000 per annum, due to a rent review from consultations with the Union's su rveyors and the Counci l surveyors and the Union are now responsible for al l repairs to the building. "In real terms it is not a huge increase especially in relation to the diversity which we can provide from maintaining it, " she added . And Emma says that the Council's continued support of the Waterfront is much appreciated. "Over the last yea r the Wat erfront's success has really grown. lt is an alternative venue carrying the forms of music that probab ly wou ldn't fill the LCR, allowing us to provide a se rvice ca tering for those wi t h different tastes. Meltdown and Eighties nights are now selling out. We have a huge range of concerts this year. Credit shou ld go to the staff down t here who have done a great job this year."

New police methods cut • campus cr1me Campus safe police claim LIZ HUTCHINSON Assistant News Editor

A POLICE crackdown on crime at UEA has been a huge success, claims a high ranking police officer. Inspector Peter Wal sh, who is based at Earlham police station. insists that the campaign has reduced the amount of crime on ca mpu s dramatica ll y. Code named Operation Book Worm , the action undertaken by local poli ce hm. included patrols on and around campus by plain clothed cktcctivcs. lt has involved more th an 20 officers who have made a number of arrests. including two for theft and three in connection with robberies. Crimes which have been cu t out by the operation include criminal damage. bike thefts and car break ins. There have also been no further sightings of a flasher who, as Concrete reported last month. had terrorised several young wome n on the campus.

The action comes after a recent Concrete report, which hi gh li gh ted campus crime. In our Crime Special. we reported a two muggings, a mobile phone robbery and anti social behaviour from local school ch ildren who were using the campus as a glorilicd youth club. According to PC Richard Bell. one of the two university liason offi cers, this extra policing seems to have curbed the problem. ··overall, it ·s been a success and is part of an ongoing operat ion which will continue for the forseeablc future." said PC Bell. University officials arc also pleased with the result and insisted that there has been a noted decrease in crime on campus. "Our on-go ing collaboration with the police and the success of the security measures we have in place have reduced the number of reported incidents on campus by seven per cent in the past year," said a UEA spokesman. And the official insisted that the efforts to cut crime will continue . ··we are not complacent. but the fact is that the UEA is not an ea;y touch for criminals."

UEA students back Britain's euro bid LIZ HUTCHINSON Assistant News Editor

UEA STUDENTS are not Eurosceptic, a recent survey conducted by the UEA Labour society has revealed.

MP Richard Howitt. "Richard Howitt is an excel lent speaker, and we all enjoyed his talk very much . He has had much experience in the Party of the European Socialists and personal ly benefits from the Euro as he frequently travels between France. Belgium. and Britain. Our campaign has been a

huge success and as a soc iety we are delighted by the attention it has gained." Catherine wa, abo excited about the next event for the UEA Labour society, which will be a visit from Cabinet Minister Charles Clarkc. the MP for orwich South. "We are very proud to ha\'e such a

The poll revealed that 7490 of those surveyed would vote to join the sin g le currency - if they thought it would benefit Britain economically. But those polled were not well informed about European issues with just 53'7c knowing that there are IS countric; in the EU and 18'7<unaware that Sweden is one of the three countries in the EU who have not opted for the Euro. Labour Society president, EAS student Cathcrinc Mannering was pleased with the survey. "We arc very pleased that so many students arc Euro-fricndly, even in these early stages of the introduction of the single CUJTency. lt is parti cularl y encourag in g for us to see that the Labour Party is the people's preferred choice to take us into Europe." The survey. in which over 600 people participated. was conducted in the hive last week and the even t included a ;pccch by local Labour

Above: Campaigners for the euro in the Hive with local MP Richard Howitt

well-known and prestig ious MP coming to speak to us. I am sure he too wi 11 encourage us to keep up the political campaigning." If anyone would like to know any more informat ion about euro campaigning at UEA or the Labour society then please email Cathcrine Manning at c.manning@uea.ac.uk"

COMMENT 9

www.concrete--online.co.uk

Concrete W EDN ESDAY, FEBR UARY 2 7, 2002

Opinion

Homeless

ave

Finally fixed

ear As the term comes to a close and exams and essays loom, final year students have jobs, taxes and houses to look forward to. If you don't have the fear yet, don't worry... you will soon. By Adam Chapman . t's that time of year again. The fear season. A frightening disease brought about by looming deadl ines, a slowly deplet ing social li fe and the gen era l panic that you don't actually have a cl ue wh at you want to wit h t he rest of your life. Indeed, it is those words " the rest of your I ife" t hat provi de t he basis for the fear. Symptoms include the fol lowing: hot sweats brought about by lack of career path, nausea brought about by excessive smoking in t he face of exams and dissertat ion deadlinesas wel l as excessive paranoi a about the aforementioned "rest of your li fe " sydrome. Fun nily enough, t he fear doesn 't appear in any medical journals despite infecti ng pretty muc h every student in the country. lt all seemed so easy didn't it? You arrived at university a little wet behind the ears, viewing th e world with wide-eyed aban doment. You

drank. You smoked . You slept around. You did the cliche studen t th ing an d now yo u face the prospect of bei ng spat out into the bi g wide world slightly less wide-eyed but just as wet behind th e ears. However, if you are only just getti ng used to the fear remem ber this: it coul d be far worse. You could have experienced it tw ice. Just look at postgraduate students, frightened into continuing further education purely because they have n't been rehabi Iitated into modern soc iety by t hei r time at university. But remember t his al so: the fear has its plus side - it is responsible for most of the teachers in our schoo ls and the managemen t accountants in our midst. The psychology behind t he fear is comp licated . Firstly there's the sudden realisation that you will no longer have the excuse of " but I'm a student" when you don't hand your business report to the managi ng director on a Monday

You will no longer have the excuse but I'm a student" when you don't hand your business report to the managing director on a Monday mornmg.

In the same issue as we publish a feature on homelessness in Norwich it would appear that third year students are in danger of su fferi ng th e same fate. While obviously not as serious, it would appear that returing students are again going to become victims of th e university's housing crisis. Third year students have never been guaranteed accommodation on campus probably because there is barely enough room for incom ing first years. What the university must realise is that students returning from abroad do not necessarily have the framework of friends that second year students have. In many ways the reasoning as to why they should receive a place on campus is similar to that given to international students. They have returned to this coun try at a time whe n most of their friends have just graduated. While they are more fam iliar with the university and the city the transition from being away for a year is still a difficult one to make. The university should consider this before cutting returning students out of the loop completely.

morning. There are also the curious feelings aroused by the idea of leavi ng Norwich. Who would have th ought that when you arri ved in this sleepy hamlet you would actually regret leaving? Well , for many, that is where the fear grips them most. Wherever you go in the world no place wil l compa re to Norwich . No oth er joke inbred town could suffer so much yet stil l remain standmg. You will miss the incestuous nature of UEA, the epi tome of the Kevin Bacon game, where in some warped six degrees of separation you are inexpi lcably linked to some guy you JUSt passed in the Hive . And the cure to the fear? Well, sadly, there isn 't one. You may just have realised (note : this is an exa mple and not referr ing to anyone in particular) that you might not actually be good enough to be a JOurnalist. You might not want to leave Norwich and move back to London . You might want to bum around the ci ty Just havi ng a bit of a laugh wi th no particular aim in life or maybe convince yourself that you want to do an MA. For that is what the fear does. lt undermines your every dream and action . But somet imes you just have to supress it. Maybe you will learn to say the words "the rest of your life" with a big grin on your face , with nsing excitement surging through your veins. The problem is how. Answers on a postcard please - because I'm at a complete loss.

Want to comment on anything in Concrete? Email su.concrete@uea.ac.uk

The campus venue that everyone loves to hate is about to emerge out of the planning stages. Yes, Breakers is no longer broken and impressive plans have been revealed as to what form the redevelopment is going to take. The only doubt lies in whether t he Union are going to consult students over what the new bars are going to look like. lt should not be left up to a small few in the Union to decide on the decor of our drinking establishments. Let's face it, the Union 's t rack record in redesigning bui lding interiors isn't exactly exemplary. The original Breakers was meant to resembl_e a crass 1950s American diner (not the Union 's fault admittedly), the current bar bears a startl ing similarity to a Harvester restaurant and the less said about the Hive the better. Consult the students. That way you can blame us if it looks bad.

Averse to Motion There was a suave poet from Norwich, Whose poems were th icker than porridge, Top heavy with schmaltz , And emoti onal mulch , Not to menti on t hey didn't Even rhyme.

FOCUS

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Concrete

•

Last month, popular Big Issue vendor Keith Swan was murdered after loca I youths beat and stamped the 32-year-old unconscious. He died two days later from his injuries. Swan was one of the Big Issue's successes, but his killing has merely highlighted the problems of homelessness on Norwich's streets. Matthew Beavan investigates.

NATIONAL STUDENT EMPLOYMENT WEEK

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY

27, 2002

•

The aim of the magazi ne is to try and give the eith Swan was kicked , beaten and stamped to death on the streets of homeless a start back on the road to being permanentl y housed. "Se lling th e Big Issue gives people Norw ic h as he sold cop ies of the a sense of identity and achievement ," Sou thgate Big Issue. He, like many other homeless people, spent time adds. "Selling the Big Issue, being a vendor, is a sleeping rough in the city. Take a step up fro m beggar wh ich aids t he vendors ' self belief . walk down London Street towards "I have see n people co ming into t he office the stat ion and you will see any nu mber of homeless t ucked into doorways or closed shop fron ts. unable to walk and sleeping in the gutter to being suited and boqted holding down a day job in a few At the moment it's rain ing, the wate r runs down the street in little rivulets and the East wind is months. lt works ; I wo uldn 't be do ing it if I scything off the North Sea t hrough t he alleyways. t hought it didn 't. " With the rain cascading Gavin Tempe st, down, 'Tom ', si tti ng in a - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Police Inspector for Norwi ch City Centre, shop doorway, acknowledges t hat Iife on t he is aware of the problem in t he city but is streets isn't easy. "it's at times like t hese life ca n adamant about the pol ice 's position. feel pretty shit whe n th ere's ~~it's no one out there ," he says "Homelessness is a grim ly. social problem, " he insists. "lt becomes a But people like Tom are poli ce problem when it not without help within becomes ant isoc ial." Norwich , despi te t he lack of media coverage compa red to major ci t ies such as Begging is a criminal offence under the vagran cy London and Manchester. There are supporting act and can be prosecuted , but thi s is not always the sensible or best option for police. " Each case charities there to offer a helping hand to the homereported to the police is taken on its merits, " PC less. Tempest explai ns. " We look at the underl ying antiThe Big Issue is one of these charities. John soc ial issues such as whether t hey are causing an Southgate, in charge of t he Big Issue office in obstruction, hara ssi ng the publi c or whether sol Norwi ch, knows how far the Big Issue has come . "The Big Issue idea came from New York based on vent abuse may be present. a publi cation called 'street news' and set up here " Consequently, it may not be appropriate for the authorities to enforce the Vagrancy Act, and by the husband of Anita Roddi ck [the Body Shop instead to refer t hem to th e various care age ncies own er]." he exp lains.

With the rain coming down, Tom acknowl edges that at times like this life can fee l pretty shit. "

Left and below: how the Big Issue reported the murder of Norwich vendor Keith Swan

A popu lar ex·B tg Issue vendor who was rehu: ld1ng t'les life was kicked

EX-BIG ISSUE VENDOR KICKED TO DEATH back in touch with his mother. Wood and ot her friends are planning a benef•t gig to help with f uneral costs. Floral tr 1butes have been left on the street where Swan was killed

and stamped to death after being

chased by a gang of youths. Ketth Swan . aged 32 , died from t:ead tn jurics he suffered in the v1ctous beat•ng in Norwich on Janu· ary 11 just before l lprn . Pohce itrresled lour young men

Thursday 7 March, 1100-1400

1n the LCR

Real jobs from real employers. Also info about employment rights and help with CVs.

how sony they are. Ke1th was a ven-

Swan. from Cwmbran. south

dor on and off for seven years ar~ d

Wales. di ed in hospital in Cambrid&e on Janu~ry 13. f nends sa•d he was "getting his l1fe sorted". After years m hostels, he'd got a f lat and planned to start a business. f riend U:zzy Wcxxi described Swan as " a kind, helpful person , cheerful, ., lever and energetic". She said he had on ly recently been

...... PART-TIME, VACATION and WORK EXPERIENCE VACANCIES

and The Big Issue's NOfWich office received a f iood of condolence cards to pass to his lamily. John Sout hgate of The Big Issue in Nor· wich said cvmyone was horri fi ed by the murder. He sa1d: "Venoors have been approached b)' people saying

last week m connection with the murdE!t. An 18·)'lW"-old was later released wethout charge . Two 19· ycar-olds and a 20-year-old were released on police bail , pending further investigateon.

e-.teryone recognised him."

Witnesses should contact the

police iociclent room on 01953 424242 . The beneftt gig featuring a 'Battle of tfle DJs' competition is at Hunter's Leisure Centre, m NOf· wich, on March 1. More informa·

t;o'" 01362 861090.

'i'l!'ts "'" """'"J

Tragic death of popular vendor

opul ar ex-Big Issue vendor Keith Swan was in the process of rebuilding hi s life when a gang of youth s chased him throug h Norwich on t he night of January 11 , eventually kicking and beat ing him so forcefull y that he died from hi s injuries in hospital two days later. Swan, 3 2, had recently got a fl at and was looking to start a busi ness after seve n years in hostels and halfway houses - he sold the Big Issue on and off throughout that time and

became a popular figure on the streets of Norwich. Lizzy Wood , a friend of Swan 's, described him as " a kind , helpful person, cheerful , clever and energeti c." Earlier this month , and following a brief investigation , police charged local youths Martyn Arm strong, 20, Edward North , 19, and Oliver Guthrie, 19, with the murder of Keith Swan . All three wil l appear at Norwi ch Crown Court on April 3 to enter their plea . A trial wil l follow later.

Concrete

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY

www.concrete-online.co.uk

27, 2002

FOCUS

Right: London Street in the rain .• .A depressingly familiar for Norwich's homeless

"I have seen people coming into the office unable to walk and sleeping in the gutter to being suited and booted holding down a day job in a few months. lt works." the police keep in contact with."

he streets in the centre of Norwich are not a nice place to be when the light starts to slip away and darkness creeps in for those who sleep rough and are forced to beg to get by. Tom continues: "Yeah, I get some abuse thrown at me," he says. "lt's never been physical violence but I have had stuff thrown at me, coins and stuff. Most of the abuse is verbal, people who come back from a night out clubbing and tell me stuff like 'go home'. lt's mostly men though." Tom's comments regard ing abuse echo the mindless murder of Keith Swan, but according to the majority of homeless and those at the at the Big Issue, this is just a minority- the majority of people in Norwich are understanding and civilised. But Tom adds that this doesn't make it any easier, and that there is often, a sense of "being invisible" to the many people who walk past. "Sometimes that can feel worse than the occasional abusive comment," he says. About 1,180 people sleep rough in England every night, and while the majority are concentrated in the major cities across the country, Norwich, being the largest city for many miles in East Anglia, gets more than its fair share. Exactly how many sleep rough in Norwich every night can only be estimated; however, during the course of previous year the Big Issue badged up a staggering 200 vendors in an attempt to help them get back on their feet and into regular work and decent accommodation. To some people, though, the street is their life, and night shelters and hostels are neither desired or sought after. Often such accommodation proves more trouble than good, bringing up old problems that led to their homelessness in

Sleeping rough: Stuart's story

the first place. Some oldef rough sleepers are wary of living with younger ones that may be too boisterous or noisy; recovering alcoholics who have kicked the habit but are running one day at a time are understandably reluctant to go back into a hostel where others are drinking.

hy do people in Norwich become homeless? A spokesperson for St Mungo's accommodation offers some explanation. "Homelessness is usually a symptom of a more fundamental problem that rough sleepers have," he explains. " Many are either mentally ill, physically ill, heavy drinkers or drug users. "People who sleep rough usually have had more difficult family backgrounds than most, which may lie at the root of many of these problems. Rough sleepers may find it difficult to sustain close ties with others, and the break-up of a re lationship is the most common trigger for going on the street." Tim, 39, is a Big Issue vendor in Norwich. His story is depressingly fam iliar to the staff at organisations like the Big Issue and St Mungo's. " I lost my bedsit which I was staying in, as the landlord kicked us out 'cos he was getting paid more by the government for accommodating Kosovans when they all came over," he says bitterly. "I also lost my job when the firm I was work;ng for lost a contract for work - what I was working on. lt was a bit of a double wham my so I ended up homeless." lt's a misfortune that will sound eerily familiar to those people on the streets of Norwich, but with the aid of the charities within the city, the night shelters, and the local police, there i s a desire amongst most to rega in the identity once lost. But for people like Tom, getting to the end of another day is achievement enough.

tuart sleeps rough on the streets of Norwich with just his dog Burley for company. The problems started when Stuart, aged 34, lost his job and didn't fall back into employment. Like many homeless people, it was the catalyst tor a chain of events which end up with nowhere to go and help impossible to find. "I was claiming benefits but due to a backlog of claims at social services the rent cheques paid bY council were not paid," he recalls. "I went Into rent arrears and 'had to leave my house. I had no money for a deposit on a house elsewhere so ended up on the streets basically. That was 10 years ago now," he adds. The days blurring into one is a regular occurrence for Stuart, who finds himself doorways in the centre of Norwich. lt is h•d to im~~ine the idea of an average day or any klnd of daily routine, but Stuart does his best to install order into his · life.

He continues: "In an ~ day I wake up, IJQ to the market for a bi~ of brea~fast, then sit down and try to get a bit of money togethe1. On some days I might see a few friends or something. lt keeps going like that really." Like many of Norwich's homeless, abuse is part and parcel of life on the streets for Stuart. lt is something that plays a part in his life and simply needs to be dealt with along with scraping the money together to eat and drink, and finding a place with some warmth. But the abuse can be hard to take. "Yeah definitely I get abuse," Stuart confirms. •Mostly, it's young people shouting at me, but I've been threatened with physical violence. I've been beaten up before too. I don't go to the police though 'cos there's nothing they can do. "My lowest point on street was a few years ago when I was conten)plating suicide, but otherwise now I just get through it."

Ll FESTYLE

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2002

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aroun Did you ever wonder what goes through the minds of women who surround themselves with gay men? Astrid Goldsmith exam ines the phenomenon of fag hags and discovers that there are very many different breeds. t's Friday night and all your girlfriends are busy. Your boyfriend has gone for a lad's night out. But never fear ... help is at hand with this season's must-have accessory. He doesn't have a life, so he's always available when you're bored. He's good looking and well dressed, so he'll look great on your arm when your real boyfriend isn't available. But don't worry! He won 't ever be a threat, because he's so non-sexual he's practically a girl. He talks, walks, laughs and cries just like a real boy, and if you pull the string on his back, your new gay best friend will say: "That shade of red is soooo you, girl."

her gay friends. She helps them do their laundry, cooks for them and pampers them when they are sick. She actively sought out gay men who might need her because it made her feel like an important part of their lives. Then there are those who fall in love with gay men without actually realising their orientation. The most scary type of fag hag must be the 'converters.' Th is last category describes women who believe gay men need to be 'fixed' or mended from their terrible affliction. While they are not openly homophobic, they view homosexuality as just a passing phase. Converters are Project Women, itching to get their hands on misguided young things. They

He won't ever be a threat, because he's so non-sexual he's practically a girl. He talks, walks, laughs and cries just like a rea l boy. GBF fever hit Britain some time last year, when Channel 4's Will and Grace demonstrat ed how perfect the straight woman-gay man match is. But it seems that some women are never happy. Not content with just one GBF, there is a whole breed of woman who search for their own personal army of gay men. The term fag hag is not a pretty one, but some are proud to tout it, particularly, it would seem, on the internet. There are fag hag webrings, fag hag celebrity top tens (yes, Bette Midler is in there), and one website that ends, 'I'm a fag hag! Hear me roar!' According to John Malone, author of Straight Women and Gay Men, there are several categories of fag hag, not to be conf used. There are those who simply enjoy the company of gay men. Then there are women who need to fulfil! the 'mommy' role by mothering needy gay men. One woman interviewed by Malone admitted that she feels the need to look after

G. I. f.

can be spotted a mile off, the ir favourite phrases include: "Such a waste" and "Honey, one night with me, and you'll soon realise what you're missing." The idea of anyone trying to convert you is frightening enough, let alone someone who masquerades as your friend. But even those sickeningly perfect straight woman-gay man friendships (a la Will and Grace) have a slightly patronising undertone. The implication that some men have more to offer women than others simply because they're homosexual is discrimination in the disguise of a compliment. Quite often converters are quite aggressive in trying to find relationships but are more comfortable persuing gay men. In Fag Hags- A Social Analysis (www.angelfire.com), Maria, a self-confessed fag hag, with no interest in converting gay men, sees herself as a mother earth/ Gaeatype figure, with " l ittle gay men hanging off

LIFESTYLE

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2002

her body like jewellery.'' Maria enjoys the safety her friendships with gay men ensure. Whereas the safety factor in fag hag friendships is understandable - it is refreshing for many women to be able to enjoy the company of men without worrying that they're just trying to get into their knickers - the issue of common ground is debatable. Malone argues that the fag hag friendship arises out of 'commonalities.' Not only is this a highly insulting generalisation for gay men (the connotation is that being a gay male is very similar to being female, therefore denying homosexual men their masculinity), it is also inaccurate. Heterosexual males do not have any notable affinity to butch lesbians, yet it could be argued that they have common ground (similar clothing tastes, fancying women, probably the same barbers... the l ist is endless). The phenomenon of the fag hag in the last thirty years speaks volumes about heterosexual gender re lations. The straight woman-straight man platonic friendship is still very rare. Wh at is it about the heterosexual male that pushes certain women to chase gay men- sometimes irrespective of their personality- for friendship and occasionally more? And what has happened to the female best friend? Perhaps they just aren't fashionable anymore. But what happens when the friendship becomes more than that? The numbers of marriages between straight women and gay men are increasing: Malone's statistics suggest that about 20% of gay men have been married at least once. A hundred years ago, this would have been because marriage was the socially acceptable th ing to do (Oscar Wilde anyone?), and the straight wife was usually pretty clueless about the state of affairs. But what excuse do these modern day couples have? Whilst the acceptance of a minority group into a fairly ignorant, prejudiced society is always positive, the form that acceptance takes is sometimes not exactly satisfying. Just

as media clowns like Juli~n Clary are not the most accurate representation of the gay community, so Will and Grace is not the best example of a fag hag friendship. Not all straight woman-gay man friendships are acted out like a non-sexual marriage. Not all fag hags treat their gay male friends as if they were just funny-shaped girls. And not all straight women who happen to have gay male friends deserve the title of fag hag.

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Are you a fag hag? • Do you surround yourself with gay men? • Do you believe that homosexuality is just a passing phase and that all a gay man needs is t he ••right woman"? • Have you ever been married to a gay man? • _Do you refuse to accept that gay men actually have sex? • Do you describe your gay friends as: a) a really good shopper? b) a good listener? c) a chick with a dick? If you answered Yes to any of the above questions then there is just the slightest possibility that you are a fag hag.

My mum's best friend My mum recently caught me in bed with her stunning 45-year-<~ld best friend. She hasn't spoken to me since, and I fear she may cut me out of her will. What should I do? Michael (SOC 2) Lie that it's over, then go over to the friend's house. A bit of older 'ho-ho' is never a bad th ing. Dan (EAS 1) Find out if the best friend has a daughter and shag 'em both. Hasn't he ever seen "The Graduate"? Vita (WAM 3) Go for it. At least if you're cut out of the family trust, you'll still die a happy man. Helen ( EAS 1) He should apologise and grovel to get back in his mum's good books and carry on behind her back. Or, if the best friend is rich, he should just marry her and then who gives a shit about the will? Mohammed (HIS 3) Deny everything and hire a solicitor. Hell, it worked for me. Ketisha (SOC 1) lt depends how good the sex is. You've got to weigh these things up in life. Eleanor (810 2) Mum's got to come first. The friend's going to get wrinkly. Thi nk about it. Rob (MGT 1) The mum should stop stressing and allow her son to live his own li fe. Stu (MGT 1) Maybe it's time to start tagging younger women. But his mum's probably jealous anyway. Greg (HIS 2 ) There are some places you just shouldn't visit in life and this is definitely one of them. I suggest that he apologises profusely to his mum, cuts the woman out of his life and considers joining the priesthood. it's just all wrong. Mark ( ENV 3) Count yourself lucky. lt could have been far worse. She could have offered to join in. George (BIO 2) Big mistake. Stick to your own age. Apologise to your mum and bring a nice young lady home even if it just to get t he money. Katie (WAM 2)

Compiled by Ruth Charnock

The media has cu ltivated an image of gay men as sexless, sa nitised girlie accessories says

Carolyn Sainsbury he Gay Best Friend (GBF) has infiltrated your television and cinema screens. "Revolutionary" sitcoms like Will and Grace, Sex and the City or films such as My Best Friend's Wedding have all adopted close relationships between girls and gay guys for mass market consumption. As a result, fag hags are able to hold their heads up high and parade aound with their latest accessory draped all over them. You cou ld argue that the sudden media spotlight is a positive step for gay awareness. The presence of the now obligatory GBF across our TV screens should mean that Hollywood and popular culture has finally acknowledged the gay community, right? Wrong. Most importantly, the sanitised Daily Mailfriend ly image of the GBF is purely for het erosexual audiences. This kind of friendship between a fema le and a gay male is rare ly seen in gay and lesbian books or fi lms. Another point to make is that the gay man is only accepted when on the arm of a female. A gay man in his own right is rarely accepted in mass media, especially in prime time TV. And, under no circumstances is he allowed to have sex... unless, of course, you're watching gay porn in

which case sex is kind of the point (for a sexless example witness George in My Best Friend's

Wedding). Did you know that Tom from Gimme Gimme Gimme was the first openly gay male character in a British sitcom? And the programme hasn't been around for very long either. Think of how many other gay characters you know of, and chances 3re, there'll be a fag hag around the corner. Despite our supposedly open society, discrimination and homophobia still occur all too often, reinforced in a subtle way by the entertainment industry. Take this for an example. A friend of mine was recently tol d by a doctor that he was too nice to be gay, he was just 'confused' and that all he needed was a nice girlfriend. And while we're on the subject of discrimina· tion ... where have all the lesbians gone? The GBF may be this year's accessory, but I don't see the fag

hags sporting their lesbian best friends. Cosmo may be willing to praise the GBF to high heaven, but lesbians don't even make it to the problem pages. TV's most famous lesbian, Ellen DeGeneres, was cancelled just one series after her character came out. lt was a bold step for American mainstream TV but its failure could be due to two things. One, Am~ricans weren't ready for a lesbian comedy or two, the sitcom wasn't actually very good in the first place. Homophobia versus creative stagnation. You be the judge. The GBF is not allowed a successful, or unsuccessful, relationship. Rarely do you see Will in Will and Grace having a relationship. His boyfriends (lasting only a short wh i le) are talked about yet never seen. In comparison, Grace's relationships are more frequent. The same goes for Tom and Linda. Despite being hideously unattractive (or we cou ld just say hideous), Linda has a sex drive the size of

The sanitised Daily Maj/-friendly image is purely for heterosexual audiences.

America, yet Tom rarely lusts after anything more than an acting job. The problem is that so much focus is placed on the perfection of the GBF for the female that the emphasis on the GBF i s lost. it merely builds up the character of the female companion. He is tru ly just an appendage. If we allowed Tom, or Will, to have a successful relationship, it would take away from Linda, and Grace, and importantly, their relationship with each other. lt is this 'perfect' quality which is so cloying. No one is that perfect, no one (not even ABBA or Kylie Minogue). So, the next time you laugh at Tom and Linda, think about why it took so long for the BBC to create an openly gay comedy character. Next time you watch Will and Grace, consider t hat you are watching a faux-libera l attempt at political correctness and that all you are witnessing is decades of discrimination still being played out on our screens, albeit in a far more subtle way.

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Vicar's Daughter

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was almost pushed upstairs to the parents' bed by a friend who clearly wasn 't that fond of his parents. And so into the bedroom my girlfriend accompanied me. The mind was helpfully lubricated by French lager and after some polite fumbling and kissing, I extract the faded condom from my wallet, wiped the dust off and, well, that was the easy bit. Turning the lights off is the done thing, regardless of how helpful this might be, and so off they went. As it happens I don't remember that much of the actual event, but there were a few occurrences which stick (and that isn't an allusion to any marks on the sheets). I remember wondering when to stop, which, strangely enough, has never been a problem since. Then the next morning, after a few minutes of lying in the happy morning warmth of the double bed, in mock annoyance I turned to her and said, "You corrupted me!" She repl ied, " Well I'm so sorry!" And then, sounding surprised, "That was your first time?" "You couldn't tell?" No, apparently not. That was three years ago. About three years later I woke up next to a pretty first year who looked at me in complete seriousness and said, "Was that your first time?'' Let's jusl say I feel safe in the knowledge that everyone has flaws. Anyway, we're in the parents' bed when the phone rings. Answering it is the last thing on our minds, especially when we are reminded by the answerphone message: "Hello, you are through to the vicarage, I'm sorry we are unable to take your call right now, please leave a message after the tone.'' Simon (SOC 3)

TRAVEL

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• Copenhagen

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Copen ... what? Where's that? lt's the capital of Denmark and before you turn the page there are no polar bears roam· ing the streets, and the country is not covered in a blanket of freezing snow for the better part of the year. Contrary to popular belief it really isn't that cold in Denmark. In fact, the climate is very similar to the English. (Yes, that does include the occasional shower, but plants have to live too.) Go on then ... Situated on the island of Zealand, Copenhagen is fast becoming a very happening place indeed. In recent years cafes, bars, restaurants and I ittle boutiques have sprung up making the choice of where to eat and shop the most difficult dilemma in a happening Copenhagener's life. Last year saw the opening of Fisketorvet, a large shopping mall situated right in the city centre, but if you prefer the fresh air. take a stroll down Strlilget. Here you can find everything from department stores to the inevitable tacky souvenir shop. Furthermore, it is said of Strlllget that it has the most beautiful women in the world accu mulated on the fewest square meters. When your stomach starts to rumble, pop in to one of the many cafes for a quick lunch. If you want to try a traditional Danish lunch, consisting of open face sandwiches with various toppings (the most popular is "sild"- rollmops but with a twist) go to lda Davidsen on Store Kongensgade (that is, if NatWest has increased your overdraft).

Anything else to do besides shopping if I'm a bit short of cash? Yes, there are plenty of sights. If you are into art then visit Statens Museum for Kunst, recently re-opened after extensive remodelling or Lousiana which is north of Copenhagen. The architecture in Copenhagen is very impressive. Scattered around the city are castles, Ama lienborg and Rosenborg, to name but a few, the latter built by Christian IV, the 17th Century king who was quite the Mr Trump of his days building B!llrsen (the stock exchange) and RundetArn - an impressive tower in the city centre with stunning views over the city. Other than bacon and Peter Schmeichel, Denmark seems to be known for the free city called Christiania. Frequently raided by the police due to the inhabitants', shall we say, liberal view on marijuana (but with the main street called Pusher Street who can blame them?) this is high on most tourists' list of attractions. There are legal pleasures to be found in Christiania too though. Go to a concert or visit some of the many cafes and restaurants. Forget about The Little Mermaid. She may be the symbol of Copenhagen but she is a bit overexposed. And unlike other Danish girls, she doesn't know how to have a good time. So the night life is quite good then? Yes, but have some coffee before you hit the clubs though, as they don't close until five in the morning, and sometimes as late/early as nine. If you have money to spend, go to Konrad, which is the place to be seen. A pint of beer will be £5, but then your street cred is guaranteed to be raised considerably. If low key is more your thing visit Nlilrrebro; Copenhagen's answer to Notting Hill. Barcelona is good for food and drinks, and cocktails can be found by the truckload in Mexibar. As you stagger home much later, do the Copenhagen thing, and knock on the backdoor of a bakery to buy freshly baked rolls and pastry. And to nurture your hangover the next morning. find a cafe that serves a good brunch. On Nlilrrebro, Pussy Galore and Sebastopol are safe bets. How do I get to Sweden then? This is supposed to be about Denmark but if you want to visit Sweden you can drive over the new bridge connecting Copenhagen with Malmlil either by car or train. You can get a return flight from Stansted to Copenhagen with Go for around £80. SAS .and British Airways also fly to Copenhagen. For more information on sights and accommodation, visit http://www.woco.dk Britt Juste Dicksee

ne a- escen Peru has far more to offer the avid traveller than just Paddington Bear. Kerrie O'Rourke went on the Inca Trail to find out. r sister's been to Egypt, your brother just got back from Vietnam, and even the snotty kid you used to beat up at school has been to Goa. So where are all the cool kids going travelling this year? The answer, of course; Peru. With its spectacular scenery, unique wildlife and rich culture, you don't get much better than Peru for one of those 'life defining' trips everyone seems to be going on these days. Most people arrive by plane in the capital city of Lima so your best bet is to leave as soon as possible. I headed south along the Panamericana highway that follows the desert coast. A popular destination are the Ballestas Islands, often called the poor man's Galapagos because of the wildlife found there. After a long day 'bird watching' there were a plethora of bars to sit and watch the sun set on the Pacific, sipping the regional drink known as Pisco. If you travel a bit further south you can also see the famous Nazca lines. Best viewed from the air, the Lines are supposed to have many different functions, depending on who you choose to believe. They range from a prelnca calender, a ceremonial walkway to· a landing site for E.T. A night bus from Nazca takes you to the colonial city of Arequipa, overlooked by an active volcano, El Misti. The city has suffered severe earthquake damage over the years, but there are still many beautiful buildings in Arequipa. The churches are well worth a look, if only to see the kitsch sight of Jesus and the Virgin Mary dressed in fluorescent taffeta. The Juanita exhibit was also worth seeing if you're in to the morbid sight of lncan human sacrifices discovered in the mountains, mummified by the cold.

You can't go to Peru without seeing Machu Pichu; the 'Lost City of the lncas'. Many people decide to visit Machu Pichu as the climax of the Inca Trail which involves four days trekking across the Andes. This means no showers, no shops and some very scary toilets. Soaking with sweat during t he day, . and a cool minus ten degrees at night. The foolhardy carry their own packs, but my advice is support the local economy and hire a porter. The highest point takes you four and a half thousand metres above sea level at the appropriately named 'Dead Woman's Pass'. Most people experience altitude sickness. However, in true student traveller style, the local remedy of cocoa leaves (yes, that's what they make cocaine from) either chewed or drunk as a tea is great for taking your mind of things. Just don't try and take any out of the country. If you survive the Trail, you are rewarded with the magnificence of Machu Pichu. lt got very busy in the high season, but watching the sun rise over the city was definitely a spiritual experience (possibly helped by a combination of cocoa leaves and my Enigma mini disc). If you're not all lnca'd out try a tour of the Inca capital of Cuzco. lt's geared up towards tourists, with museums full of gold statues, markets selling stuffed llamas (no, the real ones won't fit in your backpack) and you have to try the roast guinea pig at least once. From Cuzco it's a short flight across the Andes to Puerto Maldonado, the main jungle town. From here you can organise trips into the Amazon basin. Playing 'kill the cockroach' before bedtime is a great way to bond with your fellow travellers whilst staying in the jungle lodges. The wildlife is amazing as well as lots of trees, you can expect to see monkeys, parrots, giant guinea pigs called capybarus and even try your hand at piranha

fishing. The true student traveller can attempt to persuade a local shaman to perform an Ayahuasca ritual. A traditional trance-inducing plant is smoked, followed by much hilarity involving spirit guides and giant snakes. However, the side effects include diarrhoea for about ten hours. Trust me, you have been warned. Peru has loads to offer the intrepid traveller who wants something more out of their holiday. Flights are surprisingly cheap, and most excursions can be arranged through local travel agencies when you get there, although you do need to be able to speak at least some Spanish. So, if you are planning a trip somewhere special soon, then the dancing llamas are waiting for you ... another cup of cocoa tea anyone?

Some useful Spanish phrases if you're ever in Peru ... • Una cerveza, por favor. (I'd like a beer please) • 06nde estan Ios banos? (Where are the toilets?) • Cu~nta cuestan cien gramos? (How much for 100 grammes?) • No gracia, yo preferirra tener sexo con una llama. (No thanks, I'd rather shag a llama)

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INSIGHT

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CoUnting the ·cost: a loca I viewpoint Alister Borthwick is a Managing Partner of Deepdale Farm in Norfolk. Both a farmer and tourist operator, he says he is still feeling the effects of foot and mouth.

Best ·foot forward

Last month , Britain was finally declared free of foot and mouth disease. But what were the fina l costs? Amaris Elliot-Engel found out he war against terrorism dominating world attention may not be over, but one battle, the eleven-month fight against foot-and-mouth disease, has been finally and quietly won here in Britain . At midnight on January 15, the entire country was finally declared free of the foot-a nd-mouth scourge. While only 2,030 actual cases of footand-mouth disease were confirmed during the epidemic, almost 6m livestock animals were slaughtered in order to slow the spread of the disease. But the drastic measure worked; by September 30, no new cases had been reported, and the number of infected animals dropped to zero after a peak of 40 new cases being reported each week. Finally, an additional 5,000 exposed animals were slaughtered in the last four months as a safeguard against more infection in the high risk areas of Cumbria and Powys, mid Wales. An end to the epidemic that first began in February 2001 has arrived, but no one dares to make absolute predictions. "it's very much on the tail end of the disease," says Frank Bowley, an Economist at the National Farmer Union's Press (NFUP) . Without sure scientific proof, Bowley would only hazard a personal guess that the epidemic is "practically over." David Tyson, President of the British Veterinary Association, also hailed Britain reaching the end of the epidemic. "With this disease, we 'll get an odd case popping up, but we're so, so very close," he explains. Foot-and -mouth disease is so infectious that 100% of exposed animals are infected . Named for the raw and exploding blisters that appear around an infected animal 's hooves and tongue , foot-andmouth is usually non fatal but infects so many animals with a debilitating virus that unless the vaccine against it is introduced quickly near the original outbreak, the disease will spread faster than the manpower available to vaccinate .

Slaughter seemed the absolute only solution to win the struggle against the foot-and-mouth epidemic in the United Kingdom . lt required "killing everything as quickly as possible," according to Tyson. Public outcries against the mass slaughter had pushed forward the idea of using vaccines when the disease spread began to slow, but the Government Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRAl stood behind the hope that humans could ki ll out the infection faster than it could spread naturally. Using the vaccine against foot-and-mouth disease when the rate of infection slowed would have only impeded the testing for the disease since imperfect science cannot distinguish between vaccinated and infected animals. But the slaughter of nearly six million ani mals is only the initial cost of footand-mouth disease. According to a report from the government Countryside Agency, over £4 billion has been lost due to the effects of foot-and-mouth on the agriculture and tourism industries. The agriculture industry - most directly hit by the outbreak- has lost a huge £1bn in business interest costs, which does not include the cost of the destroyed animals. The government, additionally, has compensated farmers another £1.1 bn for the cost of the animals destroyed . But few farmers have insurance and further government aid is not forthcoming, thus the other £1bn is not likely to be recovered . Even the ability of Britain 's livestock farmers to begin rebuilding their businesses once foot-andmouth disease is finally eradicated is severely hurt by the sheer number of slaughtered animals. Fifteen percent of Britain 's sheep flock was slaughtered ; 6-7% of both Britain's pig and cattle herds were destroyed too. Restocking the herds to their pre-foot-and-mouth outbreak numbers would only take two years, says Bowley, but " it is arguable that only 50-60% of the herds will be restocked ."

Almost 6m animals were slaughtered at a cost of £1.1 bil lion to the government

A~a~~.a;~~eand

mouth didn 't directly affect us in terms of having livestock slaughtered . However, it completely knocked our diversification projects sideways. The bird reserves were shut, which meant nobody wanted to come and stay at Deepdale Granary. This meant cancelled bookings, and we had to say to these people 'come and stay when you can' ; we were giving free credits to people, quite rightly. That is now an ongoing cost - we are still working through those cancelled bookings. We don't know how much it is going to cost us but it won't be less than £10,000. We 've had a 30% drop in bookings. The consequences to the area are much bigger than anybody first envisaged. There hasn't actually been any foot and

Many farmers will not stay in the industry. The numbers leaving the business is not yet certain , but with some farms facing their entire herds destroyed, Bowley admits an exodus seems likely. Indeed , severe economic hardship spread throughout rural England, with the regions hit hardest with foot-and-mouth already in an agricultural slump prior to the outbreak. All types of farming have collectively suffered a 13% loss in business according to BBC figures. The county of Cumbria alone has lost 15,000 to 20,000 jobs, or 9% of its total employment.

he tourism industry has suffered even greater losses. There has been a 10% reduction in international tourists, and between 20,000 and 30,000 jobs have been affected by the decrease of tourists. A staggering figure of between £2 and £3bn was lost in 2001. However, an economic turnaround does seem possible now that the disease eradicated although the optimism spurred by the re-opening of the meat markets in England and Wales has not obliterated the fear that re-infection on a large scale could happen again . Even with the disease finally and completely destroyed within the United Kingdom and the tight surveillance of non-infected animals, the best domestic precautions against the disease might be thwarted . The origin of the current foot-and-mouth infection is not known, but appears to be an Asian strain of the virus, according to Bowley. And the Farmer's Union has recently published a scathing report concluding that the failure to

mouth in Norfolk as such , so the effects in that sense have been remarkably little. However, many have been indirectly affected all the pubs and shops around here. If people aren't staying with us, they're not spending money in the local garage, or the local shop. Arable farming has been losing money anyway in recent years, so everyone was saying 'you must diversify' . But those of us who have diversified have now caught a cold. lt has caused considerable angst. The problem that I see as a farmer and a tourist operator is that the government are still doing nothing about the illegal importing of meat, so there 's a very significant chance of reinfection . Nothing has been done since the last outbreak to prevent infection. Unless there are fundamental changes made, there is no reason at all why it shouldn't re-occur. lt could easi ly all happen again. "

police illegal meat imports left Britain to highly vulnerable to infection . With 60% of the world having had occurrences of foot-and-mouth, farmers are only too aware that a foreign source of re-infection is possible . lt seems the terror of germs is as hard to defeat as the real thing.

...

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2002

a ens

The Testino exhibition has been a financial success at the Nation Portrait Gallery yet attracted criticism over its artistic merit. Adam Chapman examines whether fashion photography has any place in galleries and what the designers get out of it. he National Portrait Gallery must be rubbing their hands in glee at the financial success of their exhibition of the work of Peruvian photographer Mario Testino. Touted in a recent BBC documentary as "Diana's favourite photographer" there is little doubt that even if you haven't heard of the man himself you will have seen one of his photos. From the time when Diana got fed up of looking like an extra in Dynasty to the cover of Madonna's Ray of Light album, Testino has joined a number of celebrity photographers in fervidly courting the art world. What should not be forgotten, however, in these money-driven times is the critical response to the NPG 's decision to host the exhibition. Sponsored by fashion house Burberry, the show has money coming out of every orifice. But some critics have felt the need to ask whether this is actually enough . Observer arts journalist Rachel Cooke dismisses the exhibition as style over substance: "They don 't tell us anything new, about the world or our place in it. At best they catalogue, Cecil Beaten-style, an era, a greedy them-and-us age when the cult of the celebrity and the dominion of the brand name are all. At worst they merely massage egos and set tills ringing," she says. The nature of fashion photography that Cooke highlights adds fuel to the claims that the gallery has forsaken artistic integrity for mass appeal. This is an interesting point considering the NPG's rules

about permanent exhibits, stating that not only should they be of high artistic value but that the subjects should be of sufficient national stature. The treatment of the exhibition on a financial and artistic level has forced many to ask whether we are witnessing a greater trend which has seen a gradual acceptance of fashion photography into modern art; what writer Julian Stallabrass has termed "Brit Art Lite" . Testino is not alone . The past few years has seen London playing host to high-profile photographers like Wolfgang Tillmans (Dazed and Confused) and Steven Meisel (Versace) at some of London 's trendier artistic haunts. Indeed, the launch of Meisel's exhibition (a collection of his latest campaign for Versace) at White Cube 2 in Hoxton attracted the likes of Liz Hurley, Kate Hudson, Stella McCartney and Donatella Versace. Stallabrass bel ieves that the celebrity the fashion world cultivates is one aspect of the art world that has

hitherto been lacking. "British visual art has always been the poor relation of music and literature, certainly in terms of public funding, and was even more disadvantaged when considered against the money and celebrity generated by the pop and fashion industries," he says. The likes of Testino, Meisel , Rankin and Tillmans have been embraced by certain sections of the art world because they bring with them a much sought after sense of celebrity. Galleries are willing to exhibit their work because they are virtually guaranteed to present the public with something familiar (especially in the case of Testino), unchallenging and glossy. This works both ways, though. The galleries gain style and paying visitors flock there, interested in watching inoffensive pretty people. At the same time, the fashion houses manage to achieve a level of credibility and exposure that exceeds the confines of a magazine campa ign . There is a certain cache about having an "artist"

Fashion houses manage to achieve a level of credibility that exceeds the confines of a magazine ea m pa ign. There is a certain cache having an "artist" shooting your collection.

shoot your Spring/Summer collection rather than just a mere photographer. The Meisel exhibition at White Cube was arguably more worthy than the Testino exhibit, working on at least one other level than merely presenting attractive models in familiar poses. The exhibited photos showed Versace-clad models presented as Beverly Hills women of wealth, languidly enjoying the kitsch splendour of their surroundings. The two models, Amber Valetta and Georgina Grenville, were virtually portrayed as the same woman , bringing in to question the idea of bought wealth and beauty and its worth, which was an interesting theme considering the sumptuous celebrity guest list. Donatella Versace 's support of Meisel would seem to suggest that the fashion house were very keen to garner an extra si ice of credibility hitherto unavailable to them in the empty-headed world of fashion . At the time, the Hoxton gallery was just what she wanted. What the Testino exhibition represents, however, is the equivalent of leafing through a fashion magazine in a doctor's surgery. Something glossy and immediate but within the exclusive confines of an art exhibition. Additionally it attracts the paying man on the street into a gallery without the need to analyse or question what he is looking at. Testino's photographs offer the spectator an airbrushed image of celebrity. lt is uncomplicated and immediate and requires little or no brain activity and is, therefore, easily digestible. That modern art has been seen to accept the fashion world has been blamed , in part, on a

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Concrete WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2002

THE CELEBRITY: Kyl ie· Minogue

op Idol, and need we forget her role as Charleene in Neighbours, Kylie Minogue has graced our screens, and most recently every magazine and tabloid in the country, for over fifteen years. We cannot and should not forget Kylie's frizzy hair, ripped jeans, blazers and some tight but dreadful dresses that attracted the likes of Donovan, Hutchence and Kravitz in the 80's and 90's. However, it was not until 2000 that Kylie made her comeback as the new queen of pop, a new song and again a new look. But this time it was different and thanks to a handy pair of gold hot pants and the most revealing collection of tops and dresses possible Kylie even had your dad gasping for more. Kylie is the first to admit that she does owe a lot

of her fame to her collection of clothes as well as her pert bottom. Only recently at the Brits we saw her wearing a white basque dress and silver knickers as she was elevated on stage by a huge compact disc branding her name. Thigh high silver boots completed the look that screamed 80's revival, space cadet and sex goddess. So sexy in fact that the camera man couldn't keep his large lens away from her silver bottom. Kylie is undoubtedly a style icon and has inspired the likes of D&G and Versace to make hotpants galore for their Spring/Summer collections. Hardly an expensive trend to follow, basically get your kit off and find those old sports knickers you dreaded wearing at school. Come on, you knew they would come in Kat Realff handy one day. Thanks Kylie.

Other page: (left) Madonna as photographed by Mario Testino (right). Above: Vetsace photographer Steven Meise/'s exhibition at White Cube2.

What the Testino exhibition represents, however, is the equivalent of leafing through a fashion magazine in a doctor's surgery. Thatcherite obsession with commercialisation and profit, culminating in Blair's dogged attempt to embrace the concept of "Cool Britannia" by courting any celebrities who were worth their weight in newspaper column inches. lt is no wonder, then, that fashion photography has managed to worm its way into galleries. High art lite took the mass media as its arena, in part as a response to the recession that forced the art market into retreat. While the likes of Charles Saatchi lost money on established collections in the early 90s, he became a key player in investing his money in new art from young British artists. lt comes as no surprise, therefore, that buyers and galleries have embraced photographers with a mass appeal. Big names bring with them big backers and, in the end, big money. When galleries play host to the latest photo of Liz Hurley as art or give fuel to Madonna's desperate attempts at reinvention one can't help but feel that they are buying into the ethos that has made Heat magazi:1e so popular. At least Warhol had the right idea in attempting to show up or reinterpret popular culture with his celebrity screen prints. While the same questions as to what constituted art were being asked about pop art forty-odd years ago, at least they had some· thing to say, some substance on which to lay their foundations. lt has been argued that pop art's "reactionary" stance was evident in its failure to reveal critical detachment towards mass media imagery. Fashion photography, and the Testino exhibit in particular, goes much further by revealing little or no detachment at all, hence the complete lack of any substance. As a result, it is very difficult to find any depth whatsoever in what the galleries are peddling as the next movement in Brit art. Is this the sign of things to come? Are more and more galleries going to play

host to up and coming fashion photographers? With the blurring of popular culture and nigh art eve~ more prevalent in British society that would seem entirely possible. lt is a side effect of our obsession with post-modern culture. Eric Homberger, lecturer of photography at UEA, believes that the distinction between high and low art was probably bogus in the first place. "The closer you look at 'high culture' and 'low culture' the more you realize how little that trope tells you about how complex cultures actually work, or how all those variables can be interpreted," he says. Homberger goes on to defend some fashion photography as art. "If you look at the early work of American photographers like Diane Arbus or Rich.ard Avedon, you see fascinating examples of the relationship of fashion photography to whatever we call serious photography. Both earned their professional standing as fashion photographers, and later claimed a freedom to do stuff which was the opposite of fashion work. But some of the great masters, like Alfred Stieglitz, scorned fashion, and had an idea that commerce corrupted a photographer's integrity." Acclaimed photographer Gavin Turk believes that the problem with the art world's acceptance of photographers like Testino lies in the current nature of the industry. "I think art has a very difficult job at the moment because it has become aligned with the entertainment industry. As entertainment, art isn't particularly entertaining," he says. So, despite the rocketing poster sales at the National Portrait Gallery it is this uneasy relationship between art and entertainment that may prove to be the final barrier to fashion photography ever being allowed the tag 'high art'. lt may never gain the credibility it so obviously craves.

FAUX-PAS: Sh iny dresses

hilst I'm all for a departure from anything customised, distressed or inspired by peasant chic and welcome with open arms the return of the perfect little dress, this little number from Michael Kors would have the fashion police pulling up and bundling you into a car the moment you stepped out. Kors made a rather puuling decision in choosing to go with bronze, gold and silver for this design, a mistake that makes comparisons with Bacofoil somewhat inevitable. There are certain trends that are so gloriously tacky that the wearer,' if they have the panache to pull it off, looks all-knowing and fun. Think Jennifer Lopez overloaded with gold jewellery or anything worn by the Sex in the City quartet (this week: Day-Gio underwear!). Shiny dresses however, do not come under this rule. They flatter no one, leave you no room to accessorise, have a worrying tendency to rustle when you walk, and will only succeed in dauling people in the "I can't see" sense of the word. High glamour is welcome back anytime, and a striking little dress should tell the world (or the LCR) that you're gorgeous, maybe a little high maintenance, but totally worth the fuss. Whilst I acknowledge that all those ideas were behind this little number, Kors has veered off the fashion path in a big way. Shiny dresses are usually seen on ageing peroxide blondes screaming at their embarrassed boyfriends on the Pri nee of Wales Road at three in the morning on a Saturday, rather than adorning the bodies of anyone with a pinch of fashion sense. Glitter is fabulous, shiny is scary: let that be your mantra. Jo Robin

Wrong in so many ways Shiny dresses will only succeed in dazzling people in the "I can't see" sense of the word.

•

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• • •

u (f) 0 0 ~

Celebrity Pisces Kristin Davies

•

Leo

Hold your horses, it's not quite spring yet. I've seen you Leos sitting on the steps outside Union House pretending it's summer. Complete with plast iccupped lager and ice cream. Well, it's not summer, it is still winter, it was snowing just fou r days ago. Your chart shows that you're willing to make the best of a bad situa tion but this is just ridiculous. Instead use your optimism for more frui t ful tasks l ike making a friend, and don' t wear shorts ever.

•

Yeah , yeah, yeah, we heard you; it's you r birthday soon. If you keep going on then the on ly present you'll be on the receiving end of is a smacked bottom. What 's got into you this fortnight? You're bending the ea r of pract ica lly anyone who' l l listen. An un usual alignment between the Sun and Venus forces you into submission early next week so yo u might find yo u're physica lly unable to open your big mouth. But don't worry it'll wear off when the moon moves in to Cancer this summer. This is especially unfortunate given that it's the party season fo r you guys, so no birthday kisses, I'm afraid . However, try to look on the bright side, your financial situation will improve slightly this month, freeing up valuable partying assets. I would advise yo u to invest it wise ly, bu t vodka-specs will ensure you blow the whole lot at the LCR . Or Ikon.

(f)

Pisces

The next few weeks are all about Pl uto , but you owe to it to yourself to put in 100% as well. The planet with the egg-shaped orbit will determine Just how efficient your next fortnight will be, but if you can't be asked to get out of bed then there 's no hope anyway. The next f1ve days more than most must see a proactive, get-up-andgo attitude that could result 1n actua ll y ticking off everything you need to do . Otherwise, just stay in bed and masturbate.

At last you've got some time to concentrate on yourself. After a good few weeks of petty squabbling you 'll finally see through the madness and emerge from the other side a happier bunny. Love is looking more like rampant lust this fortnight , so JUSt tread carefu ll y when dea ling with potential part ners. Mercury wi ll provide you with superhuman strength, especia ll y in the thigh area, so working on your ku ng-fu grip would be beneficial . Not for them, mind.

,m\ Libra

(I.e-.... ."scorp1o.

Being one of the oldest among your fnends can have its high points the ability to buy alchol some time before your peers being one of them. However, as the Moon becomes full on the 27th, and another month crawls into view, it merely highlights another set of birthdays to drain your time , energy and resources. The plan? Cut your losses, ditch your friends and go into hiding. Mention the word 'dissertation ' if anyone enq uires. it usually works.

If you make sensible decisions for the next few days, you might be looking at a sol id fortnight of outstanding sex. More likely, given Uranus' tendency to drift, you'll end up frustrated , but such planetary movement can work out to your advantage. Your best hope lies in eye-contact - your desires and willingness to experiment will shine through and people will fall at your feet . Either that or slap yo u one for sta ring at them. Oh well.

Virgo

Aries

T.l_T

Concrete WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2002

f'J1 Taurus

, .

La la la la la .. . dynamic ti me... la la la la... big changes . lt doesn't mat te r how I say it, you're not going to listen to me are you? I've tried wa rn ing you before about venereal outbreaks and yo u ignored me then too. So I 'predict' you'll win a big cas h prize, f ind the love of your life, use the lucky number 6 and see your future in a mirror. No, really, I do. There, was t hat vague enough for you? Maybe yo u'll believe me in the future. That'll teach you.

You're brim-full of impa ti ence thi s f ortnight, as something or someone sees you gett ing you r knickers in a twist. Luckily for you I've been consu lti ng my crystal ball on your beha lf and I saw some crystal , funni ly enough. I also saw a big, black chasm. I cou ldn't be 100% sure but I think it's what we in the biz call 'the abyss'. This is not good. I might as we ll have seen a huge black skull or something. Just make the most of it, okay, and be careful.

-J)

Sagittarius

Confusion re1gns in your mind as usual, but for the followi ng fortnight , it is stronger than ever. Simple decisions such as what to drink or what colour pants to wear will leave you scratching your head and reac hing for a towel to mop your brow. However, Jupiter and Saturn may consp ire to give you a way ou t of your mess, and everything will become clear. Fail ing th at , make it an Archers Cranberry and go co mmando.

Gemini

Capricorn

it's crucial that you draw a big, red line between business and pleasure in the next fo rt night. Mars is coming into play and illicit thoughts about handcuffs, maple syrup and your seminar buddies could get you in a lot of trouble. Better to get rid of your frustrations in th e comfort of yo ur own room, perhaps using the Internet . Remember, if in doubt, keep your mouth shut and pret end yo u didn't do the reading . it 's bette r than getting a letter from the Dean .

Cancer

Hmmm , you've improve d a lot on yo ur recent madness, but I'm afrai d Sa turn in you r sign means there's a lot more work to be done. it 's all very well getting over something, but I have my suspicions that you've been ly ing. Make sure you're kept busy this week , or your head might just implode . Switch your mobile off and don't watch the phone. The stars predict that staring manically at it will not make he/she call. You might thin k it wi ll but trust me ... it won 't.

1l\ Aquarius ~t So Valentine 's Day has come and gone for another year and still you remain cold. Don 't worry. This fortn ight is perfect for action, and action that requires ba ll s. Go and speak to the special person in your life, explain the situation in a sensible, adult way and then sit back to reap the rewards. If, as Venus suggests, they 're well up for it, you'll be laughing. If not though , pour you rself a drink, kick off your shoes, sit back and enjoy some porn.

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LETTERS

Concrete WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2002

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CONCRETE

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR PO Box 410 · Norwich Fax 0 1603 506822

NR4 7TB

Tel 01 603 250558 E-mai l su .concrete@uea.ac.uk

Issue 136 Editor Adam Chapman

Cheers then ... I am responding to the amount of bad press the Cheerlead1ng Soc1ety has been getting recently. A combination of misinformation, sp1te, and the inclusion of thmgs which are clearly unnecessary, have all contributed to a damning portrayal of our society which is totally unfair. Previously we have hardly been ment1oned m Concrete at all, despite successful fundra1sers, performances and our cheering for un1vers1ty games. it's a shame that when you do decide to feature us, all you do is remforce a stereotype of us all as shallow, unintell1gent, and mtent on popularity wh1ch IS not the case at all. The cheerlead1ng society was started as a positive thing, to help students make new friends and to promote campus sp1r1t by supporting the University and 1ts sports teams. For our members it has been JUSt that. We have all made new friends, we all enJOY dancmg and cheering for the Un1vers1ty, and we all endure freez1ng cold weather on Sunday mornings to support University teams. I 'm extremely saddened that the University has turned its back on us like th1s, wh1ch 1s what, in effect, the Concrete articles have done. In the case of the coverage of our plans for a prom k1ng/queen compet1t1on, the aforementioned art1cles have Influenced the Un1on before we can even have our say. To clear up a few matters, I guess I'll start with the prom king/queen contest we were planning. This was originally intended for June, but when we went to speak to ENT's about it, they thought 1t was a good 1dea and pushed it forward to February due to a space in the1r event schedule. This put us out a b1t as we had a lot to plan and not enough t1me to do 1t, so ENT's sa1d they would handle it and we could just contribute 1deas. We thought a prom king/queen contest was m keepmg with the cheerleading society, cheerleadmg being an Amencan th1ng, and prom kmgs/queens bemg an important part of every American prom . lt IS a popular~ty contest as such, but then vot1ng for Union off1cers could also be Interpreted th1s way. lt was not Intended as a looksbased contest, the idea of a photo was just so that people knew whom they were voting for, and it would have been accompanied with reasons why they should be voted. Aga1n, this 1s much l1ke the votmg currently bemg held for Union officers, with people being voted not JUSt for how many people they knew, but for what they had done for the Un1vers1ty as well. lt was intended as a bit of fun for the whole univerSity to take part in, and as we would have organised 1t, no cheerleader would have been allowed to enter. Maybe we didn't make any of th1s clear, but we were still plannmg it when the article m Concrete came out, and we were a bit shocked 1t was even in there as we had not fully planned it and did not know that the Union was having problems with our idea. We now know that a rough copy of the contest rules were be1ng Circulated as our actual proposal. I know from personal experience that people were very angry about the competition, and had many extremely annoyed people approach me in the LCR w1th the1r (not very pos1tive) thoughts on the idea. What Concrete needs to understand is that everyone reads your paper, and if you get something wrong, 1t's diff1cult to take it back. People, in general, w1ll take the wr~tten word as truth, and as we have no other means to counteract your claims, Concrete's opm1ons on us will stick. This IS very unfa1r on us, as we have to take enough criticism from people as 1t 1s, and I am saddened to see Concrete giving our criticisers extra ammunition. The mclus1on in the Valentine's issue of a sp1teful entry into your sex survey, claiming to be from one of the cheerleaders 1s an example of th1s. Considering 1t was an anonymous survey, and that no other name/person/soc1ety was mentioned, where was the need m Including what was obviously a very bad JOke? I'm not going to go into what it says, but 1t's not very n1ce. Even if it was meant as a JOke, it IS very damaging to the girls on the squad. Normally I'd have a sense of humour about these things, but frankly it crosses the line. Suggesting anyone is a prostitute IS JUst not funny. I know someone who probably doesn't like us made this up, but by including it you are encouraging t hem. There was no need for that to be included, other than to poke fun at our society and all that we have worked for. Cheerleading has taken up a lot of all our t ime. I have worked very hard to get us up and ru nning, and all the girl s have worked very hard to get us where

we are now. We tra1n three t1mes a week and g1ve up our time and Sunday mornmgs to cheer University sports. Upcoming plans include charity and volunteer work. We are all very dedicated and I have so much respect for the g1rls for consistently st1ckmg by the society despite public opinion. If our society really did live up to the way it IS portrayed, then I would not be in 1t. I am not saying th1s is entirely your fault as the general reception of us from University students has been pretty bad. I've lost count of the amount of t1mes I've heard '!-king cheerleaders' muttered when I'm trying to have a good n1ght out at the LCR. The cheerleaders don't deserve the reputat1on they have. As those who know us will testify, we are all nice g1rls who genuinely mean well. We may pull at the LCR like anyone else on campus, but our reputation as promiscuous is entirely unfounded. Most of the girls have steady boyfriends and those who don't do not sleep around. Why should things l1ke this matter anyway? We're just a society and our private lives are personal and should not be used agamst us. No one seems to be mterested in the private lives of the members of any other society, so why IS ours the exception? The whole matter has been extremely sp1teful and I am very angry. By misrepresenting our society and st1ckmg my photo on 1t every t1me, you 're mak1ng the whole thmg a personal attack on me. We all have to deal w1th whatever mud you dec1de to sl1ng. This is not JOUrnalism, 1t IS bully1ng. You are us1ng your position to influence op1nion aga1nst people, which is not what a student newspaper is about. I would expect more; impartiality in particular, from the paper voted the student newspaper of the year. If this is the k1nd of coverage we are gomg to receive from Concrete, perhaps 1t IS best 1! we are not 1n it at all, 1t has done more harm than good. Alexandra Sim-Wise President of the Cheerleading Soc iety

America response The recent pro-Yank and anti-Yank letters to Concrete, while a necessary aspect of the healthy social debate the West occupies its t1me w1th, both revealed an irrational emotional react1on on the part of the wr~ters, such that their arguments were unhelpful and ne1ther one IS likely to conv1nce the other (or anyone else, for that matter) of the validity of their point of v1ew. Problems in any part of the world will only be solved when we dispense with using our national borders as dividing lines m people's ideologies, mtegrity and i ntell1gence. Regard1ng the Afghan conflict, the argument 1s Simply whether you bel1eve a continuat1on of v1olence, aggress1on and "just1ce"-seek1ng will defeat the terrorist threat, or that there are other methods to be explored that do not carry such a great cost in human life. The contmu1ng deaths of thousands should not be used as an excuse to get one up on people who happen to have been born 1n a different country to you. We're all human, and it is our very nature, trag1cally flawed as 1t IS, that must be overcome. Seb Manley (ARTSl )

Caffeine headache I would like to thank UEA cater~ng for persuading me to rediscover the JOYS of makmg my own sandWIChes and bringmg them in everyday. I have calculated that th1s has not only allowed me to eat a much tast1er lunch, but has also savect me around £25.00/month. Further I would iike to congratulate UEA cater~ng for choos1ng to install a fine Swiss coffee-making machine. I have been mtrigued that m the Bowl there is a choice of coffee machme available, one more expensive and very dr~nkable, the other a l1ttle cheaper that dispenses a drink that looks a b1t like coffee but is not 1n any other way, that I can determine, re lated. The staff on the tills have been adept at knowing which price to charge the customer based on the style of the coffee cup. Recently, perhaps in an economy dr1ve, the unique cup strategy has broken down, and now there is only one type of paper cup. I asked a g1rl on the checkout "how can you te ll which price to charge?" " Ah," she confided

"you can tell by lookmg at the surface of the coffee." Today, I was again surprised to see a new style of paper cup emblazoned w1th the bold statement 'the bean that really counts' set aga1nst a fetching yellow-golden background. When I poured myself a cup of coffee, I discovered that 1t was too hot for me to comfortably hold. I brought th1s to the attention of the woman serving who suggested I make use of the padded paper collar that is supplied for JUSt such an eventuality. I took another cup and put my coffee ms1de 1t to double up, a strategy that seems more intuitive. I was informed that provided these new cups cont1nued to be available that they would become the new standard as they were 'better for the environment'. I am thr~lled to discover that so much attention is lavished on the subJect of disposable coffee cups, which no doubt provides work for a bewy of catering management and is the subJect of heated (sic) debate. However I would l1ke to pose the question, 'if 1t is necessary to use two cups Instead of one, is the new cup really more environmentally friendly?' it seems to me that the prerequ1s1te of a good disposable cup 1s that 1t should a) hold the correct amount of coffee, and b) should be capable of d01ng so without burnmg my hand. In the expectation that th1s subJect is deemed too tr1v1al to elic1t a response, or 1f one IS forthcommg 1t w1ll be delivered m the spmt of management double-speak that UEA cater1ng IS famous for, I look forward to bringing my own coffee in from Asda (99p per 250g) and a small coffee maker. On a rough calculation, an added saving of another £11.00/month. Peter Merrick (SYS PG)

The Event Editor Markland Stark1e Deputy Editors W1ll Halsey & Kat1e Hmd Assistant News Editor Liz Hutchmson Chief News Reporter Rebecca Lawrence Fashion Editor Kat Realff Sports Editors M1ke Milner & Alex Thorpe Picture Editor Ed Webb-lngall

DTP Cathenne Preston Proof Reader Anna Savage Advertising Manager Elm Jones

Corrections • We reported in last issue that Nightline were an adv1ce service. They are in fact a listen1ng service. We apologise for any confus1on .

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SCORECARD

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din g Holt

RESULTS FOOTBALL

Norfolk Junior Cup, semi final : Hol t United 3, UEA 0. Norfolk Primary Cup, semi final : UEA Reserves , Denmark Rangers . BUSA Leagues: Mens I 0, Loughborough I I ; DMU (Beds) 11 3, Mens 11 3; Mens Ill 0, Northampton IV 2; DMU (Lelcs) I. Womens I 17. Men's Midlands-lA FINAL PWDLFAPts Lough borough ID 9 I 0 22 I 0 27 Nott1ngham ID 6 I 2 27 11 20* Worcester ID 4 0 5 15 21 12* DMU (Bedsl 10 3 2 5 23 22 11 Oxford 10 3 2 5 17 26 11 UEA 10 1 1 8 8 2 11 1 Three pomts deducted. • - Includes void fixture.

No Carrow Road return after Blues crash away from home FooTBALL: ALEX THORPE Sports Editor

UEA's footballers' season came to a sudden end after they lost to local side Holt United in the Norfolk Junior Cup semi final. Favourites competition weekend, UEA against the dispatched at last season .

to win the before the were humbled team they the first stage

lt was a sign of the way the Blues' season has gone. Hit by injuries, they couldn 't f ight back into contention after conceding the early goal. As Halt pushed forward , the lack of the injured Gavin Reed showed as UEA fell behind . Stuart Herd swung a corner into the middle of the goal and Roy Ta il rose unmarked to head home. Will Alien had save sharply from Rob Webdale , then Gary Joynes cleared off the line from another Tait header. But Alien could do nothing about the second Halt goal as Herd connected a full-blooded

Halt United 3 UEA 0

left-foot volley that stung into the far corner of the net. As the half drew to a close, captain Paul Jarrett looked to have won a penalty as he was brought down from beh ind by Steve Jordan , only for the referee to award a corner. Holt, rocking at the end of the first half, were again slower out of the dressing room and Jarrett and Jack Cullis both had long-range efforts sail wide. Jarrett also had U EA's best chance of the game as he found a yard of space and f ired a hard shot that forced a good save from Fabian Denny. But the game was killed off in the 72nd minute as Holt scored a third goal. A hospital ball from Roger Edmonds was collected by Kevin Moore whose cross missed everyone on the way to Paul Winterbourne. As the defence turned to face , the ball was re-centred and Herd slotted into an open goal for his brace . That was the difference between the two sides: Holt turned half-chances into goals, while UEA turned chances in to half-chances.

Men's Midlands Trophy-28 FINAL PWDLFAPts Loughboro ' Ill ID 9 0 I 29 12 27 DMU (Beds) 11 ID 6 2 2 31 21 20 UEA 11 10 4 3 3 26 15 12 1 Leocester 11 10 2 4 4 15 23 10 DMU (Le1cs) 11 10 2 2 6 12 30 8 Cambndge 11 ID D 2 8 9 21 2 1 Three pomts deducted. Women's Midlands-lA FINAL PWDLFAPts Coventry 5 4 I 0 29 9 13 Loughboro 11 5 4 0 I 22 4 12 LHU (Line) 5 3 I I 24 8 10 UEA 5 2 0 3 23 13 6 Derby 5 I 0 4 14 18 0 1 DMU (Le1c) 5 D D 5 2 62 0 I Three po1nts deducted. Rogers & Norton Business Houses League, Division 1: UEA 5, Taverham 0. Division One PWD LFAPts UEA 12 11 0 1 51 11 33 Eartham 11 10 0 I 51 16 30 Easton 15 8 2 5 30 28 26 Saxon Eng 13 8 I 4 42 25 25 Drayton 12 5 I 6 34 37 16 Sp1xworth 13 3 2 7 25 39 11 Taverham 12 2 3 7 23 35 9 Wensum Alb 12 3 2 7 17 47 6* St Andrews A 15 I I 13 16 52 4 • - FIVe po1nts deducted Division 2: UEA Reserves 4, Norwich Unoon A 2.

UEA were overpowered by their local opponents

Last gasp UEA Champions seal through to final Blues' relegation FooTBALL:

UEA Res 2 Denmark Rgrs 0 aet

JON CARTER

UEA Reserves went through to the final of the Norfolk Primary Cup as two goals late into extra time saw them beat Denmark Rangers at Colney Lane. A rather tame match in normal time had seen similar chances for both teams, Adam Reynold s and Mark Champ were unable to capita li se on good work in midfield from John Green, whi le the outstanding Duncan Hedges kept the visitors' attacker at bay.

UEA Reserves ' final will make up for the first Xl's failure

Bad organisa ti on saw UEA unable to substitute the injured Mark Champ, but he stoically continued and nearly put Reynolds through with a clever nick. Further chances fell to Steve Rainer and John Fish before half-time. The second half saw a shaky start for the UEA defence with keeper Tridwell tested twice in as many minutes. However, UEA hit back with a good spell of pressure and Matt Parker came close to a goal after a scramble in the box. A game that swung back and forth saw Denmark hit the bar soon after and Fish returning the favour from a free-kick near the end of normal time. Extra time was called and with the threat of a replay. Denmark poured forward and should have been ahead twice early on. Good work down the left by Reynolds saw UEA's best chance of the first period, but there was no finishing touch. The final 10 minutes saw the game liven up as tempers nared. Three minutes from a replay. John Green poked home a scrambled corner and UEA into the Final. With Denmark desperate to equalise, Reynolds was able to break and feed Fish to score easily in the final seconds.

lt was unfortunate that the UEA's last game of the BUSA season was at home to Loughborough, the repeat champions of Midlands-lA, writes A/ex Thorpe.

Already relegated before the tie, the UEA played for pride to a standard that had the visitors rattled, even though the result was never in doubt. For the whole first half hour, Loughborough played like the side that had already clinched the title - confident, but w1thout urgency. On four separate occasions they came close to break1ng the deadlock within half an hour, but two good saves from John Ward and two')loor m1sses kept UEA 1n the game. The game swung tn favour of the Blues when they were awarded an tndtrect free k1ck on the edge of the box. Graeme Byrne teed up for Terry Swann, but he saw his shot fade JUSt outs1de the left hand post. Th1s sparked the UEA into 30 mtnutes of sustamed pressure spannmg half t1me. A defenstve m1x up allowed Paul Jarrett a chance to g1ve UEA a shock lead, but Norwichbern goalkeeper Ross McNeally recovered we 11 to save. Both Stuart Jenk1nson and

Byrne had half-chances, but Mc Neally thwarted their attempts with brave saves. The game swung back to Loughborough with the introd uction of sub Abe O'Thomas. The replacement striker scored w1th his first tou ch after a Violet cross was poorl y cleared. Ward was called into act10n again in the remainder of the game to prevent the game turning into a rout, but UEA's all too brief stay in BUSA-lA petered out.

Division Two PWDLFAPts Denmark Rgrs I 0 9 I 0 42 7 28 Red Roofs 14 8 2 4 43 30 26 Cottage Rgrs 14 7 3 4 42 32 24 Btofoeld Utd A 15 6 I 8 33 47 19 FC Denmark 12 5 0 7 33 47 15 UEA Reserves 8 6 1 1 28 8 14* Yelverton 11 4 2 5 32 30 14 Nch Un1on A 14 4 2 8 32 36 14 Jarrolds 12 4 2 6 33 39 14 Jub1lee 13 4 2 7 28 34 14 Tuddenham 13 2 2 9 13 49 8 F1ve pomts deducted HOCKEY BUSA Leagues: Derby I 3, Mens I 2; Mens 11 3, Nottmgham 11 2; Mens Ill 0, Loughborough Ill 4; Womens I 7, Le1cester I I: Womens 11 22, Derby 11 0.

Men's Midtands-2A FINAL PWDLFAPts Le1cester 6 5 I 0 26 6 16 Derby 6 5 0 I 30 ID 15 UEA 6 4 I I 23 6 13 Northampton 6 2 0 3 15 11 6* DMU (Lelc) 6 2 0 4 4 28 6 LHU (lone) 6 1 0 5 6 27 0 BCFTCS 6 0 0 5 3 19 -3 1 ' 1 Three pomts deducted. • - Includes vo1d f1xture.

Women's Midlands-lA FINAL PWDLFAPts UEA I 10 8 1 1 27 8 25 Staff (Stoke) ID 6 2 2 29 17 20 Warwick ID 6 0 4 35 13 18 Worcester ID 5 2 3 20 12 14 1 Nott Trent I 0 2 0 B 7 33 6 Leocester 10 0 I 9 2 37 -52 1 Three po1nts deducted. z - S1x pomts deducted. Women 's Midlands Trophy-2A FINAL PWDLFAPts UEA 11 8 6 1 1 41 7 19 Nott Trent 11 8 5 I 2 58 7 16 Ox Brookes 11 8 6 0 2 33 9 181 Northampton I I 8 2 0 6 4 46 Q2 Derby I I 8 0 0 8 2 69 -62 1 - Three pomts deducted z - S1x pomts deducted RUGBY BUSA Leagues: Leicester I 28, Mens I 3; Mens 11 w/o. Wolverhampton 11 scr; B~rmongham w/o, Womens I scr. Norfolk Junior Plate, semi-final: UEA 3, Hott 49.

BADMINTON

BUSA Leagues: Warw1ck w/o, Mens I scr. Men's Midlands-2A FINAL PWDLFAPts Cambndge 7 6 0 1 44 12 18 7 6 0 I 35 13 18 Warw1ck 7 5 I I 38 18 16 Nott Trent DMU (Le1c) 7 4 I 2 34 22 13 Ox Brookes 7 2 0 5 23 33 6 Coventry 7 2 0 5 21 35 6 Derby I 0 6 9 47 3 7 UEA 7 1 0 6 12 36 0 1 1Three points deducted. BASKETBALL

BUSA Leagues: LHU (Loncoln) w/o, Mens I scr. Women's Midtands-2A FINAL PWDLFAPts Nott Trent 4 4 0 0 186-ID2 12 Loughboro' 11 4 3 0 1156- 159 9 UEA 4 2 0 2124-151 6 Warw1ck 4 I 0 3146-192 3 Northampton 4 0 0 4 30- 38 -9' 1 Nme pomts deducted.

•

GOLF

BUSA Leagues: UEA 4, LHU (Loncotn) 2. Men's Midlands-lA FINAL PWDL F A Pts Loughborough 10 8 0 2 401'2 191'2 24 Nott1ngham 10 6 I 3 31 29 19 LHU (Loncs) 10 6 0 4 271'2 261'2 18 UEA 10 5 0 5 28Yz3l'h 15 Warw1ck 10 I 2 7 21 39 5 Northampton 10 2 I 7 25'h 281'2 4' I Three points deducted. NETBALL

BUSA Leagues: Womens I 32, Le1cester 16; Derby 32, Womens 11 27. Women's Midlands-28 FINAL PWD LF APts Cambndge 10 10 0 0 516 166 30 Coventry I 0 7 I 2 378 290 22 ID 6 0 4 356 320 18 Nott Trent UEA 10 3 0 7 299 389 9 Northampton ID 2 I 7 294 375 4 1 Leocester 10 I 0 9 149 452 3 1 Three pomts deducted. SQUASH

Men's Midlands-2A FINAL PWDL F APts Staff (Stoke) 4 4 0 0 16 4 12 UEA 4 2 0 1 7 3 6* Cambndge 4 I 0 I 0 5 3' Ox Brookes 4 I 0 2 2 3 0' • Wolves 4 0 0 4 0 10 -62 ' - Three points deducted. z - S1x pomts deducted. • - Includes vo1d fixtu res. TABLE TENNIS

BUSA Leagues: Mens I scr, B11mongham w/o; Womens I scr, B11m1ngham w/o. TENNIS

BUSA Leagues: B11mongham 6, Mens I 0 .

FIXTURES FEBRUARY 13 HOCKEY Womens I v Loughborough

(a) BUSA

...

SQUASH

Mens I v Leocester Womens I v Bath

(a) (a)

BUSA BUSA

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

Studs Up Where are they now? Graham Tayl or's return to Aston Villa opens the tantalisi ng prospect of rea l quality gracing Villa Park . Look at Tayl or's England stars, for example. Talen t-spotting just doesn't do the man justice, as names like Chris Wood s (retired), Keit h Curie (Sheffield United), Nigel Clougli (manager, Burton Alb ion), Andy Sinton (Wolves), Carlton Palmer (player/manager, Stockport, 14 points in 34 games this season), Neit Webb (non -league), Atan Smith {retired}, and Tony Datey {Forest Green Rovers) show.

UEA gets Royal visit

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it's not quite a visit from Sven, bu t UEA has recently been blessed with the presence of Prince Ernest Gbaar-Mokake, Head Coach of the Ta nza nian Olympic Nat ional Team . Followi ng FI FA suspension from internationa l competition after fraud allegations, the side were back in action for this year's Afri can Cu p of Nat ions. Unfortunately, the Nigerian coach headed for Norwich rath er than Ma li after Tanzania failed to reach the tournament , losing 4-2 on aggregate to Mauritius in t he prelimi nary knock-out round. Keeping an eye on the UEA v Loughborough BUSA game, Mokake was sadly not on the lookout for st udents wit h a Tanzanian grandfather, but in fact visiting his wi fe, who is a ful l-time student in the school of Education and Pro fessional Development.

Quotes Of The Fortnight " it's been a long time since I've seen someone come so far and so often." Joe Royle gives us as an easy laugh commentating on Everton v Crewe . " Newcastle's fans are incredible because they t urn up every week despite modern distractions like television." Bobby Robson reveals a man who turned 69 last week ... " I' ve had to come out ot the dressing room because I don't want to get too excited.'' ... Robson again, this tune than ks to the spectacle of Craig Bellamy naked. Possibly.

Gary Nevi lie's Soapbox Hegelian philosophical pnnciple that out of a thes1s and 1ts opposed antithesis comes the hardy al loy of a synthesis contains a certa in

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My Favou rite Match .... Watford 2 Bolton Wanderers 0 31/5/99 ''A

blisteri ng late run had seen the golden boys gatecrash the division one play-offs. But now, faced with grizzled veterans Bolton , sure ly the hornets were about to be swatted? Wembley was a teemi ng mass of red and ye llow at one end; it looked like half of Hertfordshire had turned out. Bolton created chances, but soon regretted their profligacy. On the stroke of half-time, Watford winger Nicky Wright (or Nicky Wright, Wright, Wright as he was thereafter known) seized on a loose ball on t he edge of the box to unleash a delicious overhead k1ck and give Watford the lead . Having heard a tremendous baying from t he stands at half-time whilst caught up in the melee for refreshment s, I was devastated to learn that I had m1ssed two intrepid streakers, and the burger was disgusting anyway. No matter- m the 89th minute, Peter Kennedy surged down the left wing, before squaring it to Alan Smart. Without breaking his stride, the Scotsman powered the ball low into the net, right in front of the Watford fans, to spark unbelievable scenes. The Premiership beckoned (we'll draw a discreet veil over what happened there) and the Watford fans part1ed l1ke 1t was 1999." Sam lngfis

Got a favourite mJtch? Emai/200 words to su.concrete@uea.ac.uk StudS Up

IS ·ompu~d

cy Will Halrey and Mike MMer

Concrete WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2002

irates playoff hopes scuppered by Surrey AMERICAN FooTBALL: ALEX THORPE Sports Editor In the end it had to come down to minor tie-breakers , but U EA's season was destined to finish with the regular season. Away defeat to Surrey was enough to terminate the 2002 campaign, but the Pirates have no reason to be downhearted. That they were in a position to challenge after early season slipups is a test1mony to the work put in by both the players and coaches, and the assistance of the U EA Angels cheerleading squad. Travelling to Surrey as rank outsiders, the Pirates gave the BCAFL Southern Eastern Division champions an early scare. The kickoff team forced a fumble on the opening play and Jesse Lamberth recovered at the Stingers' 28 to give U EA a perfect opportunity. That opportunity was converted four plays later, as Lucien G1ordano hit Justin Bichler wide on the left for a score and a Pirates lead. Unfortunately for UEA, that was the best chance they had all first half as the Surrey offense, wh1ch amassed 3000 yards over the e1ght-game season, got into full swing. Behind the power running of

Surrey Stingers 34 UEA Pirates 16

PA Knights halfback Baron d'Anyangwe, the Stingers pummelled the D-Ime of the P1rates into SU bm iSSIOil. d'Anyangwe t1ed the scores up late 111 the first quarter with a five yard blast, and an almost identical play early in the second gave the home s1de the lead. As the Pirates tried to regroup, the St1ngers moved up a couple of gears and added two more scores before half time. All-star quarterback Ashley Heath h1t Russell Ellis for a sixyard score, before scampenng 1n himself from seven to make the score 26-6 . Sean Abbott gave the Pirates a lifeline from the extra point when, following a blocked kick, he returned the ball 80 yards for a 2 point steal. This turnover, as well as some vociferous support from the Angels on the sideline, spurred the UEA on, and Chris Lee, having his best game as a Pirate, caught a fourteen yard reception from the next play from scrim mage on the way to figures of 70 yards from four catches. The half came to an end before the UEA could capitalise, but the Pirates rolled out for the second ha lf fired up, and drew the second half. Just seven plays after Heath extended th e Surrey lead w1th a pass to Andy Mitchell from 15

yards, Giordano showed his class in findmg Nikolai Johansen in the endzone for 11. A muffed onside kick from Kevin Blacoe left UEA with work to do, but the Pirates marched 51 yards in nine plays only for the dnve to stall in the red zone with 4 7 seconds on the clock. The future looks bright for U EA though, w1th a good strong nucle-

us of a squad in place. A fine mtake of rookies and visiting stu dents for 2002-03 could see the Pirates set up as the team to beat for many years to come. Defensive co-ordinator Chris Hailstone summed up the spirit 1n the side saymg: "Everyone who donned the gold shirt yesterday earned the right to wear that shirt with pnde and honour. "

Athletics season Conditions fail to underway indoors deter sailing club SEAN DUROWOJU The bu sa indoor championships took place at Kel vin Hall , Glasgow, on February 23 and 2 4. It is the only opportunity for student athletes to compete before the beginning of the outdoor season. The meet was keenly contested with universities from across the UK sending along their best athletes. The UEA registered only 2 ath-

letes for the championships. Oluseun Durowoju for the 60m men and Stephen Palmer in the Triple Jump men. Unfortunately Palmer could not make the trip as he had an injury days before the meet. In the 60m. Durowoju reached the scmi ·finals with a personal best of 7.48s. It is a commendable perfonnance from the UEA athlete returning to running after four years of inj ury. Hopefully next year will see UEA represented in more events with the hopes of a medal high.

Super Top Tramps

• The UEA Trampolining team travelled to York for the BUSA Qualifiers with high hopes follo wing last year's successes. Unfortunately such hopes were not met, and only one team member qualified for the national finals in March.

AU STYN ALLISON In the most extreme of sailing conditions, UEA reached the pl ay-offs of the BUSA q ual ifiers f or the first t i me in student memory. With winds gusting up to a steady 50 knots - officially storm force - UEA participated in three of the four races before the weather got the better of them. In the opening race against Kent, Luke Harwood and Nick Lerner capsized before the start, but were under way again within the two minutes allowed by the rules . Dan Watson and Sarah MacDonald failed to finish, but at the same t1me two Kent boats also ca ps1zed to give U EA th e race v1ctory. Harwood and Lerner managed to get halfway up th e first beat before fl1 ppmg the boat m race two aga1nst lmpenal. on the way to defeat. In the strong w1nds Sarah MacDonald had managed tc break her fmger, but was happy to cont1nue under the 1nfluence of pa nklllers an d electncal tape m t1me for race three. lt w.ls this heat that was UEA's Most dramat1c. Before Watsor and MacDonald had even left the pontoon they lost a spreader tenSioner. so Dav1d Day and Amelia

Hall JOined them by snapping their tiller 1n a show of camaraderie. During a botched gybe on the run Harwood took a blow to the head w1th the boom - the concussion leav1ng him gibbering for a couple of hours. Not to be outdone, Watson and MacDonald capsized dramatically on the last reach. MacDonald was sw1ped by the centreboard on the way over, glvmg her a mild concussion, and was then caught under the boat. By the t1me she em erged , spluttering and dazed, 1t was time to remove the ropes t1ed round her. Day and Hall brought th e1r boat home fourth , leav1ng the London second squad with a relativity easy sweep of the top three. With a m1n1mal number of team members able to get bac k into boats, UEA dec 1ded not to sa il in the 1r fourth race, and the1r day was over. All the teams d1d well to leave nobody hosp1tal1sed and U EA. desp1te the dramd , sailed cons1s tently to the best of the1r ab1l1ty And such consistency was enough for UEA to fin1sh fourth out of the f1ve teams •hat dared to brave t'le cond t ')ns T'le resu ts eft Kert 1r last place U EA reached the play-offs along with lmpenal - the1r high est f1nish 111 years.

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Local title completes sweet double for UEA LADIES HocKEY:

UEA 7 Dereham 11 0

ALEX THORPE Sports Editor

Aye-Aye's catchl of the day is title·plate ULTIMATE FRISBEE JEREMY BIRD

Aye-Aye , UEA's Ultimate Frisbee team, achieved their best ever result in the student nationals by winning the plate competition. Fighting back from being seeded a harsh sixteenth, UEA won the bottom half of the division to get the plate. Aye-Aye faced some lOugh matches on the opening day - losing to Venom and Mwnci C, seeded second and seventh respectively. The defeats meant UEA missed out on the top half of the draw, but put them into the econd section for Sunday's games.

A winning tart in the 9am game

~=:in~~~di p~~ytd~ncos~t:~~~~e~;

loan, gave Aye-Aye the perfect start. With the stage set for a nai l-biting agains ~ Skunks of finale Southampton, Aye-Aye played well under pres ure. Coming back from a three point deficit, UEA forced the game into overtime, and a s1unning diving layout by Will Rbuth secured the victory. The win was Aye-Aye's first over an opposing first team. and it was enough to ensure they won the second half of the division. Hanne and Gill came fourth with Jedi in the wome? 's student nationI al s.

UEA Lad ies Hockey Club sealed promotion to the East Anglian league, and a famous league double with an easy wi n over second-placed Dereham 11 . No team has come close to challenging in the Martin and Acock Norfolk Women's League, and the unbeaten U EA now lead by 18 points. The game itself was one-sided to say the least, with Dereham not managing a shot on target until the second half, and only forcing two short corners to UEA's nine. Only seven minutes were on the c lock when the inevitable UEA opener came, Lucy Willett turning in a right wing cross f rom Kate Nichols. The pressure applied by UEA was relentless, and Sex Strange doubled the lead just ten minutes later, finding the net from a short corner. Dereham's goa lkeeper was like a rabbit trapped in the head1ights, as shot after shot came flying in. Strange and Nichols bot h forced good saves.

The only shock of the day was that it took until just before half time to make the score 3-0 from U EA's sixth short corner. Katie Stripe found some space and hit a stinging shot against the post that rebounded against Dereham feet. The set piece was worked around to Nichols who looked up and placed the ball coolly into the bottom far corner. With a comfortable half-time lead, and the cha mpionship secure, UEA could afford to sit back for the remainder. But the lead was extended in t he 39t h min ute as a kic k from the Dereham keeper went straight to Strange, who rolled into the gaping net. Jess Nicholson cleared Dereham's only real chance off the line, and UEA went up the other end and made it 5-0. Good stickwork freed up Jenny Carr, who cou ld n't miss as she applied the neat finish on a slick move. Willett gra bbed a second goal for herself in simi lar fashion to her opener, and completed a hat trick and the 7-0 win in the dying minutes. The Mart in and Acock League championship comes on top of

Jess Nicholson moves fOtWard for UEA against Dereham

the BUSA Midlands title and promotion to the Premiership of University hockey. Unfortunately for them their qualification for the cup has given them the toughest draw of all - away to Loughborough. The second XI can also seal a double title if they win Division Three, having won their Trophy league in BUSA. And they cou ld be joined in Division Two if the third XI put a run together to lay claim to the last promotion place. With the Sportspark conti nu ing to attract new talent to UEA, the hopes of the Hockey club must be high as they move onto the bigger and better things in the Printwise East Anglian League.

UEA HC's EPIC SEASON • ladies 1st XI: BUSA MidslA Champions, Martin & Acock Norfolk League Champions. • Mens 1st XI: 3rd in BUSA Mids-2A, Printwise East League Div 3NE Leaders. • ladies 2nd XI: BUSA Mids Trophy-2A Champions, Martin & Acock Norfolk League Div 3 Leaders. • Ladies 3rd XI: 3rd in Martin & Acock Norfolk League Div

3. • Mens 3rd XI: Printwise East League Dlv 5NE Leaders.

lwan return buoys toothless ~ Canaries ALEX THORPE Sports Editor

lt was almost inevitable that the return of lwan Roberts would spell the end of City's scoring drought. And the Canaries' 3-0 second half demolition of fellow playoff hopefuls Preston was a muchneeded pickup after a bittersweet week. Buoyed by the big Welshman resuming training on Monday, City suffered a kick in the teeth from Phi! Mulryne. The influential midfielder announced in the run up to the game

he would be leavmg the club on a free transfer come May. The fact his house is already on the market sugget ts he knows his destination, and in1creases the likelihood of Norwich signing Andy Roberts. There was no surprise that the fitagain I wan Roberts made an instant return to the team after the longest injury layoff of his career. And he repaid Nigel Worthington's faith in his fitness with a trademark thumping header on the hour to break the deadlock after a dire ftrst half. The oft fickle and unforgiving snakepi t had rel~ntlessly jeered Mulryne for the first half, and this was obviously a catalyst in City's second ha! f fire. David Nielsen, Paul McVeigh and Mulryne all had good chances before the first goal without testing Tepi Moilanen. The lack of an~ real action had obviously got to Moilanen, as the Preston keeper decided to liven proceedings up with ten minutes left. Graham Alexander, under no pressure, calmly rolled the ball backwards, and everyone turned up field. Moilanen, though, had a brain fade and, in his attTpt to gain control, left his foot h~nging in mid air as the ball rolled underneath and into the net. The crowd were almost apolo-

NATI ONWIDE LEAGUE, DIVISION ONE P W D L GO 5. Burnley 35 17 9 8 10 6 . Coventry 35 18 5 12 18 7. CITY 34 17 5 12 5 8. C. Palace 35 17 3 15 10 9. B~rm'ham 33 15 8 10 11

PT 60 59

56 54 53

COMING UP... 02/03 Burnley (a) 3.00 05/03 Rotherham (h) 7.45 Tickets £6 1£4.50 members) 09/03 Coventry (a) 3.00 15/03 B~rmingham (h) 7.45 Tickets £13 1£11 members) CLUB TOP SCORER lwan Roberts 12

getic in their celebrations; Moilanen hung his head in shame. Phil Mulryne completed the dream game for City with a superb curling free kick floated into the top right corner. The Northern Irishman claimed a deserved Man-of-the-Match and showed his doubters he will still give his all for orwich. In the post-match press conference, City boss Worthington had nothing but praise for his goalscorers. "What I wan's done tonight for 90 minutes after seven weeks out sum up the sheer size of the man," he said. "Phil's dealt very well, and crowned it off with an excellent goal -he's just too good to leave out."

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reach the sem1-fmals, which could and should have been UEA. However, desp1te th1s setback Gav1n Worma/d and Matt Cape, compet ing 1n the middleweight category, both went on to win medals in the1r IndiVIdual competition. Wormald, looking assured and confident, was 1n a diffe rent class to h1s opponents as he went on to take the gold. In do1ng so Wormald became the 15th nat10nal champ1on taught by UEA coach Steve Dav1s. Cape, meanwhile , was unlucky 1n los1ng h1s sem1-f1nal by the odd po1nt , though this was good enough to take the bronze. UEA's other fighters did not fa1r as well. In the heavyweight category, Euan Dav1dson d1d not progress beyond the second rourd, arguably due to some bad referee1ng dec1s1ons, wh1le M1ke Mllner threw 1! away 1n the quarter-finals 1n a f1ght he should have won Bob Goodson was forced to w1thdraw through InJUry, Andrew Preston and A/ex Yuen both lost 1n the open1ng ro und, and the girls will perhaps be more disappointed as Robyn Bott, Faye Thorndycroft, and Angela Llu were un lucky 1n the1r defeats in the f1nal 16. Overall, the v1ctory by Wormald lifted the spints of the battered UEA team. A Club official commented: "lt was a long day that took 1ts toll on all of us. Many, myself Included, will be disappoin ted how we did, but Gavin's victory was superb. He fought well and thoroughly deserved 1!. There will certainly be more to come from the U EA team."

MIKE MILNER

Weekends in Scotland are supposed to be either severely cold , windy and miserable, or inspire you with its outstanding natural beauty and quiet life that is so hard to find in England. When the Karate Club travelled to Edinburgh last weekend for the BUSAs, the former rather than the latter was more the case - although there were some bright moments.

The re we re times it fe lt far from a weekend break, most notably with teams sitting in a small, poorly ventilated sports hall for hours on end, with only the pleasant smell of sweaty feet to keep you company. The organisation did not make matters easier as competitors were left in the dark as to fight t imes. The day had started brightly; UEA had a favourable draw in the team event and hopes were h1gh of success. Wi th a bye 1n t he fi rst round, UEA were p1tched up against a Hull team of m1xed quality. Th1ngs started to go wro ng as Bob Goodson tasted defeat early on, before Gavm Wormald criminally threw away a four-pomt lead /eav1ng UEA w1th a mountain to climb . Desp ite victo ri es from Euan Davidson and M1ke Milner, Matt Lloyd-Cape cou ld not find the required touch t o pu 11 off a victory. Defeat was compounded by Hull go1ng on to

Above left: Karate team in Edinburgh with coach Steve Davis. Above top: Gavin Wormald in final action. Above middle: Mike Milner throws a back punch. Above right: Euan Davidson in action.

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Got a sports story? Conta.otUs at su.concrete@uea.a'c.uk

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Solution #28

: There's a £10 voucher from campus book1 shop Waterstones up fo r grabs for completion of the crossword. Simply fill m your name, contact number or emall address below and pop 1t with the cornpleted gnd 1n the Concrete off1ce upstairs m Un1on House by February 22.

L A R K. A R W A V E 1. A. A. M A N T R AP . RAV E E. C. A I R · S · A. R N H E B E X T [0 L SO. I C H 0 R A LS I NG I N K· N· · · I · E· · · .. VOO CO . GRA

Name ........................................... . School 1 Contact no: ................................. .

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AGRO~OMY

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Winner #28: James Walshe (DEV)